When COVID-19 altered the way we lived and the way we worshiped, we began the cross creativity project to encourage the cultivation of the arts and engagement with one another. The Italians ventured to their balconies and sang to their neighbors; this is the Church of the Cross version of that endeavor. It is a sorrow to not gather in person, but is a joy to gather through one another’s creativity here.
Art and beauty of any kind is best observed with an intentional posture and an open heart. Let the creativity of both the young and seasoned members of our body lift your eyes and your spirits toward our Creator. May these small but bold contributions of our “family” encourage you to be faithful in your current circumstance and awake your soul to both truth and beauty. And since this is one way we are “gathering” as a body in this unusual time, I encourage you to follow the Spirit’s prompting to pray for and connect with one another over what you see and hear.
If you find it helpful, you may pray the excerpt of a prayer from Every Moment Holy before viewing the art.
Leader: In a world shadowed by cruelty, violence and loss, is there good reason for the planting of flowers, *or in the creation and cultivation of beauty and art?*
People: Ah, yes!
For these bursts of color
and beautiful blooms
are bright dabs of grace,
witnesses to a promise,
reminders of a spreading beauty
more eternal, and therefore stronger,
than any evil, than any grief,
than any injustice or violence.
Written by Douglas McKelvey, Every Moment Holy, pg. 87
*additional words added by Andene
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