Walking the Road to Emmaus - Christianity and the Arts

GUEST EDITORIAL

By JOHN D. WITVLIET

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Christian corporate worship and the arts are inextricably intertwined. Worship involves language,whether the formal rhetoric of a carefully chis

eled sermon or the spontaneous cries of Pentecostalprayer. Worship echoes patterns of sound and silence,from the earthy energy of an Appalachian gospel quartetto the numinous simplicity of a Palestrina motet. Worship is shaped by color, image, texture, and visual form,whether the simplicity of a Puritan meeting house or theornate mystery of a Gothic cathedral. Worship is embodied movement, from the processional of a choir tothe lifting of hands in praise.

Often the artistic expressions that help us enact ourworship arise from an encounter with a particular biblical narrative. Stained-glass windows depict one of Jesus'parables. A sermon explores a dramatic moment in Israel'shistory. A choral anthem, hymn, poem, chancel drama,or liturgical dance retells the story ofJesus' birth or death.Biblical narratives shape our imaginations when they arebrought to life in worship.

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship joyfullyexplores this world of Scripture-shaped artistic expression. Our vocation is to challenge Christians in manytraditions to rethink and re-experience the power andjoy of our corporate worship to God in Christ. One ofour goals is to inspire and encourage artists in many mediato offer rich and fitting offerings, to enable corporateworship, and to include the receiving and embracing ofour gifts. Rather than plan an issue simply about the artsin worship, we wanted this issue to help artists and receivers of the arts to encounter the arts directly in orderto worship more faithfully and imaginatively.

We could imagine no richer and more dramatic sourceof reflection than the Emmaus road narrative in Luke

24. Here a despairing lament turns into Easter joy. Herethose who thought they had died with Christ realize theycan also rise with Christ. Here we sense the power ofScripture to reframe our understanding of reality. Herewe sense how eating and drinking with the risen Christcan reveal what is ultimately true and right. Arguably nonarrative in all of Scripture is as rich in imaginative possibilities, not only for its use in worship, but also forhelping us reconsider the significance of worship.

This issue features works of art in several media thathave grown out of faith-filled encounters with theEmmaus road narrative. Some works accent the lamentof the Emmaus pilgrims that opens the narratives, others

their encounter with Scripture through Jesus' teaching,others the holy meal they shared with Jesus.The narrative is like a many-faceted diamond; the art works illuminate the facets.

The longer we studied the text, the more we wereintrigued with the parts and with the force of the whole.We were stunned by the dramatic movement that theEmmaus pilgrims experienced as they moved from despair to understanding to hospitality, from lament toepiphany to feast. This encounter with the risen Christ isat the heart of the Christian experience.

We couldn't help noticing that the patterns of worship found in many Christian traditions embody thismovement. In worship, we move from Kyrie to Credo toSanctus, from pilgrimage to proclamation to eucharisticfeasting, from font to pulpit to table.We are disciplinedenough not to want to read this pattern back into thetext. But we are intrigued by how this text can give usthe spiritual eyes to see corporate worship as an occasion for such an encounter.

As you read this issue,note that some of the artworks are distinctly liturgical,containing the furniture andvessels that support and enable worship. In contrast,some are historical paintingsand short stories that nevertheless have much to teach us

about worship. Still others,such as poetry and dramaticscripts, will find a place inworship in some traditionsbut not in others.

This blurring of the linesbetween worship and life isintentional. We long for integrated lives-"liturgicallives"-where worship and daily service inform, enhance, and strengthen each other. We want faithful,well-crafted Christian art that lives inside and outsideour church sanctuaries.

Most of the contributions to this issue are directly tied to theCalvin College community, either faculty or staff members.(Above, from left, Debra Rienstra, John Witvliet, DebraFreeberg, Carl Huisman, Chris Stoffel Overvoode, andCindy Holtrop, who so carefully coordinated this issue).Music Professor David Fuentes from Calvin College is producing a choral anthem based on Rienstra's poem. Othercontributors include George Langbroek, featured leader atthe thirteenth annual Calvin Symposium on Worship and theArts in 2000. Poetry and fiction entries are the results of a

competition held in conjunction with the Calvin Festival ofFaith and Writing in 2000. Contact Calvin Institute ofChristian WorshiP: [email protected]

2 Christianity and the Arts

Mission: To celebrate the revelation of God through the artsand to promote excellence in Christian expression.

This special issue on Emmaus has been produced in conjunctionwith Calvin College's Symposium on Worship and the Arts fromJanuary 12-13, 2001. For more information, contact the CalvinInstitute of Christian Worship at 3201 Burton St., S.E., GrandRapids, MI 49546-4388. Webiste: www.calvin.edu/worship

FEATURES

Font: Paintings of the Supper at Emmaus, by Chris Stoffel Overvoorde - 6

Caravaggio and Rembrandt

Font: Passacaglia, by Debra Rienstra - 11Choral text based on Luke 24

Pulpit: Emmaus Epiphany, by Cindy Holtrop - 16A sermon on Luke 24:13-35

Pulpit: The Road to Emmaus, by Debra Freeberg - 18The poetic license of choral theater

Table: Emmaus, by Tania Runyan - 24

Winner of a poetry contest

Table: For a Short TIme, by Albert Haley - 26Moving to the beat

Table: Sacramental Objects, by Carl Huisman - 30'In the Shadow of His Wings'

COLUMN

On Purifiction and Pollution, by Jutta F. Anderson - 32

Gerard Manley Hopkins, by Sofia M. Starnes, - 40

DEPARTMENTS

Guest Editor's Notes: John D. Witvliet and editorial team - 2

Book Reviews - 34

Poetry, by Tim Bascom - 42

Music Reviews - 48

Parting Shot: Br. Emmanuel Morinelli - 63

Stoneware liturgicalvessels by Carl Huisman.For more of his work, seep. 30. Photo by RobertTerborg

Price: Single issue: $7. One year: $21. Phone: 312-642-8606. Address:P.O. Box 118088, Chicago, IL 60611. ISSN 1080-7608.Cover: TheRisen Christ at Emmaus by Rembrandt, See p. 6.

Winter 2001

Marci Whitney-SchenckPublisher and Editor

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Corean Bakke,Rosalie de Rosset, Philip Dripps,

Bob Nordloh, Jack Nyenhuis,Donna Ryan

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Beverly Reese, James KilpatrickBOOK REVIEW EDITOR

Jeanette HardageCONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jutta F. Anderson, Sofia StarnesCOpy EDITORS

Sharon Mullins, Martha Rohlfing,Carol Thiessen

EVENTS CALENDAR

James KroonblawdFICTION EDITOR

Terrence BrownMUSIC REVIEW EDITOR

Margaret McCamantPOETRY EDITOR

Robert Klein EnglerJudith Deem Dupree

WEBMASTER

Marci Johnson

1-877-245-1993(Toll free for subscriptions)

All other queries: 312-642-8606Fax: 312-266-7719

P.O. Box 118088,

Chicago, IL 60611

[email protected]

Subscription price:One year $21

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All other countries, $33

©2001 Christianity and the ArtsPublished quarterly (February,

May, August, November)

3

Luke 24:13-14

4

I. Lament

Christianity and the Arts

Wen we are baptized with Christ, we become identified with Christ in his death

and resurrection, which is powerfully symbolized in baptism. But our union with Christ doesnot assure us of a trouble-free life. Even in our journey With Christ, there is lament. In the Luke passage(p. 4), the Emmaus pilgrims identified with Christ,yet they experienced lament, not knowing the amazing way Christ would realize their hopes.

George Langbroek is an artist from St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada. By linking facets ofChristianity and postmodernism, he expresses a contemporary method of art making, giving his art astrong voice that is heard by Christians and non-Christians alike. Langbroek made the font (above), the pulpit(p. 15), and the table (p. 23) for his worshiping com-

munity, the Jubilee Fellowship Christian ReformedChurch in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Because baptism is one of the pillars of the church'steaching, Langbroek used an actual pillar for the baseof the baptismal font. The top section is raised from thebase to symbolize the lifting or raising of children inbaptism and dedication to God. The raised section issupported by three dowels, symbolizing Father, Son,and Holy Spirit, who through baptism tell us we belongto God and are washed clean for Christ's sake.

Colored threads woven together in the shape of thecross are embedded in the hand-blown glass bowl. Thethreads symbolize the uniqueness of the individual whois baptized and gathered into the body of Christ. Theglass bowl was made and designed by Robert Buick, aglass blower from St. Catharines, Ontario.

Winter 2001 5

Paintings of the Supperat Emmaus

Caravaggio and Rembrandt

By CHRIS STOFFEL OVERVOORDE

The visual artist's task has always been differentfrom the oral storyteller's. The storyteller canembellish elements of the story freely as long as

the essence is not lost. The challenge for the visual artist is to capture the meaning of the whole story in oneimage. This was a primary concern for painters whofollowed in the wake of Leon Battista Alberti's earlyfifteenth-century writings on painting. Alberti exploredthe notion of historia-the idea that painting shouldportray movement and action and even convey reactions of the story's characters to the event being depicted. This was narrative art. The picture became avisual sermon that had to move and please the viewer.Art became subject to the rules of rhetoric; it had to beconvincing, not just beautiful or devotional. FollowingAlberti, visual storytelling became popular in Italy.Eventually, it was brought to the Netherlands.

