Monday, January 27, 2014

Transforming Brokenness into Beauty: the Second Genesis Story

For our Worship Together service, we usually have an art project for the second week that we spend with a unit.  From the moment I got my assignment, the second creation story, the one with Adam and Eve, I knew what I would do.




When we studied this text at Create in Me a few years ago, my spouse created an empty cross out of plexiglass and wood. 




We brought broken things to drop in there.  A potter friend who lives nearby had plenty of broken materials to supply.  We could also write examples of brokenness on the broken objects.




In the end, we had a thing of beauty made out of all sorts of brokenness.  I tried to believe that was the take-away message from the Adam and Eve story.  I tried to ignore centuries of female oppression based on that text.

For yesterday's art project, I wanted something simpler.  So, I took a piece of posterboard and drew a cross on it.  I tore up lots of pieces of paper in different colors.  I had people write examples of brokenness that they'd like God to turn into beauty and glue it to the cross.

I told people that if they didn't want to share their brokenness, they could glue the writing side of the paper to the cross or write in code or draw a picture.  I reminded us that these didn't have to be examples from our personal life.  There's plenty of brokenness in the larger world:  Syria, for example.

What I love about this group is that they enter into everything with enthusiasm--or at least openness--so I don't have to be too worried. 

I forgot my camera yesterday, so I can't show you what we created.  But we filled up the whole cross, and indeed, it was beautiful, in a mosaic way.  And I do like the basic message.  Indeed I do.

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