December 18, 2024 Weekly Update
Last Sunday we pondered John the Baptist’s call to the crowd, to repent and do good. It left that crowd asking, “What should I do?” Sometimes when the problems of our lives or the world feel overwhelming, we feel powerless to act. But John’s answer to the crowd was specific and practical, reminding us that we are called to do that good that is ours to do. To use our gifts, our skills, and our talents to a positive force for good in our small corner of the world. We can’t fix everything, but we can do the good that is ours to do.
The art piece below was created by one of the developers of our worship series. I invite you to read her “artist statement” as you gaze on the image. May it give you hope and deepen your resolve to do the good that is yours to do in our world.
“At the center of this quilt square collage, a pinwheel of fire spins. It repr
esents the Holy Spirit impelling the world to turn. Surrounding it are four petal shapes that bloom like a flower. They are each filled with branches of fruit. When we align ourselves with the movement of the Spirit, we can do the good that is ours to do. Our actions can bear good fruit.
The petals and pinwheel are encapsulated by the outline of a blue cross. Four walls of the cross contain broken fragments. In stark contrast to the lush fruit, the fragments are like shards of glass. They symbolize the sins John the Baptist sees present amongst the crowds: extortion, coercion, and the hoarding of power and resources. And yet, these fragments are linked together by blue arrows filled with the waters of baptism. There is a way to begin again.
From each cardinal direction, a triangle of Holy Spirit fire faces inward, pointing us to baptism and transformation. When we do the good that is ours to do, we bear good fruit—fruit that repairs and nourishes, fruit that grows into the four corners of the earth.” — Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Below is our quilt image of the week – a white cross empowering each different color and corner to do the good that is theirs to do. Ponder the poem “Harvest” and allow it to speak to you today.
Harvest
Maybe none of it matters.
Maybe you can’t make a difference.
Or maybe that watermelon seed you spit out over the summer will grow into a green orb, full of
sticky sweet fruit. Maybe the rain will nourish it. Maybe your mother’s hands will pull it from the
vine, slice it into wedges, and place it on the dining room table. Maybe the neighbors will come over
and chomp into that soft pink fruit, juicy water running down their chins. Maybe you will laugh at
the shared experience, at this garden-grown communion, and maybe the stars will shine brighter
that night.
People say the problems of the world are too big to make a difference,
but surely those people have forgotten the fruit that grows from one little seed.
By Rev. Sarah A. Speed
Advent Blessings,
Pastor Jared