Imagine how difficult this visual story telling mustbe for the Emmaus narrative. What one image can capture its essence? Can a painting begin to convey themystery of this narrative? What kind of image can portray both Christ's humanity and his resurrected body,both the ordinariness of the Emmaus meal, as well as

the spiritual mystery of the epiphany that took placethere? These overarching questions are answered in theartist's treatment of details. What kind of gesture orposture should depict Christ? What kinds of gesturessuggest the response of the disciples? Should their reactions be depicted as dramatic or quiet, expansive orintrospective? What kind of lighting will show what isimportant in the work? How contemporary should thesetting be? An even more basic question is how realistic the painting should be-a scene with photographlike clarity and detail? Or should the work downplayor even distort some of the details in order to point tothe scene's meaning? Does realism help or inhibit thecommunication of the meaning of the Emmaus story?

Walk with us, then, through a small gallery of artworks by Caravaggio (1573-1610) and Rembrandt vanRijn (1609-1669) that portray the events of the supperat Emmaus. As we study these works, we'll attend toseveral details in composition and lighting. Our goalwill be to sense what dimension of the Emmaus narra

tive each artist wants to capture.Rembrandt's work teaches us the potential of vi

sual art to convey the mystery of the Emmaus story.Rembrandt was intrigued by the challenge of seeing andnot seeing, of being blind and having been made to see.For Rembrandt, the realism of Caravaggio was insufficient. Rembrandt wants us to see more than physicalreality. He wants us to observe the spiritual reality thatsurrounds us. He paints in a way that makes us dissatisfied with physical reality.

Both artists teach us that to tell the story of Christat Emmaus demands a creative process of explorationand reflection, of reading and listening to the Word. Itdemands a process of making several drawings, prints,and paintings. No one image at one point in the artists'lives sufficed. In their repeated attempts to portray theEmmaus narratives, these artists teach us to revisit thedramatic narratives. What new things will we see? Whatnew levels of perception will transform us?

Caravaggio's and Rembrandt's works provide apowerful spiritual testimony. They testify and confessto belief in the Christ who died and rose for us. Maywe, too, be given eyes to see the presence of the resurrected Christ with us.

For more on these works, consult the followingbooks: Caravaggio by Howard Hibbard (New York:Harper and Row, 1983); Caravaggio: A Life by HelenLangdon (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux,1998); and Rembrandt's Eyes by Simon Schama(New York: Knopf, 1999).


The Supper at Emmaus by Michelangelo Caravaggio, 1596-1603, National Gallery, London

Italianpainter Michelangelo Caravaggio (1573-1610)is known for introducing a new dramatic realisminto painting. He insisted upon the direct observa

tion of nature and painstaking attention to detail. Hestudied both the manner in which human beings movewithin this world and the organization of space. HisEmmaus painting reflects this concern for realism.

In his Supper at Emmaus> the supper of grapes, fowl,wine, and bread seems ordinary. Everything else is not.The main characters of the event are placed in the foreground, confronting the viewer with their presence.They are close together and animated. The viewers'close-up view of the action pulls them into the dramaof the work. Bold lighting holds our attention and conveys the drama of the moment. The entire painting hasa theatrical appearance. The colorful words of art historian Simon Schama convey this idea memorably. In

thi<;;. n-::llntlna ~~p"pr"thlna ':lnt1 p"\lPrV()np l.;:ppmc;;:. <;:.n~<;:.thIS pamtmg, everythmg and everyone seems spas-modically electrified: foreshortened hands flung intospace; a jaw-dropping, napkin-spilling epiphany"(Rembrandt>s Eyes> 249).

The figure of Christ is central. Christ has not yetdisappeared from sight. The image conveys his humanity, rather than his resurrected body. Christ is youthful,without a beard-perhaps to convey the narrative detail that he was unrecognizable. Christ is portrayed asblessing the evening meal, a moment prior to thebreaking of bread. Caravaggio makes this momentthe mysterious moment in which the disciples of

Emmaus recognize the risen Lord.The recognition itself is at the heart of the work.

The two disciples react to Christ with dramatic gestures. The one on the left is seen getting up from hischair, pushing his chair back toward the viewer, almostcrowding into the viewer's space. The one on the rightis spreading his arms out wide, cruciform, in a gestureof total surprise. One arm is extended dramatically toward the viewer, another detail that draws us in andmakes us feel a part of the scene.

The triangular arrangement of the figures, with thetable as the base of the triangle, is broken only by thestanding figure of the servant. This aloof servant whostands next to Christ shows little or no response. Thisfigure, not recorded in biblical account, does not perceive the power of the moment and does not recognizethe resurrected Christ. Caravaggio seems to be saying

HUt ain~f~RtB~8Bl~iHtB~g~m~gp~~~m~yHst B~~~the spiritual eyes to perceive the same spiritual reality.Not all share the Emmaus epiphany.

The strong dramatic light from the left makes thetable almost glow. The lighting in many of Caravaggio'spaintings is meant as a spiritual presence. But even withthis dramatic touch, it is difficult to get beyond thephysical reality of this moment. Caravaggio's Emmausis realistic. No one will doubt that the Christ depictedhere is fully human. This is flesh-and-blood realism, inas much theatrical power as the painter can depict.Caravaggio has captured the drama of this recognition.

Winter 2001 7

Supper at Emmaus by Rembrandt, 1629, Musee Jacquemart-Andre, Paris

Ageneration after Caravaggio's painting,Rembrandt created his first painting of the supper at Emmaus. In some ways, the painting is

like Caravaggio's work. Notice especially the actionsof the disciples. Though not identical to Caravaggio'sfigures, Rembrandt's disciples are also theatrical anddramatic. They express shock, while in the background,a servant goes about her routine duties.

But the work is also quite different fromCaravaggio's. It has relatively few details. There is nobread or cup, for example. More significantly, noticeRembrandt's use of light-a dimension which is alwayskey in Rembrandt's works. This use of light raises manyquestions: Is the light the central moment or do we see

the Christ in that strong profile on the right? The lightstreams in from the outside but at the same time emanates from within the work. It is as though Christ is thelight. Is this the moment of transformation, just afterhe breaks the bread? In the words of Simon Schama,"Jesus can now be simultaneously there and not there,discernible and fugitive, as if without the backlightinghe would dissolve into celestial ether .... The paintingis sensational. Literally. A transformation of knowledgeconveyed by the senses; a transformation of the sensesby knowledge" (Eyes of Rembrandt, p. 250).

Rembrandt was only 23 when he created this work,but already he was exploring new territory and innovative ways of presenting the old stories.


Jesus' Disappearance in Emmaus by Rembrandt, 1648, pen and brush drawing, Cambridge,Fitzwilliam Museum

TieEmmaus story must have intrigued Rembrandt,for he returned to it in several different draw

ings, prints, and paintings throughout his lifetime. He did the same with the story of the crucifixionand the descent from the cross, moments that challengethe artist to portray spiritual mystery, the mystery ofChrist as both human and divine.

In his 1648 drawing, Jesus' Disappearance inEmmaus, Christ has become nothing more than lightsuggested by some scribbles. The two disciples are frozen in response: one is still sitting, and the other one is

standing. Their body language is minimal when compared to the earlier 1629 painting.

This drawing reveals Rembrandt's exploration ofdifferent ways of telling the story visually, trying to findjust the right moment and composition to reflect theessence of the narrative. It suggests that Rembrandt wastrying to find an image that not only conveyed the disciples' moment of recognition at Emmaus but also conveys the moment that Christ disappeared from the disciples' sight. In tones of brown, the drawingcommunicates both warmth and earthiness.

Winter 2001 9

The Risen Christ at Emmaus, 1648, Musee de Louvre, Paris

Rembrandt revisited the challenge of Emmaus ina painting completed in 1648, producing a verydifferent image to convey the power of the

story (see cover and above). The dramatic theatricalgestures are minimal when compared with those of the1629 painting. The two men seated at the table barelyrespond in recognition of the revelation that has takenplace. As viewers, we know the moment, but it is asthough the two men have not yet recognized it.

As Christ breaks the bread, he looks up. A verysubtle halo over his head is reflected by the architectural arch above him. The grandeur of the architectureitself conveys the gravity of the moment. The light isno longer the theatrical spotlight as in the earlier workof 1629. Now the light emanates from within the person of Christ. It illuminates the table and the spacebehind Christ in a way that takes on a very spiritual

dimension. We become aware that the entire space ofthe painting is vibrating with the presence of the resurrected Christ. In this mature work, Rembrandt invitesus to contemplate the mystery of the resurrected Christ.

There are additional paintings, drawings, and printsof the same subject by Rembrandt. But even these fourexamples are enough to demonstrate the complexity ofthte subject and the fact that no single painting isenough to capture an event.

