HOLY WEEK: RAPHA; A MOVING MEDITATION

Rapha is a visual experience that meditates on the crucifixion death of Christ. The video engages the physical senses through sound, sight and the kinesthetic. The viewer is invited in to experience the strips of linen, in which they describe binding Jesus’ wounds with in John 19:40 - which says, "Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it with the spices in strips of linen, in accordance with Jewish burial customs." 

Jesus embodied suffering through his death and resurrection. With the same strips of linen they bound his wounded body, our wounds are bound as well. It takes great care and intention to care for another's wound. John 19:38-40 tells the story of two of the most unlikely men, in the covering of the night, who took Jesus' body down from the cross and wrapped it with oils and strips of linen. They had loved him and cared for him even in his death. With all their hope now darkened there was nothing else they could do, so they cared for him with this tender act of the binding. In Psalm 147:3, the Hebrew word for "bind" is "RAPHA" which means “to heal.”

As you watch the video, consider the following prompts for reflection:
The dancer embodies the surrender we must have to allow Christ’s death to become our healing as we offer our own wounds to be bound. The loosening of the cloth represents the freedom that comes with healing. 
What might you need to surrender in order to allow your wounds to be bound by the linen? 

What/how does the visual experience of the strips of cloth make you feel? 

When else in Jesus’ life is he wrapped in linen for the sake of the world? 

Along with his, our wounds can be wrapped and encircled by the strips of linen and laid in a grave to be healed and resurrected as new life. However, surrender must precede the binding. Just as Jesus surrendered all on the cross, we must surrender and allow him to see our wounds. Many of us go through life too scared to face our pain, and our wounds are left unattended. That's when they can fester and manifest in ways such as anger, rejection, disappointment, loneliness, depression, numbness, inadequacy or anxiousness. These feelings will eventually manifest themselves through the body in some way. We are physical beings meant to experience all things through our body, which Christ showed us with his time on earth. The very foundation of our faith is built upon the death and resurrection of Christ’s physical body.

I created this meditative video to engage with the binding up of our wounds in a tactile, vivid way to not only engage spiritually but also physically with the healing presence of God.

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Libby John holds a BS from the U of MN with an emphasis in dance. She’s been teaching dance technique for 15+ years and also does freelance choreography for local schools, universities and churches. Her work has been performed at the MN Fringe Festival, Project Dance NYC and YWAM School of Dance Studies. Also a singer/songwriter, Libby has released two albums of original music since 2017. She created and hosts the podcast “Art & Faith Conversations” to highlight more voices of professional artists of faith and encourage others in their search for deeper meaning in their creative identity. She resides in Minnesota with her 3 daughters and husband of 18 years.

DECEMBER 2ND | LIGHT ON MY SOMNOLENCE

“SO STAY AWAKE, ALERT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DAY YOUR MASTER WILL SHOW UP. BUT YOU DO KNOW THIS: YOU KNOW THAT IF THE HOMEOWNER HAD KNOWN WHAT TIME OF NIGHT THE BURGLAR WOULD ARRIVE, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WITH HIS DOGS TO PREVENT THE BREAK-IN. BE VIGILANT JUST LIKE THAT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THE SON OF MAN IS GOING TO SHOW UP.”

— Matthew 24:43-44 (The Message)

Every year, Advent both refreshes my heart and challenges me anew. In choosing to follow the Way of Christ, I have accepted an invitation to live my life according to a value system that diverges at many points from society. Much of the hard work of Christ-followership is centered on the spaces where the Kingdom and culture diverge. It takes assiduous intentionality to identify those divergences and courageous action to push back against the norms of society. It is the challenge of this dynamic that endears Advent to me. This season encourages me to reevaluate my life with humble eyes. It re-focuses me on Kingdom values and calls me to move against the drift of culture.

One of the beautiful themes woven into the Advent season is a call to awaken. It is an invitation to reject passive drowsiness and engage in places of tension. I feel there are so many dynamic forces in this country that invite me to numb-out. I am daily faced with an exhausting cacophony of toxic news, soul-draining busy work, and stressors in the work place. None of this includes the heart work of remaining present to my spouse and my children throughout each day. North American culture offers me a cornucopia of assorted salves to soothe my stresses, distract me from my anxieties, or soften any hint of depression. I have access to nearly limitless movies and shows to binge watch, a tantalizing buffet of over-processed foods and sugary drinks. In addition, many activities which are esteemed as wholesome (usually with merit) can also conceal a destructive escapism: reading books, hobbies, and doing house chores. The anesthetic effect of this last group is none the less potent and perhaps their positive appearance is what makes awakening from them particularly tricky. Whatever characterizes your preferred brand of soul somnolence, we are all prone to some degree of it.

