In God's Name

Plot

After the creation of the world no one knew the name for God. So each person searched, and some answers are charmingly set against primitive-style illustrations.

Words spoken and written in God's name often do not seem to do God justice. It is then delightful when you do come across words and images that gather together something of the essence of God.
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Phoebe Stone are amazingly talented women who manage to do just this!
Sasso is the author of the book `In God's Name', whose insightful words are complimented by Stone's drawings.
What is God's name? Is it Healer? Source of light? Ancient of Days? Shepherd? Mother? Peacemaker? What is the `best' name for God?
`In God's Name' wanders along a path searching out the right name for God; it encounters those who think they have found the perfect and only name for the one who is.
The drawings are both breathtaking and charming, creating a story of movement and grace and drawing attention to the life and wonder of that which God has made.
This book invites children, adults and communities to question who God is for them. It encourages discussion about the way God is perceived and named, and the importance of this to us.
It does not shy away from the fact that it is hard work to listen to others, especially about something so close to the centre of ourselves. It is difficult to listen to other's ideas about God, without interjecting with our own rights or wrongs.
Yet this book provides a path forwards. Valuing other's ideas and perceptions about God is a central theme to this work. Not only are the thoughts of the white haired grandfather given weight, but also the thoughts of a lonely child, of the farmer with skin like the rich brown earth, of the slave freed from bondage and of the young mother nursing her newborn. The insights these different characters provide from their own lives create opportunities for us to reflect on our experiences of God.
The beauty of the final scene in the book shows something of God's grace to us. All those who felt they knew the `right' name for God find themselves gathered around a clear still lake, something like a mirror - `God's mirror'.
In looking into the lake they recognise the many faces that belong to God and are unable to stop themselves from calling out in joy the countless and wonderful names that God has, and realising that they are all good names and none is better than another.
You cannot help but smile as you see the coming together of a community in which the members are able to celebrate the diversity of themselves and the God in whose image they have been made.
`In Gods name' provides countless opportunities for your faith community to gather closer to God as you search for the many names that God holds.