Chris Stoffel Overvoorde is an artist and designerwho has shown his paintings and prints in regional,state, and national exhibitions. He has also served asa consultant on the visual aesthetics of worship

spaces, as well as editorial consultant for ReformedWorship. He is professor of art emeritus at CalvinCollege, where he taught painting and drawing.


PassacagliaChoral text based on Luke 24

By DEBRA RIENSTRA

I.

Weary, weary,o Ancient One, remember:but for a drop of water,but for a little breath,we are dust.

Weary, weary,on holiness and horrorthe heavens brood in silence.

We travel to the water,warm and still.

Can these dry bones live again?o Lord, you know, you know.

Weary, wearyour eyes are dim, they fail,we are cut off and shattered;

we have grown old.We had hoped.

We are longing for the word,water in this wilderness,o hidden, ancient word,these bones shall live.

II.

Traveler, have you not heard?Our minds are bruised and dull, but we know what

we saw.

We saw hope hanging down, like an empty sack,sagging toward a slit of blackness ripped in time.And in our hollow hearts, cold stone hollow,one wisp of dream to tease our grief.

Travelers, 0 weary ones,You walk a darkened way and stumble as you go.You sought an earthly throne to redeem your deeplonging, but the prophets whisper harder words:the body breaks and bleeds, bitter anguish;Anointed One is lifted up to die.

Travelers, have you not heard?The one Eternal God has never looked away,but turns the gaze of love, steady, full on you,

lifting to the wind all misery ...

III.

Stranger, stay with us.Night falls on tiresome roads,but your words strangely stir

toward hope.Come, stay with us.

Bread, simple and warm,wine, catching the candle's glow,light rising among us,light spreading from center to edge,light dancing in radiant eyes,voice, chanting the blessing,hands, tearing the bread,flesh passing to flesh.

o Lord!

Emmanuel, the one we love.

Fire of divine love, Lord.Ancient, eternal one, Lord.Infinity opens, filling the earth with

new glory.All is transparent to holiness.Ancient, eternal one, Lord.One to Come,o Lord!Alleluia!

[Coda]Jesus, come now to us.We long to welcome you our guest.Our stubborn hungers never yield,Nor restless travels cease but in

your rest.

(Continued on p. 12)

Winter 2001 11

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Journaling workshopsTaize prayerIndividually guided retreats

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Jesus, enflame our hearts.This simple feast draws us to you.Send us in radiant joy to tellYou live, and love's glad fire burns

all things new.

Jesus, open our eyes.All shadows fly from truth's bright face,Your word a wind to fresh our souls,To open and prepare for you a place.

Debra Rienstra is assistant professor of English atCalvin College. She teaches writing and literature,and occasionally plays the viola. She is currentlycompleting a book of "embodied spirituality"about pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Information about the choral composition by Fuentes willbe available on the Calvin Institute of ChristianWorship website (www.calvin.edu/worship).

Author's Notes: Since this issue was an interdisci

plinary effort between colleagues at Calvin College exploring ways the arts enliven public worship, we wanted to create a choral text with apoet and composer working together to depict thenarrative of Luke 24. David Fuentes, a musicprofessor at Calvin College, and I began bystudying the Luke 24 passage separately andthen discussing the moods, dramatic gestures,and key phrases we found there. The discussions of the editorial team for this issue about

the three-part movement of the text suggested athree-section musical form. However, we alsofelt some sort of coda was necessary to represent the reflective repose in which the disciplesfind themselves at the end. With that basic

structure in mind, I studied commentaries andchoral texts and began shaping a poem. Elemental images seemed fitting for the threesections: dust, wind, and fire. David, meanwhile, was experimenting with musical ideasand was attracted to a passacaglia form, inwhich a rhythmic figure is repeated as a groundthroughout the piece.

Once he had a rough text, he began settingthe parts we both agreed were the strongest.When he had some melodic material settled, Iwent back and rearranged text freely to fit themusic. Typical poetic priorities, like compression and innovation in each line, suddenlyseemed excessive. Instead, music requires moreparallel forms and places to breathe, not justliterally but rhythmically and conceptually.While much of the original material fell away,the result was tighter, more dramatic, and farmore beautiful.


The Emmaus pilgrims were formed for their epiphany by Christ'spatient instruction of the meaning of Scripture. Christian pilgrims

still gather to hear the Scripture's message proclaimed. We gather

around pulpits and ambos in the context of public worship under the

shadow of nothing less than God's Word, given to us for instruction and

training in righteousness.

The four pure white sections of this pulpit symbolize the gospels ofChrist without which we would not know about or see the cross formed by

the negative space in the pulpit. The partial transparency of the pulpit

reminds hearers of the Word that the words spoken from the pulpit come

through the cross. Conversely, the people who hear the Word see the

preacher through the cross.

Winter 2001 15

SERMON••

Emmaus EpiphanyBy CINDY HOLTROP

Editor's note: You may be surprised to find a sermon in anissue of Christianity and theArts. This inclusion is here not

only to introduce us to mainthemes in Luke 24 :13-35, butalso to make an important pointabout preaching. Christian corporate worship involves morethan the architect of the sanctuary, the designer of the parament,and the composer of the hymn.One of the forgotten artists inworship is the preacher. Thiswordsmith enjoys the enormouschallenge of presenting the message of a given scriptural text sothat it leaps with life and hopefrom the page. Preachers approaching this craft need to beboth imaginative and accessible.True, the preacher crafts for theear not only with words, butalso with pauses and inflections,and we can't bring you thesehere. But we can bring you thescript. Perhaps you might wishto read the sermon aloud to

your household, small group, oras they did in ancient culture,to yourself. As you do, we hopeyour reading will shepherd youinto dimensions of the Emmausstory that are explored in othercontributions to this issue.

16

Itwas a roller coaster week for thedisciples from Emmaus. Seven

days ago they followed thecrowds shouting, "Hosanna, hosannato the Son of David." Never had theirhopes been this high. Perhaps an endto the heavy hand of Roman rule wascloser than ever before. No more

taxes. No more trips to Bethlehem forcensus taking. No more guards inthe streets watching their everymove. Here on this colt was the trueKing of the Jews. How long hadthey and their people patientlywaited for him?

In one short week, the hopes ofCleopas and the other disciple, andso many of the others who followedJesus, plunged into lament. Only fivedays after exclaiming, "Hosanna,"people were shouting, "Crucify him!Crucify him!" It was a cruel twist ofevents. Perhaps the two discipleswatched in the shadows as the onethey mistook for their deliverer hungin humiliation on a cross. And nowseveral women and a few of the dis

ciples reported that his tomb wasmysteriously empty.

Disillusioned, discouraged, disheartened-they walk to Emmaus,rehearsing the events of the weekalong the way. They are hardly awarethat someone has joined them on theroad. The stranger inquires abouttheir conversation. "But, sir, wherehave you been? How could anyonenot have heard about what happened


during the last week? It is the talk ofJerusalem. "

Again, the disciples recycle thestory. The stranger listens patiently.They are surprised by his lack of despaIr.

"Why does it take you so long tounderstand what has happened?Don't you see that Jesus had to passthrough the suffering of the cross sothat he could be glorified?" Thestranger guides them through thescriptures they know so well. He offers a new perspective of people andevents.This well-versed teacher showsthem how the words of Moses andthe law, the psalms, and the prophets, all of these, point to one personJesus Christ the Messiah, their deliverer. But he had to suffer and die inorder to deliver them.

That was not the kind of deliverer they had in mind. They wanteda king who came riding into townwith a royal army and with flagswaving. But if they got the kind ofdeliverer they really wanted, whowould save them from the next political enemy? The future they thoughtthey had solved is turned on its headwith this teacher's words.

Here was a Savior who had saved

them not from political enemies butfrom themselves. The guilt theyplaced on others was the guilt theyfound hidden in themselves. And theone whose death they mourned cancels their guilt. A whole new future is

Interview with Peggy Rosenthalauthor of

The Poets' Jesus: Representations at the End

of a Millennium (Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 189)

ther revealed in one of his last poems,"That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire ...

." The poem unfolds with rapid sequences of dynamic verbs: flaunt,chevy, throng, glitter, arches, lashes,wrestles, beats .... Word after word,we are made to relive the vertiginouspursuit of a penitential soul. Then, ascritics Leopoldo Duran and PaulMariani point out in diverse studies,the poem culminates with a totallydifferent verb: "Immortal diamond/

Is immortal diamond." Hence, in thelast line we encounter transformingstillness, brilliant-being, ecstaticumon.

For Hopkins, priesthood was thelife-response of his enamored soul,and his poems are necessarily poemsof love. His keen awareness of linguistic patterns and his enlightenedAnglo-Saxon use of language responded to this love calling. His particular historical usage of Englishmeant a return to word-makingthrough juxtaposition, a reliance oncompound words, dialectal and individual habits, memorable alliteration

-all within the harmonizing law oflanguage. In this manner, also, the poems take us toward unified complexity: inscape. Divine-human love findsits linguistic consummation in the vibrant intermarriage of words.

