The Theophany Project
Art by Shin Young-Hun
Three times holy One time holy, Two times holy Three times holy All cry, “holy, holy, holy.” You…holy, You…unutterable, dread-filled, beyond us… so unlike us. We dare glimpse your presence: Your holiness testifies to our uncleanness, your fierceness tells our apathy, your peaceableness notices our pugnacity your generosity bespeaks our stinginess. So unlike you, yet called by you, yet sent by you, yet authorized by you, to hard places, to tough times, to resistant circumstances. Called…your instruments…to the hard places that match your holy purposes… peace, mercy, compassion… your holy purposes that lead us. Amen. By Walter Brueggemann
Art by Paul Gauguin
Jacob at the Jabbok Litany for the Journey Fran Pratt, Call and Response: Litanies for Congregational Prayer Holy Spirit, Lover of our souls: You have set us in this world, Each with intention, destiny and purpose, And given us opportunities to know you, To connect with you, And to become our best selves. You have given us freedom of choice on this journey. In love you have allowed us to choose Whether we will listen and pay attention to you, Whether we will love you. We choose you, our Friend and Redeemer. Make our lives a testament to your love. We don't want to settle for surface level Or for a Spirituality that never changes us. Help us to be patient with the process of growth, To even enjoy it; To be present with the journey of life, spirit, soul To dig deep and uncover whatever is hidden And bring it to your light. To encounter our inner shadow without fear To look for beauty, and do its work; We set our intentions toward light and life. We know that we are our best selves When we are most aware of your grace towards us. Walk with us on this journey of life Now and forever. Amen.
Art by Caravaggio
Emmaus Mark Jarman, Unholy Sonnets They're eating dinner with someone they loved, Someone almost forgotten from their past, Who has come back, and they are all amazed And look on as they chew, as their friend talks And breaks a fresh loaf open, and remarks It's like something, and offers it to them And says it yields up Truth like a sweet savour. They put their noses to the fractured crust. But it's not bread they are breathing. It is words. And then, they are alone, thinking of things To ask that now they can't. What's a "secret savour"? And all they have is right before their eyes, Bread crumbs, some honey, and a piece of fish, All of which tastes like joy and disbelief.
Art by Janet MacKenzie
Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: the art of Janet McKenzie excerpt from Susan Caleb John 20: 11-18 "in the garden dark, with death, the Word quests AnOtherOne: 'woman, whom do you seek? 'where have you laid him?' her wise request Tombed darkness opens That Light might dawn the Truth by name: 'Mary!' 'Rabbouni!' I....Thou...the Relation A Truth so wide and deep that into its dark One must surely plunge, for lifting up To rise...into fleshly glory, Life luminous in Love From unto the Relation ' go to my brothers and sisters And say 'I am going to my Home And your home, To my God and your God!' At the crossing, the One Sent sees, believes, knows, abides in the Relation. Mary Magdalene One Sent by AnOtherSent abides...with Christ...in God: Two but One, One but Two, in Three Twogethered, One in Mystery... As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be... We Are Imago Dei. In the beginning was the Relation The Word was with God: the Word was God In the beginning God created humankind. In the image of God, male and female, God created them. The Word made Image dwells among us!
Art by Betty LaDuke
Ears but do not hear The idols have ears but do not hear… so unlike you, for all your hearing… so like us, ears but do not hear. You have endlessly summoned us: Shema, listen, listen up, pay attention, heed, obey, turn… We mostly do not… in our narcissism, in our recalcitrance, in our departure from you. So we pray for ears, open, unwaxed, attentive, circumcised Call us by name…so that we know, Call us to you…so that we live, Call us into the world…so that we care, Call us to risk…so that we trust beyond ourselves. You speak/ we listen/ and comes life, abundant, beyond all that we ask or think… Our ears to hear your word of life. Amen.
Art by Ainsley Roberts
Litany for the presence of God Fran Pratt, Call and Response: Litanies for Congregational prayer Psalm 96 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of your presence! Oh, the beauty of your sanctuary! Give to the Lord honor and offerings For great are you, Lord, and greatly to be praised. Give to the Lord glory and honorThe glory and honor due to your name! We enter your gates with thanksgiving, and your courts with praise. To be in your presence, Lord, is joy. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. To be in your presence, Lord, is to be free. You bless your preppie with peace. In your presence is peace that surpasses our understanding. We earnestly seek the presence of the Lord all day long. Joy, freedom and peace are the hallmarks of our lives. Daily we carry the presence of the Lord with us. And this mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory. Daily we acknowledge Christ, in all things; For in him all things hold together. Daily we reach out for you, Lord, and find you, for you are not far from us. In you we live and move and have our being. We are your children.
Art by John Biggers
1Kings, Elijah Litany for Stillness, Fran Pratt, Call and Response: Litanies for Congregational Prayer God, we know that when we wait upon you Our strength is renewed. We know that your presence can grow in us When we become still. You are exalted in our hearts When we contemplate your goodness. That we often avoid quiet reflection, We confess to you, Oh God. That we often mistake stillness for sloth, We confess to you, Oh God. That we often become hoodwinked by our culture of excess, We confess to you, Oh God. That intentional stillness often requires great effort from us, We confess to you, Oh God. When we are running around, attending to our to-do lists, It's you we seek. When we are looking for pleasure and consolation, It's you we seek. When we are in need of affirmation and success, It's you we seek. When we are avoiding our pain, or nursing our wounds, It's you we seek. We cease our striving and sink now into the stillness of this moment, For we have composed and quieted our souls. We immerse ourselves into your loving, always available presence, For we have composed and quieted our souls. We make it our ambition to be deeply familiar with you, For we have composed and quieted our souls. We meditate upon the beauty of God, For we have composed and quieted our souls. Renew us now As we wait quietly, in stillness, for you.