Dear Christ Church,
Last Sunday, guest preacher Dcn Erin Moniz preached about how the Church can shepherd emerging adults. She mentioned that the arts, especially, are important for this group because the arts don’t resolve all the tension and messiness of life. That’s a statement that applies to everyone in the church, not just emerging adults.
Did you know our altarpiece artwork was commissioned by our Faith&Arts leaders for Pentecost? You can read the full artist statement. The side panels represent our own journey, often winding, through the mountains and valleys of life. As you move from the edges toward the center, gilded boxes come down from the sky and are poured out over the journey as the church moves deeper toward the center. The center panel represents the Triune God as steel, wood, and wax flow together to form a complete panel.
This Sunday is Pentecost. We remember the gift of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples, God breathing into life the Church. I love how The Message captures the moment of Pentecost in Acts 2: “Like a wildfire the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks.” This was not a subdued moment; the Presence of the Temple, the animating Power of the Universe, the gift of God’s very self, was coming to dwell among and in each of the disciples of Jesus
This Sunday, we’ll engage the triptych in a unique way, each of us adding our own magnetic flames of fire to the center steel panel. We’ll witness and participate in being joined to the life of God through the Spirit as we contemplate the Spirit’s work in each of our lives and invite a deeper filling.
Lastly, as Fr Cliff is on sabbatical we want to make sure that we are lifting him and his family up in prayer. From time to time I will share these prayers that act as prayer prompts for both the Warners and our church during this sabbatical. Set aside some time this weekend to pray for Cliff and his family during this sabbatical.
Peace,
Matt+