One of the most descriptive depictions of Christ's priesthood appears in this verse from the scene atEmmaus: " ... they had recognizedhim in the breaking of the bread."The moment invites us to the opening up of creation in Godly hands, andto the partaking of that creation thatall might be one. Through his poetry,Gerard Manley Hopkins opens thebread of his heart, communicateswith excruciating detail the make-upof his soul, his love-sustained search,his unfinishing. Then, we are invitedto eat. We do so fully, and in the"inscaping" of his offering, the sacramental reconciliation is fulfilled.

Sofia Starnes, a widely publishedpoet, is the recipient of a poetryfellowship from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Her e-mail [email protected]

Q: How have poets depicted theimage of Jesus throughout thecenturies?

That's a big question, whichreally the whole book addresses.I see poets re-creating Jesus as acharacter on the stage of theirparticular era or culture. So, forinstance, a medieval poet likeHildegard of Bingen envisions acosmic stage on which everydetail of the universe is inscribed

in the Body of Christ. Then for aRomantic like Blake, Jesus is stilla grand cosmic figure, but he'sthe Great Rebel against allrestrictive social forces which

repress the human imagination.Q. Why have postmodern poetsdepicted Christ as an anti-hero?

Postmodernism denies the

possibility of ultimate meaning.Jesus, for Christianity, is preciselythe core meaning of life. So onestrategy of postmodern poets isto have Jesus himself deny hisown meaning: bitterly mock hiscrucifixion as merely a waste, forinstance, or as a bad joke playedon him by God. These poets turnJesus into an anti-hero to represent their sense that heroic,

meaningful gestures are empty.For an analogy in the visual

arts, I think of the comicallygrotesque figures of the Colombian painter Fernando Botero.When Botero paints Jesus, helooks absurdly clownish, just likeeveryone else on Botero's stage.Botero says that the subjects ofhis paintings are "plastic events,"without moral value. Similarly,the subject of a postmodern poemis "verbal events," with nomeaning beyond the words. Jesus

Winter 2001

as Word now uncapitalized-mereword, babble, bad joke-represents this perfectly.Q. We often think of our pastcentury as devoid of qualityChristian writing, yet you havefound many poets who excel inwriting poetry with a Christiansensibility. Can you comment onthese poets and why they foundJesus to be a source of seriouspoetic inspiration?

The twentieth century dubbeditself "the secular century," proudthat it had rid itself of religioussuperstition. But I sometimesthink of the century's secularismas an unexpected vehicle forgrace. Hardly anyone of us grewup taking Christian belief forgranted. Either it was dismissed asoutdated in our schools and

_families, or if we came from apracticing Christian family we feltdefensive in the wider culture.

In this context, poets drawn toChristianty often feel it as awonderful, secret discovery. Thefigure of Jesus is fresh to them.Secular culture has stripped Jesusof his value, so poets are at libertyto see him free of stale images thathe had accumulated in past eras.

Since poetry is the art of theword, Jesus as Word is especiallycompelling for Christian poets.Vassar Miller, who wrote some ofthe best unashamedly Christianpoetry of the century, said that"Christianity is the religion of theWord-made-flesh and poetry is itsmost natural voice."

Peggy Rosenthal, 537 HarvardSt., Rochester, NY 14607;

[email protected].

41

opening up for them. Their life compass is pointed in a new direction.They want to drink and eat more andmore of what this stranger has to say.

Later, they say to each other,"Didn't our hearts burn as he talkedwith us along the road?"

What does it mean to have a"burning heart" ? Your intense longing is finally fulfilled. Your eyes seesomething as if for the first time. Thetreasure you've been searching for ishere. You realize the good news is really for you. The deliverer you werelooking for has come and fills the deepcavity you did not know was there.

Perhaps you recall a scripture passage you once read that made youpause-because this was the Wordyou needed to hear. It was a word ofgrace for guilt that you could notcarry-" he was wounded for ourtransgressions." Perhaps you read,"The Lord is my Shepherd," and theWord was a salve for aching loneliness or desperate worry; perhaps itwas Christ's parting promise, "I willnever leave you or forsake you." Perhaps it was a psalm of lament thatgave words to the anguish you couldnot voice: "Why are you downcast,o my soul, why so disquieted withinme?" In these moments of epiphanyyou were reassured again of Christ'spresence and God's care for you.

Our hearts burn when the wordsof Scripture meet the horizon of ourneeds; that is, when the Word comesso close it shouts our name. It confronts our despair, shapes our future,and offers us Easter hope.

But perhaps we don't sense thebright hot hope of scripture. Ourspiritual cholesterol reading is high.Our arteries are clogged. The constant barrage of words from television, radio, e-mail, and voice mailcrowd out the one Word we mostneed to hear.

A friend told me recently that hewas going to reserve his cottage forrelaxing with his family and friends,for reading novels and the Bible, andfor times of prayer. No television, noe-mail, no laptop, no Internet, no cellphone. He wanted to create a space

to listen and receive. He needed aspace for Emmaus surprises.

The two disciples are nearEmmaus. It is getting dark. They urgetheir teacher not to travel any farther.There might be bandits along theroad. "Stay with us, be our guest."

They set the table with a simplemeal. Usually the head of the household says the blessing. But before theyspeak the words, their guest graspsthe unleavened bread, and says,"Blessed are you, Lord our God, whobrings forth bread from the earth."Tearing the bread in two, he offers itto his guests. The roles are reversed.Their guest becomes their host-theone who feeds them.

The two disciples, now guests intheir own home, catch their breath.Their eyes are opened, and they recognize the resurrected Christ. He isseated at their table serving them.And as soon as they recognize him,Christ vanishes.

The moment they realize theyhave been eating with their hoped-fordeliverer, he is no longer there. Theycould not hold on to his physical presence. Perhaps they gripped the breadthat their Savior just held, saying, "Heis risen! He was here with us!" And

perhaps, like us, they still had questions-questions they would haveasked over one more piece of bread.Perhaps they would have touched hisrobe. If only he could stay with thema while longer.

Why doesn't Christ linger at themeal? Perhaps because they cannotcling to the visible, physical presenceof Christ. Perhaps because instead ofour attention being drawn to Christ'sphysical body, Luke turns our eyes toChrist, the living bread, the one whofeeds and fills our souls from day today. Could it be that for Christ to bemost powerfully present forever inhistory, he must be physically absent?Later, with Easter joy, the two fromEmmaus tell the other disciples,"We recognized him in the breaking of the bread."

The first-century Christianswatched eagerly for the return of

Winter 2001

Christ, and they expected it duringtheir lifetime. They longed for thepresence of Christ. But while Christwas absent from them physically, howcould they know that Christ was stillwith them?

Like them, we long for a sign ofChrist's voice and presence. If only wecould touch the hem of Christ's garment, his nail prints, or hear Christspeak our name.

In this gripping story, Luke showsus that Christ speaks to us throughthe scriptures. We understand theprophets and Moses through the lifeof Christ, and through the scriptures,Christ comes to us again and again.But his speech is not enough.

We also want Christ near us.When we break bread and drink thewine, we participate in a mystery thatwe cannot fully explain but more often need to experience. Christ ispresent with us in a way that is moreprofound than if he were to appearphysically beside us.

Perhaps most often we fearChrist's absence-when our thoughtstumble and churn at 3 a.m., when aspouse shreds our trust, when loneliness seeps into the edges of our life.We look for signs of Christ's presenceevery day in the middle of conversations with friends, or during a latenight watch by someone's bedside, orin the moonlight shining through baretree branches. We are surprised by theways Christ comes to us. But here onEaster evening our deepest longingand hope are confirmed: Christ stillspeaks, and Christ is still with us.

Cindy Holtrop is program manager

at the Calvin Institute of ChristianWorship and anticipates ordinationto ministry in 2001. Her passion isto equip lay people and worshipleaders in the area of hospitality inthe worshiping community. She has

published three intergenerationalChristmas dramas based on the

gospels. She may be reached atCalvin Institute of Christian Wor

ship, 3201 Burton St. S.E., GrandRapids, MI49546.

17

CHORAL THEATER

r- -

The Road to Emmaus

ARRANGED BY DEBRA FREEBERG

This choral piece is intended to be woven into the fabric of a service, the three parts interspersed with otherelements of the service. Characters include a narrator,five readers, and two disciples.

I. LAMENT: Absence

The readers are split between the two sides of the church.The church is in twilight darkness.

READER 1: Save me, Oh God, for the waters have comeup to my neck.READER 3: He/she wants a divorce.

READER 2: I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold.READER 4: I have come into deep waters, and the floodsweeps over me.READER 5: Cancer? Are you sure? It's cancer?

READER 1: I am weary with my crying, my throat isparched. My eyes grow dim waiting for my God.READER 2: I am lowly and in pain; let your salvation,o God, protect me.READER 3: 0 God, you know my folly; the wrongs Ihave done are not hidden from you.

READER 2: My prayer is to you, 0 Lord.READER 3: Answer me, Lord, for your steadfast loveis good.

READER 4: You know the insults I receive, and myshame and dishonor, my foes are all known to you. Insults have broken my heart so that I am in despair.READER 5: My daughter hates me.READER 1: My father hates me.READER 2: My boss hates me.READER 3: I hate myself.

