The Dream of God—Matthew Clark

by Matthew Clark

I met Malcolm Guite back in 2010. A year prior, a friend had given me a chapbook of his called Saying the Names, thinking I might like this new poet she’d run across. She was right. Over the next decade or so, Malcolm’s ministry bore good fruit in my life, playing a big part in freeing me from some deeply rooted fears around creative calling.

Fast forward to 2020. I began to dream of a trilogy of albums I might record. That dream developed further to include three books. I’d ask writer friends to respond to a song of mine with a personal, narrative essay, and these would become the chapters. Only the Lover Sings, A Tale of Two Trees, and, finally, Where the River Goes, became The Well Trilogy.

The Trilogy was heavily shaped by John 4, where Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet at Jacob’s Well. Because of her experience, this woman had no capacity to imagine the good Jesus was bringing to her that day. My imagination was similarly burnt out, but I watched this woman go from sarcastic and skeptical, to dodgy and afraid, to, by the end of the story, astonished and giddy with new hope and joy. Where she’d come to only expect disgust, she’d found the face of God shining (smiling) upon her in Christ. She sings, “The day I saw you seeing me / that was the first time I could see / the truth that I was loved completely.”

The middle book and album of the trilogy deals with keeping faith in times when the light of Jesus’ face seems to have been eclipsed by suffering. This last book and album are about the return of Christ’s face at the Resurrection, as that gladdening light flows like a great holy river and “everything will live where the river goes.” (Ez. 47:9)

This is the Beatific Vision that God has always dreamt would be humanity’s beautiful destination––to be with and like Jesus, held in that beholding. For “when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 Jn 3:2)

The Well Trilogy culminates in this last song, “The Dream of God.” I had always hoped Malcolm might be able to write the essay to go with it. I was so excited when he said, “yes.” You can read an excerpt of Malcolm’s essay, “Full-eyed Love” from Where the River Goes, on the Rabbit Room substack.

The whole of Malcolm’s essay, along with fifteen additional essays by the likes of Ruth Naomi Floyd, Douglas McKelvey, Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson and more is available now. Visit www.matthewclark.net for all the info.

---

Matthew Clark is a singer/songwriter and storyteller from Mississippi. He has recorded several full length albums, including a Bible walk-through called “Bright Came the Word from His Mouth” and “Beautiful Secret Life.” Matthew hosts a weekly podcast, “One Thousand Words – Stories on the Way”, featuring essays reflecting on faith-keeping. A touring musician and speaker, Matthew travels sharing songs and stories. Whether it’s a song, podcast, meal, or an essay, Matthew loves to “make things that make room for people to meet Jesus.”