byValorie Putt

Three Different Perspectives on

Sharing the Gospel Story through Art

All manner of arts and crafts have been hobbies of mine since I first made a mound of papier mache, stuck a plastic cross in it and painted the mound green in 3rd grade vacation bible school.

I also love to “tell the story” of God’s love for the world through Jesus Christ. These slides show how much fun I have combining the two.

The Luther Logo is used with the permission of the Publication Office at Luther Seminary.

Pysanky orUkrainian Eggs

A faith journey told through color and

symbol

Three years ago, my Pastor and I went to visit our Bishop about an awakening sense of a call to ordained ministry. This egg tells the story from that day forward, perhaps even “leaning into” the future.

Bishop Boerger instructed me to invite others to pray with me for discernment. I returned home and asked family friends, congregational leaders and members as well as other pastors.

In Pysanky art, the ladder symbol represents prayer. The color gold depicts wisdom. Waves that are interrupted remind us of our baptism. Green represents growth and dots are seeds of faith.

The border pattern tells how the prayers for discernment were surrounded and lifted up by the baptized community that I live in and work alongside. Together we listened for God’s voice and our faith continued to deepen and grow.

This front pane of the egg contains three symbols from our sanctuary that represent the Trinity. Over our altar a great bronze dove is suspended with bronze flames. The altar is stone and the cross is part of it’s shape and support.

I have been a member at Our Savior’s for 22 years and the Director of Lay Ministry for more than 15. During my time here, this community has surrounded me with their care and support, blessing me with wonderful opportunities to grow in faith, discipleship, witness and Christian leadership.

As we have worked together as a people of God called to be Christ in our larger community of Everett, Washington, our prayers for discernment were answered. It became clearer that, yes, God was calling us to a new mission.

Red is the color representing the ministry of the church. Nets recall “fishing for people”. Arrows show movement and direction.

The red design in total tells how Our Savior’s Lutheran Church envisions part of their ministry as investment in the work of the larger church. Some of that work is to prepare leaders for pastoral ministry. In a very real sense, they are sending me off to Luther Seminary!

This pane of the egg contains the Luther Seminary Logo. It was fun to discover that this shape also has special meaning. It is more than simply initials. The “L” represents the open Bible. Pastor Luther often said that the Bible is the cradle or manger that holds Christ. What a wonderful way to encounter “God with us”! The stylized “S” represents the flame of the Spirit. “Not by my own understanding…” The Holy Spirit makes it possible for our hearts to burn with God’s love and shine the Light of Christ into the world.

So, I am off to Luther! I look forward to the challenging AND interesting work ahead. However, the people back at home are not thinking that Luther is the end of the story. They have committed to the whole journey. Prayerful and financial support while I learn and grow at seminary, indeed, but also beyond.

The red “arrows” that point to Luther also point back to a congregation. Where will God send me after my time at Luther, only the Spirit knows. Wherever it is, I will continue to be surrounded by and part of the children of the family God, praying for wisdom and living “wet”.

Resurrection RocksThese rocks are given to children on Easter Sunday during the Word for the Children.

•The “rock” was rolled away and the tomb is empty because Jesus, who was dead, is alive again.

•The “butterfly” helps us remember that like the caterpillar that dies to have a new life as a butterfly, we have new life in Jesus.

•This is good news. Tell everyone!

Festival of New LifeKeeping the Easter Vigil with Preschoolers and their Families

• Proclaim “Jesus Christ is the

light of the World”

• Create arts and crafts that

remember Good Friday and

anticipate Easter morning.

• Celebrate friendship with a

picnic-style lunch

Saturday morning the neighborhood families gather to

Just for fun – Making a Pysanka

• The design is lightly drawn on a chicken egg.

• As the egg is dipped in different colors of dye, beeswax is applied with a kystka to preserve the design and color.

• By the last color, usually black, the egg looks like a big black blob.

• Finally the wax is melted off, reveling the bright colors and intricate designs.

Pysanky (plural), or Ukrainian egg art, is a wax resist form of applying color.