16 Apr Acceptance and Resistance: Holy Week

A Wide Embrace” by Lisle Gwynn Garrity | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

Greetings Westwood Community,

Last Friday night, as I was sharing a holy moment with Kaiser mental health care workers on strike–eight of whom had been fasting as a hunger strike all through the week–I heard testimony from someone who came by their tent.  She shared how these health care workers had helped save her life–care received in their substance abuse recovery program helped free her from alcohol abuse. She shared the Serenity Prayer, which she learned in recovery: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This dynamic interrelationship of acceptance and courage – or acceptance and resistance – is a core invitation of Holy Week. Jesus surrenders, accepting death on a cross. This submission is a defiant act of resistance against violent powers held captive by fear.

I am moved by the art that accompanies our Lenten devotional for Good Friday, made by Lisle Gwynn Garrity, based on Luke 23:32-49. She writes:

“I began this image contemplating Jesus’ posture on the cross. The crucifix inherently spreads its victims’ arms out wide, willing the body into the shape of surrender. There is no fighting back. It forces one to face death with open arms.

“As I contemplated this, the iconic image of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, entered my imagination and my sketchpad. … I find it striking that the final design evolved into Christ with open arms and hands, intended to be a symbol of peace.

“In this image, I referenced the Christ the Redeemer statue, drawing Jesus’ dying position into a posture of warm embrace. I omitted his face in order to focus merely on his arms stretched wide. I repeated this pattern four times, which formed the shape of an open cross. As I worked, I realized the image resembles a cross crosslet, which carries as many varied meanings as the crucifix itself. In this image, my intention is to thwart the brutality and violence of the crucifix with the imagery of a wide embrace, which will soon become a symbol of death-defying resistance.”

I pray that you find time during these holy days to claim space in the center of this open cross. May you find courage to take up resistance against death-dealing fear and violence in all forms; may you find serenity as you trust in a power that is far greater than crucifixion and death.

grace and peace,

Pastor Molly