Page 41 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
BOOKS
Read, Wonder, Listen
presbyterian.ca
WINTER 2022
PRESBYTERIAN
41
By Laurie Watt, Communications Coordinator, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont.
At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont., when the pandemic locked the church doors, we gave children copies of Read, Wonder, Listen: Stories from the Bible for Young Readers, written by Laura Alary and illus- trated by Ann Sheng. The book is a collection of 105 Bible stories that allowed parents to be teach- ers as well as learners with their children.
As part of Knox College’s staff, Dr. Laura Alary serves as a guide as she takes students on journeys of discovery and teaches as she helps deepen their knowledge. But her influence extends beyond the college’s walls and the stu- dents she encounters. She fos- ters the imaginations and curios- ity of children and all those who read with her books with them by retelling classic Bible stories.
“Before reading or telling a Bi- ble story to children,” Laura said, “I say to them, ‘The light of Christ helps us understand what we read in the Bible.’ That is a simple way of saying that we interpret the words on the page in light of what we know of the teachings and actions of Jesus.”
Wondering and listening—and writing books since she was a child—Laura Alary has gathered some of the better-known Bible stories into one book, published in 2018. Read, Wonder, Listen re- tells well-known stories from dif- ferent perspectives and different times and places, which raises different questions. Laura pointed out that Bible is incredibly diverse and requires different lenses to read and interpret.
“Before I began to write this book, I had to deal with a number of large questions: Which stories should I include? From whose
point of view? I had to establish criteria for inclusion and a goal.”
She also explores the vibrancy of what has been recorded in the scriptures thousands of years ago.
“The Bible is not a static text, but an ongoing conversation. What ideas have been misun- derstood? What ideas have to be stretched?”
In Luke 2, when Jesus is in the temple, he listened and asked questions of the teachers. He shared his ideas. Those are things any child can relate to. Laura kept that in mind as she retold the sto- ries. She recognizes all of us have a desire to be connected to oth- ers, to creation and to God.
Ultimately, she wanted the book to be inclusive, truthful, peaceful and open.
“Where am I in this story?” she tells readers to ask themselves. “Where does it connect with my life? That is the work of the child and the Spirit. I like to prod that along.”
Sometimes that means telling the story from a different char- acter’s perspective. “I want to make room for the characters and points of view that were left out. Is there a way to include them? Would the story sound different if someone else was telling it?” Then she began to explore, using her education in the classics and theology, her experiences in the Montessori method and her years of making books, even out of craft paper when she was a child.
For example, Alary wondered what Noah’s wife would think of the practicalities of life on the ark.
“(Noah’s wife) raises practi- cal concerns. What about food? Camels and clams don’t eat the same things. Who will do the cleaning?”
Those questions fire up the im- agination and the interaction with the story. Alary encourages the reader to step into the time and place of the character and expe- rience the story. She makes the characters and their experiences more relatable so the stories have more power.
“Stories can cultivate imagina- tion,” Laura said. “Stories can stir empathy. We step into the real- ity of someone else’s existence. They have the power to shape our hearts, minds and attitudes.”
As she writes, she asks her- self—and encourages her read- ers to ask themselves—what is this story doing to me?
In the story of Cain and Abel, readers experience something many of them will know—sib- ling rivalry—in another time and place.
“Sometimes it’s the hardest texts that generate the best con- versations,” she said, knowing as the mother of three, kids wonder, Why is everything so unfair?
“Sometimes I ask questions directly and sometimes I tell the story in a way that encourages kids to ask their questions.”
Alary’s works include books that tackle truth, illness and dy- ing, space exploration and the in- terconnectedness of life on earth.
How Do I Pray for Grandpa? Is another book by Laura Alary that explores the uncertainty a young girl named Miriam experiences as she watches her grandfather’s health fail. The book explores prayer as Miriam finds ways to see and speak to God.
And as a theologian, Laura journeys with us through the ec- clesiastical seasons. This series features Laura’s book, Look!: A Child’s Guide to Advent and Christmas, which explores Advent through the eyes of a child who eagerly waits and looks for a sur- prise behind each day in an Advent calendar. The series also includes a guide to Lent and Easter, Make Room, and a third one, Breathe, which explores Pentecost.
A book signing at St. Andrew’s, Barrie, with author Dr. Laura Alary.
“My son said, ‘Are you going to write another one in this se- ries?’, and I said, ‘No, I’ve worked through the liturgical year.’ Then I realized yes, there is a pretty significant gap. The Lenten book goes up to Easter Day then stops.”
She’s working on another book that journeys through the 50 days of Easter, and links to Breathe.
“The Spirit is the energy that connects all things. We are all cells in one body.”
And interestingly, at Knox Col- lege, where today’s theologians gather with tomorrow’s, there’s
a growing picture and children’s book collection.
Children’s books are a great place to start to read, wonder and listen to what the Spirit has to say.
The Guder Scholars Program
The Centre for Missional Leadership (CML) at St. Andrew's Hall, Vancouver
August 1 to 3, 2023
Theme: "Missional Leadership and Evangelism" with Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, SMU Perkins School of Theology
The Guder Scholars program provides an intensive, residential learning environment focused on missional leadership for a select, diverse group of church leaders in their first fifteen years of ministry. Named in honour of our Senior Fellow in Residence, Dr. Darrell Guder, this program seeks to equip, encourage and
enable leaders to practice missional leadership in a changing world.
Application forms available from Mavis Ho at cml@standrews.edu or online at www.standrews.edu/cml- closing date of January 31, 2023. Meals, program and housing provided - travel bursaries available. More info: www.standrews.edu