And It Was Good

by Madeleine L'engle

  2. Where do you see Christ? Do you ever intentionally look at another person and try to see Christ? Put this idea into practice and discuss how it challenges you: Take some time to really look at someone and see Christ in them. Turn on your least favorite news station, and try to see Christ in the people on the screen. Look at your close friends, and try to see Christ. How is this difficult? How does this make you feel? How do you think others see Christ in you?

  3. This chapter examines the difficult choices in life, and acknowledges that there are not always easy answers. In fact, sometimes “there is no right thing to do.” Have you ever been in a situation when there wasn’t a right choice? What did you do?

  4. How did the short story in this chapter, “The First Birth,” cause you to think differently about Scripture and about Adam and Eve as humans?

  Chapter 5: Intersecting Circles

  1. The chapter opens by stating that “in the pages of Genesis, and all through the Bible, we recognize ourselves.” Is this true for you? Where do you see yourself in Scripture?

  2. Is literal-mindedness a trap? Why? How does being too literal-minded negatively influence our faith?

  3. Discussing the nature of the Holy Spirit, L’Engle says, “This wildness is the maternal aspect of the Trinity!” Do the words “wildness” and “maternal” go together in your mind? What image does the word “maternal” normally provoke for you? What are your ideas on the maternal aspects of God?

  4. The author says that “we can never truthfully say ‘it’s my own business’ ” because all of our choices and actions affect God. How does this statement make you feel about your own choices? Have you ever considered how your choices—large or small—affect God?

  5. L’Engle frequently celebrates the truth-telling power of story and myth. What stories matter to you, and why? Have you ever experienced a revelation of truth through reading a story?

  6. Do you agree that “one of the greatest problems besetting the world today is that across the continents the circles [of our lives] are moving further apart”? How are we moving further apart from one another? How can we change that?

  7. The author claims that “reality is something we participate in making, as co-creators with God. Making reality is part of our vocation, and one of the chief concerns of prayer.” What does she mean? How do we participate in making reality?

  Chapter 6: The First Death

  1. What do you think about the short story told in this chapter? How does it change or challenge your preconceptions of Cain and Abel? How do you see yourself in this story?

  2. Cain mentions his mother’s singing and his mother’s humming. What is the significant difference between her singing and her humming?

  3. At one point, NoName, as Cain calls him, sits next to the boy and unfolds his wings “just enough to protect [him] from the east wind.” Does the devil ever truly protect us? What is the purpose in NoName’s protection of Cain in this scene?

  4. Cain and Abel have different experiences with the Lord in this story. Cain claims the Lord does not answer him, but Abel says the Lord does answer his questions. How does this reflect your own experience with God? In what way does the Lord answer Cain in the story that he does not recognize?

  5. In this story, is Abel’s murder intentional on Cain’s part? Does being “not guilty” make him innocent?

  Chapter 7: The God Who Is Free

  1. Have you ever experienced a time when every move you made, every thought, every breath was prayer? If so, what were the circumstances that inspired this? How did the prayer change you? If not, do you believe it is possible to “walk with God [so that] our lives are truly nothing but prayer”?

  2. Do you think God changes el’s mind? Does the idea of a God who changes el’s mind bother you? Why or why not? Do you believe changing one’s mind is a sign of weakness, or a natural part of life?

  3. L’Engle says that the Old Testament heroes have something very striking in common: “When God spoke to them, they recognized the Lord’s voice, and they listened, and they obeyed. They might argue; they might obey reluctantly, but they obeyed.” Do you recognize the Lord’s voice in your life? Do you ever doubt what you hear? Is it easy for you to obey, or do you tend to argue or obey reluctantly? What can you learn from the Old Testament heroes about hearing the voice of the Lord?

  4. This chapter discusses the human, and in particular the Christian, tendency to set ourselves apart from others. L’Engle says that “this setting apart is always a sign of the presence of the tempter.” What does she mean by “setting apart”? Have you ever witnessed this in action? Do you agree that this is a sign of the presence of the tempter, or do you believe boundaries and separation are important?

  5. So often in Scripture and in life, God “doesn’t pick the logical people to do the work which needs to be done.” Can you think of some examples of God’s “illogical” choice for a particular task? Perhaps the stuttering Moses, or wine-loving Noah, or even bombastic Peter. What about in your own life? Have you seen God work through someone in a surprising way? And what about you? What has God asked you to do? Do you feel you are the “logical” choice for this calling?

  6. L’Engle says, “Believing is never easy, and it is not cheap.” What does this mean? What is the cost of belief?

  7. Do you value your dreams? Do you believe there is any meaning in them? Have you ever had a particularly vivid dream which you felt was trying to communicate or teach you something?

  Chapter 8: Paradoxes in Prayer

  1. The author says, “Our free will is most evident when we are being co-creators with God.” Do you agree? What does this statement mean to you? How are you a co-creator with God?

  2. Balance is a theme in this chapter. The author promotes a healthy and godly balance in love, friendship, independence, and so forth. How balanced is your life? Do you struggle in any particular area?

  3. Prayer is a crucial part of the lives of characters in the Bible. How much is prayer a part of your life? In what ways do you consistently practice prayer?

  4. Another theme discussed in this chapter is dailiness versus moments of glory. What are your daily duties? How do you find comfort or spiritual discipline in them? Are they simply tedious? Why? Do you ever experience glory moments?

  5. L’Engle admits she relied too much on intellect when she was younger, and that she “was trained to be suspicious of anything which was beyond the realm of logic.” Do you feel this way? Why is it important not to rely on intellect too much when it comes to our relationship with God?

  6. L’Engle acknowledges that there are not always easy answers in her Christian faith. But she says, “I have learned that if I want neat, unconflicting answers, I would have to go to some rigid sect where my free will would be denied.” What does she mean by this? Do you agree with her? Are you comfortable with questions, or do you need “neat, unconflicting answers”?

