the Weary Pilgrim

trans/*/ition {*growth in the gutter}

Good friend, artist, thoughtful creative and cultural engager Jason Nobel, whom I've also had the pleasure of working with on some Poasis projects has a gallery showing coming...

trans|*|ition

trans|*|ition
{*growth in the gutter}



faith, identity, and superheroes:
exploring the growth between 'before' and 'after.'

where: con brio music school (1270 may st, victoria bc).
opening: june 1, 2007; 7-9pm.
when: june 3-24, 2007.
open to view: 1-5pm on sundays or by appointment.

Ok here's the ...Map... now you can't say you don't know how to get there.

tearing apart religion...

But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.

At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.

The above brilliant piece of creativity is by J Nobel. This was one of the last creative acts in the Sorrow to Glory liturgy. J came up and ripped the temple curtain from top to bottom, in the silence of the room the sound almost pierced you. When J was done, this was read...

In this hour darkness, sorrow and death come

They cover lives, and the earth like a curtain drawn for night

Your shed blood, and life sacrificed tear to shreds this curtain of sorrow

Through it we see the dawn of a new day, the Glory of God

After the above words, people came forward and started cutting a piece of the curtain to take home with them at the end of the evening...as a reminder.

Can you imagine the people in Jerusalem going to the Temple and seeing the curtain ripped wide open and revealing the holy of holies. For the Pharisee's, the temple priests, the charade was over. They could no longer hide the truth ...the Glory had left the temple long ago.

The Glory would now find its place in a new temple...in the hearts of man.

creative engagement...

Gareth over a Moot posted this image...I wonder what passers by think? It is said the eye is a window to the soul. In world that seems to be on a broken spin cycle, in which our brains constantly peer out of these to windows into the culture around us. I wonder if images like this can jolt souls, awaken it's conscience to some thing that is so beyond...yet so close.

Sorrow to Glory...a wrap

Well after a week in Saskatchewan with family and friends celebrating my father inlaws life, who passed away on the 18th of March, and James flying back to Ontario to celebrate the life of his grandmother Grace...we both returned Friday. Just enough time to catch our breath and set up and get ready for Saturday evenings " Sorrow to Glory ", at Uvic's Interfaith Chapel.

This evening was a bit of a creative twist which incorporated interactive stations of art which drew participants into a personal space of reflection and mediation. This part of the evening lasted about an hour and then we moved into a gathering of Lenten reflection and liturgy...there was a flow of movement, word, music, image all weaved through the thematic tapestry of sorrow to glory.

It was an incredible evening of intimacy...that left me breathless. I found writing the initial liturgy was almost like writing a play in which the community would act out. Liturgy is often called the " works of the people ." It was my hope and prayer, that this evening as we gathered we would own it. That with the liturgical frame work, like a loose knit tapestry...we with the Spirit of God, would weave our lives into it. The Spirit of the evening did just that, like a gentle breeze it guided us into a greater understanding of " Sorrow to Glory."

In the center of the flow, Randy engaged us with an inspiring reflection of Blaise Pascal's encounter of Glory in the midst of his sorrow and dispair. Looking at Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa...we discover the greatest glory is found in places of sorrow. We live in a culture infatuated with glory, but Jesus reveals that when we engage the places and spaces of sorrow in the world around us we discover, and reveal the Glory of God.

Two friends deserve a huge thanks, Christine who did an awesome job of choreographing the evening, and " J " who created a great interactive space of creativity. Thank you once again Poasis, for revealing the Kingdom through creativity.

And James Kingsley has some great glimpses of the evening which can be viewed here... Images of Sorrow to Glory.

the passing of a dear friend...Sorrow to Glory

I will be away for a week. My father in-law, Almont, dear friend, mentor, passed away on the weekend. I fly off to Saskatchewan on Friday afternoon to attend the funeral, give the eulogy. There will be saddness, but there will also be a great celebration around a man that lived his life so well. May his grandchildren glean some the wisdom from how he weathered the seasons of life.

