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Peace be with you all, 

I was grateful yesterday for a moment, while catching up with a friend, where we almost said at the same time: “Thank God for art.” It’s not the first time I’ve said this and it certainly won’t be the last but this past while has been a season where I’m finding much spiritual nourishment from art: poetry, music, theatre, and more!

My friend reminded me of the theological idea of hierophany: it’s a Greek word combining hiero-, "sacred," and phainein, "to show") that refers to the manifestation of the sacred. This can refer to sacred times (perhaps created through ritual), places (think of beautiful Cathedrals or your favourite place in nature), or people (those relationships that have taught you the most about love and grace). We noted how within this concept, there is a special role that an artist can play in helping us connect with the Divine. Artists help create and tell the stories which make time, place, and people sacred to us. Artists infuse beauty and meaning into both the mundane and what lies really beyond our understanding. 

This Lent, we are blessed with the work of Sanctified Art who also believes that art can serve as a connection point for our faith and that it is to our benefit to use art as part of worship. I hope that you have found a moment each day (or at least every so often) to appreciate the art as shared in the devotionals. Tomorrow evening we will have the chance to appreciate the magic of a live band bringing everyone together - hope to see you at the Onion Honey concert! And this Sunday, we will have a chance to dabble a bit into the fun of theatre! Hope to also see you on Sunday! 

Wishing you many warm blessings on this blustery day, 

 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev Michiko

Photo: Artwork "Zacchaeus” by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman | @sanctifiedart