Bringing heaven and earth together in the story of God and Jacob

At Synod this year, Joel McKerrow leads the Bible Studies with performance poetry and his unique style of storytelling. He told gathered members his personal story in poetry and in the process, our need to see the divine in one another, bringing heaven and earth together.

“As a poet, I’m kind of obsessed with stories,” said Joel in his introduction to Synod members.

Joel shared his story and the story of God through his relationship with Jacob in Genesis 28:10-17. In this study in speaking about God bringing heaven to earth he enabled members to understand how God can work through the body of Christ.

“The gate of heaven opens through each of our lives as we go and share the real authentic stories or where we have met the darkness and in the darkness we have met God, that is where heaven breaks through into this earth. Those are the stories that people will listen to. Not our glorious stories of triumph – people can see through those”

Joel McKerrow is a writer, speaker, educator, community arts worker and one of Australia’s most successful internationally touring performance poets. Based out of Melbourne, Australia he is the Artist Ambassador for the aid and development organisation ‘TEAR Australia’ and was the co-founder of community arts organisation, ‘The Centre for Poetics and Justice’ (2010-2013).

A TEDx speaker and performer and frontman poet from the band, ‘Joel McKerrow & the Mysterious few’, Joel also spends much of his time running poetry workshops within schools and other organisations around poetry, creativity, identity, social justice and spirituality.

For more information about Joel McKerrow visit his website.

Adrian Drayton