I thank all of my friends who have sent me e-mails, who have lifted my father-inlaw in prayer...we have all felt their peace and comfort.

Like I say, I will be back Friday March 30th...Just in time for this...

Sorrow to Glory


An evening of art exhibition and group participation will take place at 7 pm on Saturday March 31, 2007, at the University of Victoria Interfaith Chapel http://www.uvic.ca/buildings/cha.html)

The event, named Sorrow to Glory, will gather together a multi-sensory display of visual image, sculptural design, audio performance, and written reflections on the seasons of Lent and celebration of Easter.

Sorrow to Glory aims to make possible an interactive and contemplative reflection. The event features artists, musicians, poets, liturgists, storytellers and church leaders representing a variety of faith communities throughout Greater Victoria. It is their desire to offer participants an environment wherein connection to the Good News of redemption can be realized.

The evening will begin with a time of undirected exploration of the displays, followed by a directed corporate service.All are welcomed, although some materials may not be suitable for young children. The University Interfaith Chapel is fully wheelchair accessible. Entry is free. Donations accepted towards facilitating future events that foster the development of the Christian art community in Victoria.

For additional information on the event or artists featured, please contact:Main Contact: Christine Neufeld, Event CoordinatorPhone : 250- 881-4466Email: Christine.neufeld@gmail.com

Alternate Contact: James Kingsley, CommunicationsPhone + 250 477-9731 ext 234Email jkblogspot {at} gmail {dot} com

faith communities and transformance art...

Pete Rollins of Ikon in Belfast shares some great thoughts around gathering each week, here's a taste...

For those involved with forming post-secular faith communities (often called emerging cohorts) the role of any particular gathering is rarely about bringing clarity and ideally never about outworking singular interpretive strategies. Rather there is an embrace of what may be called ‘transformance art’. Transformance art seeks to create a context which invites revelation. It seeks to do this insomuch as it endeavours to employ ingredients such as music, art, poetry, prose, pillow fights (you would understand if you had been at the last ikon), ritual and reflection to form a rich new wine that ruptures the old wineskins of our current thinking and praxis. Much like the films of David Lynch the best question at the end of an ikon gathering may not be ‘what does it mean’, but rather, ‘how have I been moved, challenged and changed in the engagement’.

By attempting to decentre interpretive strategies through the formation of a theodrama which immerses individuals in a tactile-audio-visual context, transformance art seeks to evoke an openness to respond to others and that Absolute Other many of us call God.

This is what I call ‘transformance art’ and it is, I would tentatively suggest, a new art form (derived from very ancient Judeo-Christian ideas) which the emergent cohorts are experimenting with and which may well change how we structure faith communities in the 21st century. It may also mean that more faith gatherings take place in venues like art galleries rather than church buildings.

a liturgy...Sorrow to Glory

Poasis presents an evening of interactive creative worship at the Inter-Faith Chapel on the Campus of the University of Victoria. The evening will end as a gathered community in which we, along with God's Spirit breathe life into the follwing liturgy.

You can read, and down load the liturgy ....Download liturgy_sorrow_to_glory.doc 

You find all the details about the evening here on the Poasis Art Collective Site

Poasis Presents...Sorrow to Glory

I'm just juggling to many things at the moment...so this space will be kind of inactive till after Easter. Sorry friends, but that's life...

But if your in the Victoria area at the end of March, please join us for a creative worship experience...

                      Poasis Presents... an evening of Lenten Reflection

                                           Sorrow to Glory

The event, named Sorrow to Glory, will gather together a multi-sensory display of visual image, sculptural design, audio performance, and written reflections on the seasons of Lent and celebration of Easter.