READER 1: Do not hide your face from your servant,for I am in distress.READER 5: I don't sleep at night. I just roam the hallways.READER 2: Make haste to answer me.READER 4: I failed the test.READER 1: I failed my wife.READER 3: I failed. (pause) Draw near to me.READER 4: Redeem me.READER 5: Set me free because of my enemies.READER 1: They fired me this morning.READER 3: I drink too much.

READER 4: I have nowhere to go.READER 2: Nowhere to turn.READER 3: No one will listen.READER 2: Make haste to answer me.

Two disciples journey up an aisle during the reading.

NARRATOR: On the third day, two of the disciples,Cleopas was one, were going to a village called Emmaus,about seven miles from Jerusalem and talking with eachother about the things that had happened.

DISCIPLE 1: It was about noon, and darkness cameover the whole land until three in the afternoonDISCIPLE 2: While the sun's light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.DISCIPLE 1: Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said,"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.

READER 4: A good and righteous man named Josephof Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body ofJesus.READER 1: Then he took it down, wrapped it in alinen cloth and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb.READER 2: It was the day of Preparation, and the


Sabbath was beginning.

NARRATOR: While the two men were talking witheach other Jesus himself came near and went with them.READER 3: But their eyes were kept from recognizinghim.

NARRATOR: Jesus asked them, "What are you discussing?"DISCIPLE 1: Are you the only stranger in Jerusalemwho does not know the things that have taken placethere?

NARRATOR: What things?DISCIPLE 2: The things about Jesus of Nazareth whowas a prophet mighty in deed and word before Godand all the people.DISCIPLE 1: Our chief priests and leaders handed himover to be condemned to death.DISCIPLE 2: They crucified him.DISCIPLE 1: They crucified him. We had hoped thathe was the one to redeem Israel.

DISCIPLE 2: We had hope.

READER 5: I've never been in so much pain.READER 3: How can God allow this to happen to us?READER 5: 0 God, do not be far from me.READER 2: Where is God in all this suffering?READER 3: My daughter's pregnant. She's only fifteen.READER 2: 0 my God, make haste to help me!READER 4: Rescue me, 0 my God, from the hand ofthe wicked.READER 1: You are my help and my deliverer: 0 Lord,do not delay!READER 5: I'm dying.ALL: Redeem me.

II. REVELATION: Search for Understanding

The lighting should brighten perceptibly here.

NARRATOR: The next morning Mary Magdalene,Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and others went tothe tomb, found the body gone, and two men in dazzling clothes beside them.

READER 4: "Why do you look for the risen amongthe dead? He is not here, but has risen," exclaimed theangel of the Lord.READER 3: Remember how he told you, while he wasstill in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handedover to sinners?READER 4: And be crucified.

READER 3: And on the third day rise again.READER 1& 5: Remember.

READER 2: Confirm to your servant your promise,

A reader's theater performs The Road to Emmaus.

which is for those who fear you.READER 1: Remember your word to your servant, inwhich you have made me hope.READER 4: This is my comfort in my distress, thatyour promise gives me life.

NARRATOR: Two disciples, Cleopas one, on the roadto a village called Emmaus. While the two men weretalking with each other, Jesus himself came near andwent with them.

DISCIPLE 1: It is now the third day since things tookplace.DISCIPLE 2: Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning.DISCIPLE 1: They did not find his body.DISCIPLE 2: but a vision of angels.DISCIPLE 1: Angels claiming that He was alive.DISCIPLE 2: Simon Peter went to the tomb and foundit as the women said.DISCIPLE 1: But he didn't see angels.DISCIPLE 2: No angels and no body.DISCIPLE 1: An idle tale.DISCIPLE 2: We didn't believe the women.

DISCIPLE 1: We had hoped that he was the one toredeem Israel. But they crucified him.

READER: God-sent redemption to his people; he hascommanded his covenant forever.READER 2: Teach me, 0 Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding that I may keep your law and observe it withmy whole heart.READ ER 5: The fear of the Lord is the beginning ofwisdom; all those who practice it have good understanding.

DISCIPLE 2: We didn't believe the women.READER 3: Jesus said, "How foolish you are, and howslow of heart to believe all that the prophets have de-

Winter 2001 19

clared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"

NARRATOR: Then beginning with Moses and all theprophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things about himself in the Scriptures.

READER 5: I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. I keepthe Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand,I shall not be moved.READER 4: Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul reJOiCes.

READER 3: You show me the path of life.READER 2: In your presence there is fullness of joy.

NARRATOR: As the two disciples and Jesus came toEmmaus, Jesus walked ahead as if he were going on.DISCIPLE 1: But we urged him strongly, saying ...DISCIPLE 2: Stay with us.DISCIPLE 1: It is nearly evening.DISCIPLE 2: The day is nearly over. Stay with us.

READER 1: You have done great things, 0 God, who islike you?READER 3: You have made me see many troubles andcalamities. You will revive me again.READER 4: From the depths of the earth you will bringme up agam.READER 2: You will increase my honor.READER 5: And comfort me once again.

NARRATOR: So Jesus went in to stay with them.

READER 1: I will praise the name of God with a song!READER 2: I will magnify him with thanksgiving!READER 3: Let the oppressed see it and be glad.READER 5: For the Lord hears the needy and does notdespise his own that are in bonds.READER 4: You who seek God let your hearts revive.

III. CELEBRATION: Communion

The entire congregation should be illuminated. The sacrament of Communion is incorporated into this section.

NARRATOR: Thus says the Lord, "Do not fear, for Ihave redeemed you. I have called you by name. You aremine. When you pass through the waters, I will be withyou; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelmyou. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burnedand the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lordyour God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

READER 4: I love the Lord, because he has heard myvoice and my supplication.READER 3: He has inclined his ear to me.READER 2: Knowing that my friends pray for me...

I can go on. I will survive.READER 1: The snares of death encompassed me, thepangs of Sheol laid hold on me, I suffered distress andanguish.READER 4: Every day it gets a little better and a littlebetter.READER 3: We're talking again.READER 2: We can love again. Just differently this time.

READER 3: Then I called on the name of the Lord, "0Lord, I pray, save my life."READER 5: Hospice is here every day. It's easier now.I am ready to see Jesus.READER 4: Return 0 my soul to your rest, for the Lordhas dealt bountifully with you.

NARRATOR: Jesus went in to stay with them. When hewas at the table with them, he took bread, blessed, andbroke it. And gave it to them.

DISCIPLE 1: At that moment our eyes were opened.DISCIPLE 2: It was Jesus!DISCIPLE 1: Then he vanished.DISCIPLE 2: He was gone. He broke bread, gave it to us.

READER 3: Bless our God, 0 peoples.READER 5: Let the sound of his praise be heard.READER 1: He has kept us among the living and has notlet our feet slip.READER 2: Though we went through fire and throughwater

READER 4: God has brought us out to a spacious place.

DISCIPLE 2: Our eyes were opened when he broke bread.DISCIPLE 1: Were our hearts not burning within us whilehe was talking to us on the road?DISCIPLE 2: Were our hearts not burning within us whenhe opened up the Scriptures to us?DISCIPLE 1: We left our home. We left Emmaus to return to Jerusalem and the eleven and their companions.DISCIPLE 2: The Lord had also appeared to Simon!DISCIPLE 1: He is risen indeed!DISCIPLE 2: The Lord is risen indeed! He made himselfknown to us in the breaking of the bread.

NARRATOR: Shall we not do likewise? Shall we not letthe Lord make himself known to us in the breaking ofbread? The apostle Paul tells us, "I received from theLord what I also handed on to you. The Lord Jesus onthe night he was betrayed took a loaf of bread. When hehad given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my bodythat is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'"

Sacrament of Communion administered according to thecustom of your congregation. Preferably, in keeping withthe action of the text, loaves of bread should be brokenand distributed.


NARRATOR: Shall we not go forth and witness to thisgood news?

READER 2: The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah says,READER 3: Here are my servants, whom I uphold, mychosen, in whom my soul delights.READER 4: I have put my spirit upon them.READER 5: They will bring forth justice to the nations.

READER 2: I am the Lord and besides me there is nosaVlOr.

READER 1: Come bless the Lord, all you servants of theLord who stand in the house of the Lord!NARRATOR: May God be gracious to us and bless usand make his face to shine upon us. Let the people praiseyou, 0 God. Let all the people praise you!

READER 1: Thus says the Lord our God,READER 2: I am the Lord.READER 3: I have called you in righteousness.READER 4: I have taken you by the hand and kept you.READER 5: I have given you as a covenant to the people,a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind.READER 1: To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon.READER 2: To comfort the afflicted.READER 3: To be the body of Christ on this earth.READER 4: You are my witnesses, says the Lord, myservants whom I have chosen.READER 5: Know me and believe me and understandthat I am he.

READER 4: Before me no god was formed.READER 3: Nor shall there be any after me.

(Scriptural excerpts are taken from Luke 23 and 24; Psalms16,66,67,71, 111, 119, 134; Isaiah 42 and 43; and1 Corinthians 11. All Scripture is from the NRSV. If you usethis script, the author requests that you contribute a royaltyof $15 to the Katie Bytwerk Memorial Scholarship, whichprovides funds for students to study overseas. Mail to CalvinCollege, the Development Office, 3201 Burton St. SE, GrandRapids, MI 49546.)

