Jan 29 an Artistic Community

January 29 – Hybrid service  10:00

Anchor: We are a community of Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary christians

Frame: How are we an artistic community?

Thread: Deep in Our Hearts, Never Place a Period

Exodus 35:20-29

Then all the congregation of the Israelites withdrew from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the sacred vestments. So they came, both men and women; all who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and pendants, all sorts of gold objects, everyone bringing an offering of gold to the Lord. And everyone who possessed blue or purple or crimson yarn or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or fine leather, brought them. Everyone who could make an offering of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s offering; and everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work, brought it. All the skilful women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun in blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen; all the women whose hearts moved them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. And the leaders brought onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and the breastpiece, and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing-oil, and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women, whose hearts made them willing to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill-offering to God.

                We have completed the first round of exploring the new vision statement. This first round looked at our individual aspects of being artistic, evolutionary and revolutionary. Now we begin a course of exploring how we as a gathered community live out those characteristics.

                And while we did not discuss a fourth term in our vision statement series, it was very intentional that the phrase says, “SCUCC is a community of Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary christians.” It is the gathering together, the creating of a safe place to engage the Spirit, to live life fully that we can experience the dynamism of what Jesus called living abundantly.

                We begin by looking at how we are a community of artists. The scripture from Exodus is an example of how the people came together to create a beautiful place to worship God. Some were artisans, while others artfully brought what they could give. The Tabernacle was not the creation of any one person. It was a community work of art. In the film Billy Elliot, a boy from a coal-mining family in Britain discovers ballet.  His very blue-collar father finally comes around and supports him by bringing Billy to an audition at a prestigious dance academy. At the last moment of the audition, Billy is asked how he feels when he dances. He struggles for words but finally talks about flying, soaring, fire, and electricity. (The clip can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tTT_87Hh8 ) His response is as good a description of a spiritual experience as I know. Our calling as an artistic community is provide a safe place (sanctuary?) for people to truly experience the spirit in all its energy and abundance. Artists need a place to create art, and the name of that place is a studio. It was a wise choice that at SCUCC we name one of our worship experiences “The Studio.” It is a place to practice the art of Spirit.

               

                Because of the Annual Meeting, we are hybridizing the 2 services, and I think it would be good to include a little flavor of each. The combined service is a good symbol of community. Though we have 2 different approaches to worship, we are still one community. I know that the choir will be prepared to sing. I also know that Shea will be out of town and that he was thinking of asking Leon to be with us.

                We could begin with a procession of cloth and candles, people from both services to create a beautiful space around the altar. I’d like to run the Billy Elliot clip, and maybe have a couple people from either service talk about worship times when they really experienced God showing up. I also think it would be a could time to have some kind of act of dedication to making our community the sort of place where it is safe to play and create and be artistic with the Spirit.