Listen
Read
Luke 23: 44-46 nrsv
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until
three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain
of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice,
said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this,
he breathed his last.
Look
Observe the visual qualities of the image: line, shape, movement, and
texture. How do the visual elements connect to the scripture text?
What emotions emerge for you as you observe the art?
Reflect
“The sun has to go away; light is not welcome in this moment.
The curtains of the temple tear like the clothes of a mother rent
in inexplicable sorrow over the loss of her child. I wonder if Jesus’
countless tears change the character of his face, shifting the contours
that his mother and father knew so well. I wonder if his voice
becomes distorted and weathered after enduring such betrayal,
denial, and torture. I wonder if they can see the light in his breath as
it escapes from his lips and swirls up into the dark sky.”
—Artist Lauren Wright Pittman
Pray
May I remember, even in the darkness, that crucified love still lives. Amen.