Advent calls me to confess (again!) my frailty and inability to improve myself. My heart so often slumbers, unaware of my need for the Spirit of Christ to enliven me. I need help to reveal to me my own blindness! I cannot shine Light on my somnolence. I cannot wake myself up. So, here is a prayer I have adopted for this Advent season:

Holy Spirit, I cannot see myself clearly. I know that I am capable of living unaware of planks in my own eye. I cannot see what I cannot see. How can I hope to see my own blindness? Spirit of Christ, I need you. I invite you to reveal truth to me. Unveil my eyes to see where you want me to wake up this Advent season.          

            Rescue me, Lord, from "crappy little bits of leisure time confetti"*

            Rescue me, Lord, from reactionary living

            Rescue me, Lord, from escaping when you call me to engage

            Rescue me, Lord, from pursuing impressive productivity when you call me to rest

In your eternal gentleness, Gracious Father, teach me to be gentle with myself as my eyes begin to open. 

Amen.

Reflection and prayer by:
JOEL WATSON

Artwork by:
ROONEY ONG JING REN
www.rooneyojr.com

* Schulte, Brigid. Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2014.

KEEP TRYING | Michael Kennedy and Vania Hardy

Singer-Songwriter Michael Kennedy and illustrator Vania Hardy brought their talents together in the making of “Keep Trying” - a delightful declaration of resilience after being knocked down. The song’s cheerful and catchy tune paired with Vania’s whimsical illustrations speak to the hope that is found in the hardships of life’s journey. No matter what we might face or experience, there’s always a reason to sing, and there’s always beauty to be found.

Both Micheal and Vania reflect on '“Keep Trying” below. You can stream or download “Keep Trying” here.

Vania Hardy, Illustrator:

”So many visual elements in the “Keep Trying” video are intentional. The story begins in the darkness before dawn. Further into the journey, the setting gets brighter and more hopeful.

Verse 2 is the turning point (“All the places I went wrong…”). We look up from the turtle and see the bigger context of where he is, and the beauty and purpose he’s surrounded by. The plants are based on real trees that grow in Hawaii—kauila and ‘ohia trees. The kauila tree was named after a mythical Hawaiian turtle and has leaves that are thought to look like turtle shells. The ‘ohia tree, which grows bright red flowers, is one of the first plants to grow out of the new land that settles from a volcano eruption, so it’s a symbol of new life springing from death. The verse ends on a shot of a volcano in front of a sun-lit sky.

After the second chorus, we dive right into the ocean. This shows us what the turtle is crawling towards but hasn’t seen yet—vibrant beauty and the start of a brand new adventure! And sure enough, in the end, the turtle does end up making it to the ocean.

I’m originally from Hawaii and was even a hula dancer. My childhood was filled with cultural stories and legends. When you’re a dancer, you learn a lot of the traditional songs, many of which are about nature symbolism. Turtles have always been my favorite cultural icon, as they symbolize endurance, wisdom, and finding your way home. After 35 years of wandering around the ocean, female turtles always come back to the beach they were born on to lay their own eggs. The journey they take as hatchlings, of getting to the ocean, gets their bodies so imprinted on the unique magnetic field of their natal beach that they know exactly where to come home. 

I saw the true significance of that journey as I was illustrating the video. It’s where the turtle’s identity is formed, where it’s prepared for the perils and adventures of the wider ocean—its “promised land.” This project found me in a healing process from a rough season, looking back and seeing the purpose in the pain. Working on this was such a great outward expression of that healing, and a way to encourage others!

Michael Kennedy, Singer/Songwriter:

Two years ago it seemed like almost all the plans I had made for myself crashed down around me. I had just lost the most important relationship in my life, and beyond that I felt like nothing I was trying to accomplish at that moment was getting anywhere.

It was in the middle of the deepest point of my confusion when I wrote this song, as a way of grabbing on to hope even when I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t see evidence that God was doing something at the time but I wrote this line out anyway, because I knew that It had to be true:

“The mess I’ve made is all being restored,
turns out it turned into an open door,
and I’m expecting something.”

Several months later I entered the song into a national songwriting competition and I ended up being one of the winners.

“Keep Trying” is the first song from my new EP, ‘Here on Out’ and it represents a sort of beginning place of a journey from brokenness to restoration.

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VANIA HARDY

Vania is an artist and illustrator from Elizabethtown, Pa. Her art comes from the patchwork of her identity–from the various places she’s lived, the cultures that have shaped her, to the communities that have influenced her, and the faith that’s been her lifeline. She’s often inspired by stories and whimsy.

Being a third culture kid, Vania is fascinated by unexpected juxtapositions that create unlikely connections. She expresses that with splashes of contrasting colors, along with a balance of structured lines and spontaneous strokes. Without always trying, she tends to explore themes of home, identity, community, and legacy.

MICHAEL KENNEDY

Michael Kennedy is a songwriter who uses his personal struggles and life experiences as inspiration to write songs of hope and encouragement. His goal is to help people come alive and discover their purpose, using music as a spark for them to begin thinking differently. The power that music has to create a different atmosphere where new things are suddenly possible is something Michael tries to utilize in the writing and production process. Michael currently works as a server, lives in Elizabethtown, and spends his free time writing or finding other ways to be creative.