Debra L. Freeberg is a director, playwright, andactress. She is director of theater at Calvin College.She has extensive experience in both academic andprofessional theater, and her plays have been producedacross the United States and Canada. Her research

interests include Swedish theater and playwriting.Contact Freeberg at Calvin College, 3201 Burton St.S.E., Grand Rapids, MI49546.

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Table At Emmaus, Christ took bread, broke it, gave thanks, and gave it to hisdisciples. At the Christian table, bread is still taken, broken, blessed, andgiven. And still today, eyes are opened and hearts begin to burn with hope,

wonder, and faith. The circular shape of this Communion table bears several asso

ciations. The circle is a sign of completion-Christ's sacrifice is full and complete,a symbol for the world where we live and for which Christ died. The circle is alsoa symbol for harmony, the way we are to live with each other and in the world. As

we gather around the table, we can see each other to form another circle-a community.

Winter 2001 23

ElTIInausBY TANIA RUNYAN

I

Strangers live only oneminute. They hover nearalong Michigan Avenueas I flash through the miraclesof my life: my moles not purpling,my L not derailing,my head not glitteringwith bullets. As I crossthe street, this young manwill vanish, the armsof his leather jacket squeakingout of memory. Gone,the woman whose thighs swayin pink leggings, liliescrammed under her arm.

I have to believe they will go onwithout me. I must picture them sleepingin their own square feet,dust orbiting their luminous bodiesin rpvprpnrp Whpn mv mir:1cles cease

under the weight of stone.I can go no furtherthan the beauty of Godsuffering. My hands blackenwith clots, and I can imaginenothing but the past,when I saw my life before me.I walk a heavy trackof endings, every stratusa strip of burial linen, sunrise,the open scar of the universe.

IV

My friend of -several yearssits across the table,whirling spaghetti around her fork.She opens, takes inthe shimmering strands dottedwith basil. It's a wonderthese are the same mouths

imposing forceon every distant planet.

And in a moment

she is smiling, askingfor a napkin.

v

I am decidedly too smallto carry time like this.Let me hangin one moment, forever.

VI

Something like God has enteredmy house - luminous, yes,a thin gauze of fire hoveringin the doorway. I've forgottenwhat prayers can invite.In the waves of heat I imagineI see stones ascendingfrom the ground, Michigan Avenuejubilant with errandson the day of my death.

But visions are not enough.I need the friend's strange flashto burn its haze across

my spirit, slowly spreading overmy hours, my geographies,burning in me, and burningeverywhere, without me.

VII

The best part of having Godin your houseis watching him suddenlysinge through your door,simmering on, and persisting,without you.

Tania Runyan lives in the Chicago area, where sheteaches high school English. Her poems have appearedin many journals, including Southern Poetry Review,Poetry Northwest, and Willow Review. This poem wonfirst place in a thematic Luke 24 poetry and short fiction contest sponsored in association with the 2000Calvin Festival of Faith and Worship.

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Winter 2001 25

FICTION

For a Short TimeBY ALBERT HALEY

Itbegins this way. He is in my life every day. Noother person, not even my mother or sister is moreimportant. For he is tall and charming with straw

hair like a field waving at harvest time. He walks onthe balls of his feet, placing you in the presence of aperpetual athlete who on game day can never be broughtdown. He's always ready to pick me up with an ironhanded lunge. He is also my dispensary of wisdom.That's him bending knees to crouch and teach me toidentify the first of eight kinds of nonvenomous Western snakes. It's a gray garter curled at our feet today. Ithink it looks like a strand of spaghetti in the bowl ofsoft grass behind our house. "See?" my father says."See?"

Easy fingers.He is showing me how to walk the dog with my

red, wooden Duncan. "Like this, son." Though he'snever done yo-yo heroics in his life, in five minutes hehas mastered taut string and wrist flip. In another fifteen clock ticks I am expert too, prepared to show therough, cut-up boys at school. At recess I indulge in faithful mimicry. The eyes grow large. On the gravel besidethe swingsets I become a giant.

"Wow," someone says.

His brand of miracles is regular. On rainy Saturdays he cues an LP on the stereo's turntable and tellsme to listen for the horn blast surprise in Haydn's Symphony No. 94. At vacation time he slides behind thewheel. As Mother smiles, he recites from "Prufrock,"continuing with all the "Michelangelos" and thensmoothly segues into the nature praises of Psalm 104.Meantime, Sis and I go on like barbarians in thebackseat. We end the day in a motel and get down torigorous application of tiny soap bars. "Don't miss thecooties," he says. With gentle thumb and forefinger themagician leans over the tub and pretend-inspects our

ears. I still have the silver quarter.

It is dinnertime. He parks his briefcase and overcoat in the front closet. He joins us at the table and in avoice that rumbles like boulders coming down from themountaintop, he says grace. Meal finished, he rises fromhis chair and kisses Mother. It is a chisel making a sweettap upon the artist's best work in Italian marble.

"Another lovely repast, Princess."

Do I claim perfection here? As if the man were asaint? Not at all. For there is a thin crack in this faith

ful, churchgoing, Scripture-loving dad who never has aharsh word for anyone, whose inventiveness is withoutpeer, who belly laughs with so little provocation, whodelights in his life, his family, and his God. Simply put,he lies to us. Over time the misleading words are stuffedlike rocks into pockets, but he does it so beautifullythat it is only later I take out those hard articles andassemble sentences. Then I learn. His "I'll always bewith you" is as bogus as sunshine rain.

Of course, he never says he won't go away. All thoseyears it is a lie of my own mind, reinforced by his vitality and armchair hugs and I love you's. I just alwaysassume how it will be. Dying? Rebuke the thought. Ipreach personal sermons. I spin dazzling prayers. I guessI'm not so different from you? The petitions and imprecations always end the same: "Lord forbid. May itnever be so."

One day, years later, it hits him like an iron gateslamming down on a cell block. The chest heaves thencaves back upon itself. He is in a restaurant dining withMother. Wedding anniversary of all things. Water glassesand silverware flying. In his chair he falls.

As soon as we receive word, Sis and I fly in. Thereare as many tubes as on a prime time drama where thesurgeon and the scrub nurse are ravishingly in love.


That's not what this is. No diverting tale or Hollywoodcomplexions. We look into the face of grim.

Not saying a word, the thin figure's straw hair isobscured by smashed pillow. The doctor takes us aside."The next twenty-four hours are critical."

What is to be done? We fall back on old ways. Wewatch, we hope, we pray. In the Age of Science, thescientist offers no stronger medicine.

Two days later, we are looking on. We hardly believe it. He sits up in bed. He eats spoonfuls of strawberry yogurt. He smiles weakly at Mother.

"Some repast, eh, Princess?"

Back in the $100-a-night hotel room we are in acelebratory mood. Let's take out the bottle of sparklingcider, I suggest. We'll raise a minor family toast. We sipfrom plastic drinking cups and chew slices of deliverypizza. "Didn't he look better?" "Did you think he couldever rally so soon?" "No, but God does answerprayers," Mother insists. "I wonder what we were thinking?"

"Yes, what were we thinking?" And I am pullingon a string of cheese, contemplating framing words ofthanks. The telephone rings. We freeze. We wait forMother to answer. "No, you get it," she says to me.

In the backseat of the taxi Sis squeezes my hand.So hard she grips down. Around us city streets are midnight empty. Soon the familiar hospital looms. Complete silence except for Mother's reserved sobs. My handhas gone to sleep. Limbless me. Three of us get out.The voice on the phone has told very little, saying only,"You must come right away." I fling the fare at theunshaven, garlic smelling man who gestures toward hismeter. I happen to notice that the number ends in twozeros. "No change," I say. Beneath sodium vapor lamps,the three of us wash up eerily from the asphalt watersof a river we don't dare name.

A woman in white stands guard. She is beside thebed, writing on a clipboard. Now the picture completesitself. The woman, still unaware of us, is reaching downand about to pull the sheet up. Sis shrieks, her greatsilence finally ruptured. She sees how his arms stretchout. They've tied him to the bed rails to prevent thrashing in his sleep and he has finished up in this splayedposture. Sis rushes ahead of Mother, starts unfasteninghim. She is going to claim the body, anointing it withspicy spittle flying from her mouth. She curses the sickly,weightless nurse: "You let him die. You didn't stop it.You let him die!" An hour later we still have to restrainher from time to time.

This is the most difficult part to explain. How he isin the grave a month, a month, and a month. Then outof nowhere the dream comes.

You'll think I'm preparing to tell that my fatherappears within that wavering nocturnal border, but it'snot that. My father is not in the dream like the hundreds of others dreamed since the funeral. Not explicitly. Instead, the dream is cotton candy carnival, noisemakers, and bright rides. This is followed by a long,foggy climb where I perch at the peak of the rollercoaster, my hand on the smooth brass safety bar. "Thisis going to be fun," I am saying. Then with breathblasted from my lungs I make a terrifying descent fromthe top.