  7. The author shares that in her spiritual journey, she left the church for some time. Have you ever left the church? What brought you back? She also says that, as a storyteller, she needs “sign, symbol, sacrament, that which takes me beyond where my mind can go alone.” What do you need in your own faith practice?

  Chapter 9: Love’s Hardest Lesson

  1. In her examination of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, L’Engle looks at the conversation or bold prayer of Abraham, and thus concludes we need not be afraid to speak our minds to God. Have you ever been afraid to speak your mind to God? How would speaking your mind be freeing? What about it, if anything, makes you uncomfortable?

  2. L’Engle calls hospitality a “sacred obligation.” What does hospitality mean to you? What about Lot’s sense of hospitality challenges you?

  3. What is the difference between punishment and justice? She calls punishment a “lesson of love.” Why is her definition of punishment important? How does the idea of providing a “lesson of love” change the way you view those deserving of punishment, whether it is a disobedient child
or a criminal? In what ways does God—or does el—punish us?

  4. L’Engle says she was often asked if she was a universalist, and wondered how people had gotten that idea about her. She says, “As far as I can gather, universalism means that all of a sudden, and for no particular reason, God is going to wave a magic wand, and say, ‘Okay, everybody, out of hell. Home free.’ ” With this as her definition, she asserts she is absolutely not a universalist. Do you agree with her definition of universalism? Are you a universalist? Why or why not?

  5. During a public event, a young man challenged the author on her belief about absolute justice versus mercy. Read her conversation with him again. Do you want absolute justice for the world? Or do you want mercy—for everyone, including murderers and rapists? What about for yourself—do you want absolute justice or mercy?

  6. “Often it is even more difficult for me to forgive myself than it is to accept God’s forgiveness for me.” Have you ever experienced this? When? Why did, or do, you struggle with forgiving yourself?

  7. L’Engle says that “we have much to answer for, we Christians, and excluding part of God’s family from God’s church is a big problem.” What do you think she means by “God’s family”? Who do we exclude from our churches? How can we solve this problem, in practical, individual terms?

  Chapter 10: Impossibilities That Happen

  1. Have you ever experienced a miracle in your own life? Have you ever witnessed a miracle in the life of someone else?

  2. L’Engle says, “I believe that our love is never powerless to help.” What does she mean by this? How has love helped you? How have you offered love to someone else, when you had nothing else to offer?

  3. “It is all right for me to pray for the small, silly things—Do not let me fall, Do not let me get laryngitis—as long as I hand the prayer, no matter how minor, no matter how foolish, to God. Your way, Lord, not mine.” What does this mean? How do you hand your prayers to God?

  4. How do you “learn faith,” as L’Engle says? How do you deepen your faith?

  5. The author says, “Sometimes when I have not understood why God has not answered my prayer my way, it has been made clear to me later.” Have you ever experienced this? If so, discuss a time God did not answer your prayer your way but revealed understanding to you later.

  Chapter 11: A Fountain in the Desert

  1. Why do you think we are so naturally suspicious of others? What defines your “us” and your “them”?

  2. The author says, “A party is a celebration of love, just as a punishment is a lesson of love.” Do you think there is a balance between our culture’s celebrations of love and lessons of love? Do we value lessons of love? Do we prefer celebrations and ignore lessons?

  3. Have you ever been able to identify God’s pattern woven through your life? If so, what was it? How did you recognize it?

  4. L’Engle cautions that “it is only the distortions we must fear and shun, never the original good itself.” What are some specific things that the devil has distorted? How can we continue to embrace the original good in these things? How do we recognize the original good? What are some distortions in your life? How do you shun them while still embracing the original good?

  5. “God can and does come into the most terrible things and redeem them. I do not believe that God wills cancer, or multiple sclerosis. I do not believe that we are ever to regard the brutal death of a child as God’s will. I know only that el can come into whatever happens, and by being part of it, can return it to wholeness.” Do you agree with her? Have you experienced wholeness in the midst of tragedy or despair? How do you reconcile suffering with the idea of a loving God?

  Chapter 12: The God Who Cannot Fail

  1. The title of this chapter is an interesting theological statement: The God who cannot fail, not the God who does not fail. What is the difference between cannot and does not?

  2. Has God ever asked you to sacrifice something? What was it? Did you sacrifice it?

  3. In Scripture, the story of Abraham and Isaac is told in a very spare, almost stark way. The author says, “Perhaps this story tells us more about the nature of man’s understanding of God than it does about God elself.” What do you think she means by this? What does the simple, straightforward telling of this story in the Bible reveal about our understanding? How does the way the story is told challenge us?

  4. During an interview, the author was asked what Jesus meant in her life. She says, “Jesus taught me about story, the truth of story, and that story is light.” Do you understand her answer? What does Jesus mean in your life?

  5. After marveling at the immediate willingness of Mary to obey the Lord, L’Engle notes that not all prophets were so immediately obedient. Many of them said no first, but eventually changed their minds. She says, “So perhaps we need not be immediately willing. We can argue and protest….And then we can say…‘Here I am. Send me. Be it unto me according to your word.’ ” Have you ever had a time of immediate willingness to obey God’s call? Or are you more prone to argue and resist? Do you think eventual obedience is true obedience? How does this idea inform your view of God’s mercy?

  6. One of the author’s “tricks” to understanding difficult passages of Scripture is to meditate on the passage by writing a story or poem. In this chapter, she includes a poem she wrote from the perspective of the ram that Abraham sacrificed in Isaac’s place. Do you have any tricks to help you meditate more deeply on Scripture? What helps you to better understand a difficult passage?

  7. The author often saw God in nature. Where do you regularly see God?