By Patrick Porter
Begin with prayer
Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting. Take a moment in silence and then pray to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
Debrief the previous Practice and the teaching from Feb. 4
- How did the Practice of Lectio Divina go in John 4v4-26? What did you think of the poem and the painting?
- What stuck out to you about the teaching?
Read this overview
God is the original artist. Art matters to him; since it matters to God, he wants it to matter to us. If art is one of the ways God chooses to come near to us, then we can see it as an opportunity to be closer to him.
Discuss the following questions and prompts
- How have your feelings toward art changed after these past weeks of teachings and practices?
- What has changed in the way that you approach or experience art?
Talk over this coming week’s Practice:
This week, you will choose and reflect on a work(s) of art and journal about how they make you feel and what they remind you about God and yourself.
A book, a film, a poem, a painting, a song, or an album are all great options. When you’ve decided on a choice, set aside adequate time and space to experience the art you’ve selected appropriately. Before you start, ask the Spirit to be present with you and your time, and have a journal prepared to write down your thoughts.
When choosing a piece of art, be mindful of what you have time for. There might not be enough time to read an entire novel, but maybe there’s enough time to read a short story. You might not be able to schedule time to visit a museum to look at paintings, but you could look at some online.
If you’re struggling to pick something, ask your Community for input. As a Community, you could all do the same art piece(s). However, if you decide to go this route, do the practice individually and not together as a Community.
Be prepared to share your experience with your Community next time you meet.
Close in prayer
End in prayer by having one person pray over the Community and pray for the time spent in the practice this coming week.