Together in One Place….Pentecost Celebration at All Saints Anglican Church Nelson Bay.

It’s been a while but Art:Illumina is back! ….and what better way to get back in the swing of things than a celebration of Pentecost in the beautiful All Saints Anglican Church at Nelson Bay. Sometimes called the “birth of the church”, Pentecost is a great way to celebrate new beginnings. (It seems even more relevant to me because the reason for my absence from the Art:Illumina role is that I had a baby!…I promise I will share some pics soon, but whilst she’s sleeping I’m going to get some paints out!)

The workshop is running on Saturday 4th May 10.30am-2pm at the church. Contact details are on the church website http://allsaintsnelsonbay.com.au

I will post some pics after the event…until then, peace
Rachel

Illumina 40 – available for download!

The lenten course “Illumina 40″ is available for download as a printable pdf. There is a small fee (USD$3) which is to cover admin. It took a few weeks to put the course together, and of course, there’s nothing stopping you doing the same….or you can save the time and just download this one – ready to go immediately! Once downloaded, you can use the pdf to printout as many copies as you need for your groups, or email round as necessary.

This a pdf version of the full artillumina “40″ art journalling course for lent. You can use this file for your church or community group. The pdf can be printed or emailed as required, but please don’t sell on to anyone else! Thank you.

Station 9 Womb (Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem)

Station 9 Womb (Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem) a photo by Polly’s Dolly on Flickr.

luke 23:28-31
Creative response by: Rachel Yates

The bible passage is very bleak – it’s hopeless, warning perhaps of the dangers of following the “Laws” of the religions at the time (that might lead to a barren womb; that is, a place that bears no offspring, no-one to hand down the Christian teachings to.) These are the same laws that led to Jesus’ conviction of blasphemy. “Blessed are the wombs that never bore”. What sort of a world would it be if we were to say this? A world where we suffer watching our children struggle with life? Where we wish they had never been born into such suffering? Where negative ideologies hinder their growth and prevent them from living a free, fulfilling life?

I wanted to create an image that celebrated the feminine. The bible passage is very much about the female (often a symbol of the church, or bride of Christ). To represent the feminine, I chose the womb image. Perhaps the womb is like a “church”, nurturing the people within it to become spirit filled followers of Christ.

I like the idea that craft represents both the contemporary feminine and the traditional feminine. Craft is something good that connects our generations. Perhaps the strips of fabric represent not just “craft” as a phenomenon that does this, but also the ideologies we pass on to future generations. Sometimes good, sometimes negative. How might we avoid passing on the negative ideologies to our children?

Jesus allegorical statement to the daughters of Jerusalem is full of meaning… significance for both the men and women of the church. I wanted to create an image that harnessed the idea of the “green tree” – perhaps a metaphor for Jesus himself – representing a spirit filled, growing, life giving tree. I wanted to suggest that we are living differently, we are trying to live like “green trees”, full of life, spirit, energy that we can use to gently show the world that there is still love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. My artwork became a prayer: let our church be like a womb that nurtures God’s children, and lets them fulfil their potential, to grow and flourish beyond the cross.

Station 14 – Day 40

Luke 23:50-56

The Burial of Jesus

50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, ⁵¹had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. ⁵²This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. ⁵⁴It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning.^{* 55}The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.

On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Matthew 27:59-61

⁵⁹So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Mark 15.43-47

⁴³Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. ⁴⁵When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶Then Joseph^* bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body,^* wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body^* was laid.

John 19:38-42

The Burial of Jesus

38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. ³⁹Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Over the past 40 days, we’ve been creatively exploring the days leading up to this moment, is there anything that has revealed itself to you along the way? Perhaps there is something you would like to bury in this tomb, or perhaps something you would like to take away from this experience. Draw an image of yourself leaving something in the tomb with Jesus, or perhaps taking something away with you. 

Station 13 – Day 39

Mark 15: 33-41

The Death of Jesus

33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land^* until three in the afternoon. ³⁴At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’^{* 35}When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ ³⁶And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ ³⁷Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he^* breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’^*

40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

John 19.28-30

28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

“Looking on from a distance” – Imagine yourself at the scene. Draw yourself and represent how you might be feeling.

Station 13 – Day 38

Matthew 27:45-56

The Death of Jesus

45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land^* until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ ⁴⁷When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ ⁴⁸At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’^{* 50}Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.^{* 51}At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’^*

55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

The earth shook and the rocks were split – when Jesus’ spirit left the earth things started to fall apart. The security and “steady holding” that Jesus had provided for the Earth was gone. Do you have a place of security? Draw yourself there and perhaps draw Jesus’ spirit resting there with you.

Station 13 – Day 37

Luke 23: 44-56

The Death of Jesus

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land^* until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵while the sun’s light failed;^* and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. ⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’^{* 48}And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Draw Jesus’ spirit being commended into the Father’s hands.