I wake up.A man stands across the room. A stranger. This is

real because he has one hand touching a photo on mydresser and I can hear his fingernail scraping the frame.It is startling and frightening, too. He turns to me nowwith a sympathetic look, and I find I can see quite wellin the dark. His penetrating glance causes me to plungeinto his eyes like a swimmer into blue. The progressionfrom screaming nightmare to indented reality-a reality in which everything is on hold, digging spikes inand waiting for the pitch-comes naturally,

~Tmready/ Stranger says.The word!; are ealm,confident, as if this is what he's been instructed to say."Tell me what you've been thinking."

I speak of my father. I give everything out because Iknow Dad is what the dream has been about. His lifelived, his life seized. And the part about pouring Dadfrom the urn into my hands ninety days. FOR A SHORTTIME. "Do you know what that's like, Stranger? Tohave the one who gave you life, and led you momentby moment, curled up as ash in your palms? Just a fewhandfuls. Do you know what it's like?"

He has been listening. Hasn't said a word. Untilnow.

"You need to eat." From beneath his robe he removes a crust of bread and without thought or resistance I swallow in the darkness, suddenly unable to seeagain, but as I eat, the crunchy, yeasty mass caressesmy tongue and I swallow the goodness until somethingelse comes out from under his garment. It makes a clattering when it hits the floor. After that there is a distinct, long-lasting, rolling rattle as it journeys into anobscure corner. Shyly apologizing, he chases after. Justas he catches up to it, the room lights snap on.

It is red as a harvest apple. The yo-yo. I'm describing it. That's exactly how it looked.

Can some type of resurrection come with uproarious laughter? Is there comedy in redemption? I know,yes, I know. What it means to spin dizzily at the centerof circular amazement. Sometimes a miracle announcesits own logic. It comes around.

The boulders are removed from my father's voice."Listen, son," Dad says. He gives me the toy. He puts

Winter 2001 27

hands on my shoulders so the weightis there, solid, real. He pauses and Ifeel he is about to offer words that

will go into me permanently. Notthrough memorization, but ratherthey will vibrate within my bones, tissues, and organs. Like one of myprayers muttered in a crowd or in thecar, initially born out of frustrationor a stubborn desire to test the powers of God, yet I sense it suddenlygrowing wings, and it flutters past myclosed eyelids and I don't say so, butI am shocked at what I feel. The

words are about to become a part ofmy whole being.

"Here's how it works," Dad says."He fought the battle for me. AndDeath could not win."

Until now I have not told anyoneabout all this though it rings like ahammer on the anvil of Truth. Per

haps the familiarity comes from thebook I pick up. In one of its Gospels Iread of a similar case long ago. A manwhom they urgently missed was right

alongside them and they took a long,long while to recognize him. Despairmated to lack of imagination, is thisnot the most potent of camouflagers?Which leaves me with where I am to

day, sitting in a coffee shop at 8 a.m.My briefcase rests at my feet. I am anondescript, middle-aged man aboutto settle into another day at the office. But first I have to write. I want

to have it straight before I tell others.As I work with the ballpoint, an oddthing occurs: the words on the yellow pad line up in two columns. Ihave no idea why.

For a short time he was there. He

even said my name. Nothing forgotten, nothing broken. He fed me, I ate.We laughed together. I tear the sheetoff the pad, place it in my pocket. Ifeel what else is in there. I take it out.

I play it out on its string a couple oftimes. Nice, easy wrist snap and italways comes back. People look, thengrow disinterested. I put it away.

On the street corner. Hurrying pe-

destrian and vehicular traffic ani

mates air molecules with dustyhumanity's presence. A siren cuts in,fades out; it's far away. I linger obediently at the curb. The light turnsgreen. I step off. For the first time,I think I know what morning is.Then my feet hit the pavement.Great strides. Briefcase swinging. Aman is going to work. A man is going further.

Watch me.

Albert Haley is writer in residenceat Abilene Christian University. Hisfiction has appeared in Image: A

Journal of the Arts and Religion,Books & Culture, Windhover, andHidden Manna. "For a Short

Time" was inspired in part by acollaborative production called"The Thanatos Negotiations" inwhich Haley joined with pianistGustavo Tolosa to combine poetryand classical music to deal with

the theme of untimely loss.

28

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GORDON COLLEGE-WHERE FAITH CONNECTS WITH THE ARTS

Sacramental vessel'In the Shadow of His Wings~

By CARL HUISMAN

InExodus 31, God called Bezalel and Oholiab to makeobjects for use in the tabernacle. The Lord not onlytold them what to make but equipped them to do so.

He put in their hearts wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and craftsmanship. Note that God also caredabout their thoughts and deeds. Over the last decade, Ihave read this passage on occasion in my class devotions. I share with the students my own experience ofGod's call some thirty-five years ago. During the lastseveral years, I have received commissions to create objects for use in worship and have experienced this as anaffirmation of God's call.

The account of Bezalel and Oholiab has become more

meaningful to me in recent years. The name Bezalelmeans "in the shadow of His wings." It is our nearnessto God that enables us to fulfill our callings. I experience this nearness to God most intensely in times ofworship. It comes in personal devotions in my officebefore I begin my work day. It also enters through corporate worship experiences at Church of the Servant,my home church. The enriching seasonal liturgies withsongs, prayers, confession, assurance of pardon, proclamation of the Word, and the sacrament of the Eucharisteach week confirm my oneness with Christ and His

people. It is an awesome responsibility and privilege tomake liturgical objects that assist people in their encounter with God.

While making this profession of God's nearness, Imust also confess experiencing doubt and distraction ata certain point in my life. For six months in 1997, mywife, Coni, and I searched for the right approach andthe right surgeon to remove a tumor from the back of

her throat. I found it impossible to stay on task. Mythoughts were elsewhere in her time of need.

Clay, stone, wood, and my ideas about transforming them, suddenly seemed less significant. But God neverleft us; he was always present. Our brothers and sistersin Christ all over North America, especially our worshiping community at Church of the Servant, prayed forConi and our family. Finally, the Lord led us to a sur-

geon who, by the grace of God, was able to successfullyremove the tumor.

With renewed energy and joy, I turned the potter'swheel, carved stone, and sanded wood. God filled myheart and mind with ideas. The "stuff" of God's own

handiwork made their significance known to me again.The dialogue between materials and myself was restoredwith vigor. In gratitude to God for his nearness and thelove of His people at the Church of the Servant, I made

Pentecost Communion Set I. It was used each Sundayduring the Pentecost season. In this work, I consciouslymade vessels that are large enough to convey the amplitude of God's healing grace for all of those present tosee and use. The items are, after all, created for corporate worship. As images, these liturgical vessels boldlypoint beyond themselves to the body and blood of Christ.I have tried to design them in such a way that they celebrate the materials God has provided. The simplicityof form and surface decoration are intended to keep theviewer from becoming too preoccupied with the object,while encouraging participants to look beyond.

I wish you could experience these objects in the settings for which they were designed. Try to imagine themat a large table set for the Lord's meal. Try to hear thecongregation singing, "Lift High the Cross," as the choirprocesses. Listen to the declaration, "The blood of Christfor you," as the pastor holds the chalice high. Imaginethe splash of water at baptism, as parents and congregation vow to bring up this child in God's loving covenant. Let us celebrate God's goodness and faithfulnessas he calls and equips us to work and worship in Hispresence.

Carl Huisman is professor of art at Calvin College.During a recent sabbatical project, he explored threedimensional media that would enhance the liturgicaldrama of communal Reformed Christian worship. Formore than thirty years, he has developed his ideaswhile serving the Calvin College community as a professor of ceramics and sculpture.


Communion set with crown ofthorns, 1997, (pictured with cupand vessel separately andtogether) and communion setwith red lines entitled PentecostCommunion Set I, 1997,stoneware. All pieces by CarlHuisman. Photos by JohnCorriveau.

Winter 2001 3:

Communion set with crown ofthorns, 1997, (pictured with cupand vessel separately andtogether) and communion setwith red lines entitled PentecostCommunion Set I, 1997,stoneware. All pieces by CarlHuisman. Photos by JohnCorriveau.

Winter 2001 31

THINGS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE

On purificationand pollution

BY jUTTA F. ANDERSON

George Langbroek's etchingWashing exemplifies the postmodern stance in the visual

arts. Entering into such a work is noteasy because of multiple, often unrelated, image fragments. Here, too, theimages are discontinuous and layered.Seven scenes are woven into this web

of lines and interacting complementary colors.

To make things more complex,these anecdotes present themselves indifferent styles and techniques. Wediscover photography from mass culture publications transferred to theprinter's plate, samples from art history either mechanically reproducedor crudely copied by hand, flat monochrome color fields, the artist's owndrawing, and a separate dark bandprinted on top of the foundationaletching. All that variety beckons usto chart our own paths rather thanlook for prescribed directions.

