Back in November, I was conversing with my husband in the
hospital room as he recovered from heart catheterization. I said, ‘While you were having your
procedure, the women’s retreat planning team decided to use Psalm 84 as the
main scripture for the retreat. I looked
it up, and it’s a good one: ‘How lovely
is your dwelling place, O Lord.’ That’s
one of my favorites.”
He replied, “So the retreat is going to be about home
renovations.”
The retreat is in one week, and the topic is not home renovations.
Our assignment is to bring “some object that expresses a way in which
you are a work of art.” Hmm. Not a work of art that I have made, but how I
am a work of art. (As an aside, I must
say that this would never be assigned
for a men’s retreat.)
Professor Google says “work of art” means
1. a creative product with strong imaginative or aesthetic
appeal.
Me, a creative product?
That would be recursion at its best – I am a creative product when I am
being creative. That’s the genius of
God (evolution?) right there, creating a creative creature, thereby perpetuating
the act of creation, even while resting on the sabbath. Therefore, a work of
art that I have made would be an
object expressing a way in which I am a work of art.
I wonder if evolution rests on the Sabbath.
What would you choose as an object to express how you
yourself are a work of art?
Would you prefer a question about home renovations? What home renovation project best reflects
you? What assignment would be good for a men's retreat? Do you wish I would stop asking questions?
8 comments:
Ohhh I needed this mental break this week. I really like that question. I think I would have to take a picture of my wubby (that's a term my kids coined) belly with all its stretch marks, because the only real art I've ever created has been my kids. Not that *I* created them. Oh, never mind. But that's all I got. I'd prefer the home reno question. Because I can paint an entire room in one day without taping that sucker and have a glorious time doing it. I love painting rooms. I think a men's retreat would have to ask how their family is their work of art. I love mentally-escapist questions right now.
I can't imagine finding a work of art that somehow represents me, but I LOVE your interpretation of how humans are creative and therefore perpetuate the act of creation. That's beautiful :-) Perhaps you can take a photo of yourself in a mirror with another mirror reflecting in the background --one of those mirror photos where the subject goes on forever?
Wow, that's a great way to celebrate what you are in God's eyes--looking at yourself as a creative expression! And no, men do NOT reflect in this manner, they'd probably be asked to examine how they resemble a person in the Bible or something I bet.
I'd pick a song, probably something by Bach, steady but growing, complex but accessible.
And I don't think anything STOPS on the Sabbath, GOd just asks us to use that time to sit back and appreciate. That's what I THINK anyway.
HOme renovation best representing me would be adding a garden. Great hook.
hmmmm... I love God's color palette, so I'd probably bring something like a colorful scarf and/or the book My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss.
I'm also a little envious that you are getting to go on a women's retreat next weekend. I will be madly putting the finishing touches on our church's annual report between now and Jan. 26th -- no art involved, but perhaps some colorful words being said under my breath?
Hi CG- I am really sorry I can't come to the retreat this year. It is always a good time for me. To answer the question though- I would bring my daughters-but as they are teenagers and I would like to not have teenagers around for that particular weekend- I would bring the pictures I have of them when thy were first born. I felt like a work of art then! What a wonderful gift of my body I was given to grown and nurture and birth these little tiny humans. I need to admit that I haven't felt that too much about my body since then, but thinking about the question does make me appreciate it more! Have a wonderful weekend! (Ann Beyer Vaughn-"Ann Schwab")
I can't even deal with your questions because I had to read the body of the post twice just to really wrap my brain around it. Methinks you've been watching too much Doctor Who. (KIDDING. That's not possible.)
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