Beloved

Each Saturday and Tuesday during Lent, the devotion will consist of visual or musical works of art for you to contemplate.  There might be a brief quote or statement for you to consider as you view/listen to the material; there may be notes from or about the artist or work.  We hope you will find meaning in these pieces during your lenten journey.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

Title: Beloved   Date: 2000
Artist: Crossan, Linda
Object/Function: Sculpture, freestanding
Location: Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville TN

Originally created for a First Friday service at Christ Cathedral in Nashville. The theme of the service was Reconciliation.

Notes from the artist: As I began to think about creating a visual meaning for the word Reconciliation, my first thoughts were of broken relationships with people in my life and the terrible struggles of the peoples in the world. Further study to ready myself for the work allowed me to focus in on the realization that to live a life reconciled means claiming the knowledge that I am God’s beloved. I am reconciled to God first and foremost through God’s sacrifice of Jesus, who suffered the ultimate sacrifice of his life so that we could know of God’s desire to be reconciled with us. When we consider this wonderful gift we have a model for how to relate and be reconciled to each other. If I stop and remember my reconciliation to God, how can I not make an effort to reconcile the broken relationships in my life? I believe that small personal steps are the way to bigger actions in the world. As difficult as that small step can be sometimes, can it ever be as difficult as Jesus’ suffering on the cross must have been?  ~Linda Crossan