A big, red "Y" shape dominatesthe composition. Jutting from the

right of the baseline's center the "Y"l1E;HL Vi ll1L Ud~L1l1H.., ~ l..l,l1lLl; lUl.- isha pe consists of a foot held by apair of hands. One hand reachesfrom above the corner on the rightside, and the other hand reachesfrom just below the corner on theleft side. We experience the foot asif it were our own, securely held bysomeone else. We do not observethis action from a distance. Itscloseness and the view from above

make this a personal, intimate encounter, totally in our presence. As

32

the saying goes, our foot is in goodhands.

The arms create a roughly triangular vacuum that is filled with a lacydepiction of Leonardo da Vinci's LastSupper (1495-97/98). It is not themuch-reproduced mural itself thatmatters (note the poor quality of itsrendition and the lack of color and

solidity) but the allusion to its subject matter. Langbroek inserts thismost popular "quote" from the history of Western art to suggest a context-the Passover meal as recorded

in the thirteenth chapter of the fourthGospel. John is the only evangelistwho incorporates Jesus' washing ofthe disciples' feet into the narrative.

Unlike biblical scholars who tend

to discuss the symbolism of Jesus' gesture, Langbroek stays, quite concretely, with the image of washing.He investigates the various applications of cleaning in light of verse 15:"For I have set an example, that youalso should do as I have done to you."

We are to touch, literally ourwc diC LU LUUl-ll, 11 LC:U111 y; UUi

neighbor's foot, humbly and lovingly,as dirty and smelly as that foot maybe. A scene from a long-term care facility comes to mind-affirmingJesus' command-of a son gentlymassaging the shriveled skin of hiselderly mother's feet with a moisturizer. That is service born out of a car

ing heart. That is also specificallyphysical comfort to a deterioratingbody.

In a segment that takes up the


area to the right of the red Y-shapethe artist explores bathing as a relational activity. Here we have awoman and a bouncy toddler clasping his mother's hand. They are stepping in unison into the warmth of ashower stall. This mother and child

ritual could be straight out of aparenting magazine. The photographer takes pleasure in the fleshinessof his objects. Sensuous curves outline the woman's body. Whoever selected this sight, whether the photographer or the coordinator of thiscollage, celebrated the erotic moment.Maybe this image captures ahusband's delight in watching his wifeat play with their offspring.

Some viewers may wonder howsuch exaltation of the body relates toJesus' footwashing. Others, citing theSong of Solomon, will argue that wemust not hide the erotic, that it is aGod-given gift for us to embrace andshelter from violation. For the artist,"do as I have done to you" pertainsto marital love also.LU iU<tllL<o11 lUVC:; <011~U.

Nestled into the hollow created

by the arm and the foot on the leftside of the print and partly obstructedby the dark overlay, we discern a nudecouple, almost dissolved into linesand pools of red, orange, and green.The extreme contrast of light anddark in the original photograph turnsthis vignette of intimacy into discretenear-abstraction. The man rubs ortowels off a woman's back. His stanceindicates that he is concerned. The

Washing by George Langbroek, 1992-99, intaglio viscosity etching, 19 x 14 inches

woman is sitting on the floor, clutching her knees. The oval of her armsevokes inwardness and emptiness thatis in need for restoration. The cleansing stroke is meant to invigorate a lowspirit back to wholeness. Weakness ishonored, not exploited.

The red segment in the lower leftcorner barely reveals the interior ofa Japanese bathhouse borrowed froman Oriental print. In postmodernfashion, Langbroek includes a nonWestern environment, thus stressingthe ethnic diversity of our global village with all its multi-cultural expressions and thus claiming Jesus' command for the Far East, too.

Immediately above the slopingborder of the red zone, we identify afully dressed woman who is washingthe feet of a sitting nude. Art connoisseurs will recognize Rembrandt'sBathsheba (1654) side reversed andslightly modified. Langbroek chose anincident from the Old Testament (2Sam.)where a routine act of post-

menstrual cleansing turned into a calamity because of unsolicited outside.intrusion. Through the centuries,painters, mostly male, have used thestory of Bathsheba as an excuse togaze at a female nude, to accentuateher exhibitionism, seductiveness andconnivance. Rembrandt's interpretation, however, focuses on the consequences of David's voyeurism and thetragic conflict it caused Bathsheba.She was forced to decide between unfaithfulness to her husband or non

compliance to her king. In this situation of inequality, the person withhigher rank exploited the vulnerableone. David betrayed Bathsheba's innocence and polluted the waters ofpurification. Langbroek, again in apostmodernist vein, is clearly preoccupied with content, that is makingreference to the Flemish painter'sreading of erotic attraction goneawry. This interest allows him to disregard the exquisite aesthetic valueof his predecessor's masterwork.

Winter 2001

The blue frieze has an ominousfeel to it. In this detail from a WorldWar II document, people are crowdedinto a narrow place. Jews were ordered to "lay down their garments"(John 13:4) and shower. Instead, theywere gassed, resulting in the deathsof millions. This grisly band of perverted purification almost obliteratesthe tenderness and devotion it camouflages. Seen from this angle, shouldthe Y-shape call forth the cross?

While we may lament the absenceof coherence in this cluster of diverse

appropriated images, we may also begrateful for the absence of prematureanswers and for the invitation to participate in the search for meaning.

Jutta F. Anderson may be reached atP. O. Box 719, Prospect Heights, IL60070. George Langbroek wasborn in Holland and now resides at

5 Phi/park Rd., St. Catharines, On.,Canada L2N 4E4.

33

BOO K S: ART

Imaging theWORD.

LECTIONARY TREASURES

Reviewed by William Dyrness

Imaging the Word: An Arts andLectionary Resource, Volume 3.Susan A. Blain (ed.), SharonIverson Gouwens, CatherineO'Callaghan, Grant Spradling,Cleveland: United Church Press,1996, pp. 280, $34.95

This large format, splendidly produced volume is the third in the series of lectionary resources producedby the Division of Education of theUnited Church of Christ and is de

signed to be used in conjunction withtheir curriculum, The Inviting Word.But since it is based on a year's readings drawn from the Revised Common Lectionary, it could be used byany of the churches that use thatlectionary or any church that seeksto follow the Christian Year. There is

a useful introduction by Maria Harris that helps the reader reflect on theways we see or are kept from seeing,in our worship.

The purpose of the volume is toprovide resources for discerning Godin the world, by stimulating thereader's imagination in ways thatresonate with the Scripture passages(which are only excerpted). As MariaHarris puts it, breaking out of oldvisual habits can help us realize that"every place is a sacred place, everymoment is filled with the divine pres-

34

ence." Each week's reading is accompanied by visual art, photographs,movie stills, poems, and excerpts fromspiritual writers or even commentators or preachers. Occasionally musical selections are proposed, sometimes traditional melodies.

And what an amazing array ofartwork and poetry has been assembled here! Just the selection ofvisual art from around the world is

worth the price of the book. Oftenthe juxtapositions are striking, evenilluminating-putting AndrewWyeth's "Christina's World" alongside Psalm 107:4: "Some wanderedin desert places" or Salvador Dali's"Girl at the Window" at the beginning of Advent. The poetry, music andreflections are carefully chosen tomatch the thrust of the readings.

The range of selections is broad,reaching back into history and acrossthe world, reminding one of the richness of the visual and intellectual heritage of the church. This is all so useful, and provides elements for so longmissing in our (Protestant) worship,that one wishes to temper any criticism. But throughout the book I keptrecalling Nicholas Wolterstorff's judgment of the fate of art in our era: to

uniquely serve the purposes of contemplation.

Occasionally the authors are helpful in providing explanations and contexts for the pictures, such as themoving explanation of OseolaMcCarty, a washerwoman who saved$150,000 for scholarships for "thechildren." But mostly the attributionincludes the name and title, nothingmore-not even the ethnicity or date(sometimes centuries ago).

Often I wanted to know moreabout this person, and for artists Iknew, such as Tadao Tanaka or FrankWesley, I thought how much it wouldadd to place them in their Japaneseor Indian context. Though the imagesand poems are certainly worth enjoying on their own, they come to us withrich textures that could have donemuch to enlarge our sympathies andnot just our imaginations. But this isonly a minor blemish in what is awonderful project and a resource that


belongs in the repertoire of everyworship team. May it stimulate others to undertake similar work ofstretching our minds and hearts inworship.

Reviewer William A. Dyrness isprofessor of theology and culture atFuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. His book VisualFaith: Art, Theology and Worshipwill be published by Baker in 2001.

CELEBRATION OF CHRIST

Reviewed by Marci Whitney-Schenck

Saviour: The Life of Christ inWords and Paintings, compiled byPhilip Law, Chicago: Loyola Press,2000, pp. 96, $19.95

In this delightful compilation ofimages and word, editor Philip Lawhas gathered together some of themost memorable reproductions ofpaintings celebrating Christ's life. Thebook is divided into four parts: infancy, ministry, passion, and glory.Each of the works of art is paired withan appropriate biblical passage anda writer's meditation, often contrasting the traditional with the contemporary.

As an example, Paul Bril (15541626) depicted Christ as a pilgrimwith a walking staff on the road toEmmaus. Friedrich von Hugel (18521925) writes the commentary. Unfortunately, this particular writer seemed

Walking the Road to Emmaus - Christianity and the Arts

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