Sorrow to Glory aims to make possible an interactive and contemplative reflection. The event features artists, musicians, poets, liturgists, storytellers and church leaders representing a variety of faith communities throughout Greater Victoria. It is their desire to offer participants an environment wherein connection to the Good News of redemption can be realized.
The evening will begin with a time of undirected exploration of the displays, followed by a directed corporate service.

An evening of art exhibition and group participation will take place at 7 pm on Saturday March 31, 2007, at the University of Victoria Interfaith Chapel

http://www.uvic.ca/buildings/cha.html)

mark your calendars...

21 more sleeps to go...

Venue is booked and times are set. Artists, musicians, poets, readers are all getting their creative juices flowing... now we just need you all to book your calendars for Sat March 31st 7 pm

at U of Vic

" Sorrow to Glory" This year's Lent event has a unique combination of laid back reflection and challenging engagement. Check out the Press Release - and feel free to pass along to churches and interested media: P.S. Still room for some readers, musicians and artists but you must contact us by March 11

--

"For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Greater Victoria Artists Collaborate to Explore Easter Through the Theme of SORROW to GLORY.
(VICTORIA, BC – March 8th, 2007)
An evening of art exhibition and group participation will take place at 7 pm on Saturday March 31, 2007, at the University of Victoria Interfaith Chapel http://www.uvic.ca/buildings/cha.html)

The event, named Sorrow to Glory, will gather together a multi-sensory display of visual image, sculptural design, audio performance, and written reflections on the seasons of Lent and celebration of Easter.

Sorrow to Glory aims to make possible an interactive and contemplative reflection. The event features artists, musicians, poets, liturgists, storytellers and church leaders representing a variety of faith communities throughout Greater Victoria. It is their desire to offer participants an environment wherein connection to the Good News of redemption can be realized.
The evening will begin with a time of undirected exploration of the displays, followed by a directed corporate service.

All are welcomed, although some materials may not be suitable for young children. The University Interfaith Chapel is fully wheelchair accessible. Entry is free. Donations accepted towards facilitating future events that foster the development of the Christian art community in Victoria.

For additional information on the event or artists featured, please contact:
Main Contact: Christine Neufeld, Event Coordinator
Phone : 250- 881-4466
Email: Christine.neufeld@gmail.com
Alternate Contact: James Kingsley, Communications
Phone + 250 477-9731 ext 234
Email jkblogspot {at} gmail {dot} com
Websites:
Sorrow to Glory- www.poasis.blogspot.com (with links to artist websites)

the urgency...of imagination

Sort of working on my paper and talk around " God, creativity, imagination and the church," at this point lots of fleeting thoughts scribbled on paper, but the following thoughts that I've dug from my book shelf really spoke to me of the urgency...

In his stirring book The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann says, “We need to ask if our consciousness and imagination have been so assaulted and co-opted by the royal consciousness [popular culture] that we have been robbed of the courage or power to think an alternative thought.” Those filling the pews every Sunday may be full of information about God, and they may be expertly trained to obey God, but without an imagination enraptured by God they will be powerless to live the life he’s called them to. They simply cannot imagine living any differently than the culture around them.

Without significant re-cultivation and sanctification of the imagination, aided by God’s Spirit, a disciple will be incapable of weeding out sin and living obediently. Oswald Chambers understood this reality. He knew that if “your imagination of God is starved then when you come up against difficulties, you have no power, you can only endure in darkness.”

Thankfully many are coming to recognize the importance of imagination in spiritual formation. Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer, author of The Drama of Doctrine and professor of systematic theology says:

“Imagination has been a dirty word for too long…The imagination enables us to see the parts of the Bible as forming a meaningful whole. But we can go further still. The imagination also enables us to see our lives as part of that same meaningful whole. This is absolutely crucial. Christians don’t need more information about the Bible, trivial or otherwise. What the church needs today is the ability to indwell or inhabit the text.”

Some radical voice from years back spoke of the urgency of recapturing the imagination of Christ...that under Constantine, the marriage of church and state, we gave up the kingdom of God, for christianity.