Ben

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Engaging with Scripture

Scripture teaches us a great deal about home and homelessness. At the beginning of the Bible, Adam and Eve lose their perfect home in the Garden of Eden and have to learn to live in a new, harsher place, and found a new community.

As the history of the people of Israel unfolds, so we find human beings continually being displaced and required to move on. The people of Israel believe in a home given to them by God, a beautiful land, a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ (Exodus 3.8) which is theirs forever. Yet the occupation of this land and ‘rights’ over it cause nothing but difficulty, and today the same problems of a land to call home tear apart the people of Israel and Palestine as well as other parts of the Middle East, and many other countries where indigenous people have been displaced by settlers and colonists. The Bible is full of natural disasters, war, captivity, wandering and exile. And while in exile, the people of Israel, a displaced people, mourn for their home. In that mourning, we hear the pain of all who are displaced and homeless: refugees, migrants, evicted people, divorced people, rough sleepers, runaways, people who have lost their dreams of finding or coming home , -and don’t know why.

In this home we have created, we listen to voices from Scripture.

Ben

Genesis 3. 22-24

Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.

How do you think Adam and Eve felt when they were thrown out of Eden?
What would Adam and Eve have had to do to survive?
Imagine a conversation between Adam and Eve immediately after the Fall. What would they need to talk about?
Imagine how Adam and Eve might have prayed to God after the Fall about their situation.

Continue: Psalm 137

Return: let me see other houses to explore

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Navigating the pathways

From here, you can travel as a visitor through a number of pathways through the various cell-spaces finding out what it is like to be an inmate here.

Yellow journey

Word and text based. You can interact with what people are saying and discussing about unjust imprisonment now.

Blue journey

Focussed on bible study, prayer, worship, song and reflective story telling.

Green journey

Engage with pictures, external web and book resources, video clips and various activities, including cooking and eating a meal.

Pink journey

Personal commitments, reflection, and following Jesus more closely. The final pink space is the space where you may or may not be allowed to leave, where you can consider what you have learned, been surprised by, challenged by and assess how you might have changed.

You can mix and match your journey through the different spaces depending on what you would most like to explore, study or do.

Yellow	Blue	Green	Pink
Welcome What is a home? What do you feel about homeless people?	Scripture passages with questions Garden of Eden Babylonian Captivity Jesus has no home Jesus’ mother at the Cross Prodigal Son	Art/images on the theme for reflection with questions and exploration	Gift-giving and baggage dumping Appreciating your home Understanding homeless people better
Thought Brief thoughts from different people about home and homelessness. Questions for discussion	Prayers For those who have lost their homes. With images for reflection	Research Websites to explore on the theme of home; homelessness; refugees and asylum seekers	Diary/blog What have you noted down for consideration? Other bloggers; Comments from young people piloting the project
Theology Theological reflection on home and heaven	Hymns and other music Choose from Hymns; chants; psalms; classical music; contemporary music	Media Video clips, TV episodes, Films, Books, Contemporary music	Footsteps of Jesus How did issues of home and homelessness affect Jesus? Matthew 2. 13-15 The Escape into Egypt Luke 4. 16-30 The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
Stories Reflective stories Manda’s story Tanya’s story Rebekah’s story With questions for discussion	Reflections Story telling Real life stories Dev’s story Rahena’s story Simon’s story Ana’s story Carl’s story	Recipe - suggestions for hospitality, trying new things Megan’s story; the work of the Salvation Army Making soup to share with others	Dispossession - how am I changing? Going home....what will I leave behind? What new things will I take home with me?

Yellow

Blue

Green

Pink