(Hanging the BEATITUDES on Central London landmarks)
Think of the vast knowledge bank you already have that is often organised in sequences. For example you might know all the tracks on the Abbey Road album and know them in an A side and B side sequence. Here it is just for fun. This is an example of having 17 items that you could hang verses and words on.
Other ideas :
A family tree, a list of people at work or at school, rooms in a house or a place of work, transport routes of all kinds; walks, train/bus journeys, maps that are familiar to you local and international, football teams, flowers or paintings by a particular artist or school of artists, a book, a film, a musical, a play, the 59 butterfly species in Britain…..! The number of possibilities is literally endless. Jot 10 of them down here.
| List number | Theme e.g. train stops on commuter run | Number of items in list | Specific items in list or examples of : |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 |
Now use one of your lists to hang the beatitudes from Matthew 5. Only link the key word for the moment to each thing or person on your list. Here is a table to help you and my example filled in.
| Beatitude | Your list item | Your imagined connection | |
| 1 | POOR in spirit | ||
| 2 | Those who MOURN | ||
| 3 | MEEK | ||
| 4 | HUNGER and THIRST for Righteousness | ||
| 5 | MERCIFUL | ||
| 6 | PURE | ||
| 7 | PEACEMAKERS | ||
| 8 | PERSECUTED | ||
| 9 | When others REVILE and PERSECUTE you (RAP) |
My example hung on central London attractions
The first stage is to memorise the vital word ( here in the NRSV translation)
| 1 Westminster bridge | POOR in spirit | Down and outs huddled under the bridge |
| 2 Big Ben | Those who MOURN | The clock repairer in mourning because Big Ben has stopped |
| 3 Downing Street | MEEK | A delivery of Leeks to the prime minster |
| 4 Cenotaph | HUNGER and THIRST for Righteousness | Hungry and thirsty soldiers all begging for bread by the monument |
| 5 Trafalgar Square | MERCIFUL | A Red Cross flag flying from Nelson’s column with MERCY on it. |
| 6 National Gallery | PURE | The steps are being purified of chewing gum by a water jet |
| 7 St Martin’s in the fields | PEACEMAKERS | Former enemies attend a service of peace |
| 8 Charing Cross station | PERSECUTED | Storm troopers storm the station and persecute passengers |
| 9 Savoy Hotel the Strand | When others REVILE and PERSECUTE you (RAP) | The hotel foyer is full of rappers. |
Once you have achieved that complete each scene with the following :
| 1 Westminster bridge | POOR in spirit | Down and outs huddled under the bridge | For theirs is the kingdom of God. Give them each a gold KOG |
| 2 Big Ben | Those who MOURN | The clock repairer in mourning because Big Ben has stopped | For they will be comforted Wrap your arms around the clockmaker, he blows his nose |
| 3 Downing Street | MEEK | A delivery of Leeks to the prime minster | For they shall inherit the earth With the wheel barrow of leeks is a pile of earth ; you inherit all this earth too. |
| 4 Cenotaph | HUNGER and THIRST for Righteousness | Hungry and thirsty soldiers all begging for bread by the monument | For they shall be satisfied Hand them shopping bags full of food – they devour the doughnuts with big smiles |
| 5 Trafalgar Square | MERCIFUL | A Red Cross flag flying from Nelson’s column with MERCY on it. | For they shall receive mercy Thousands of ticker tape pieces of paper fall from the sky onto the crowd with the word MERCI ! on them |
| 6 National Gallery | PURE | The steps are being purified of chewing gum by a water jet | For they will see God The stone pavement’s become transparent glass and you can see God! |
| 7 St Martin’s in the fields | PEACEMAKERS | Former enemies attend a service of peace | For they shall be called Sons of God The vicar says ‘ we are calling SOG’s’ |
| 8 Charing Cross station | PERSECUTED | Storm troopers storm the station and persecute passengers | For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven the passengers jump on the train and it departs to the Kingdom of Heaven |
| 9 Savoy Hotel the Strand | When others REVILE and PERSECUTE you (RAP) | The hotel foyer is full of rappers. | Rejoice and be exceedingly glad The rappers rejoice and eat exceedingly good cakes ( kipling) |