Intersection of Time And Eternality Assignment w/Professor's Response
Instructions
From the Syllabus: “At the Intersection of Time and
Eternity” Practice. Reflect on the
themes of the Church Year by connecting them to your own life and experience.
As we discuss each liturgical season in turn (Easter, Christmas, Ordinary
Time), find an artistic element—an image, a photograph, a song, a poem, a
painting, a piece of music or sculpture—that sheds light on that season for
you, at this moment. In other words, begin with your own experience of
intersection between God’s time and your time. Then write a brief prayer such
as you might use (along with the artistic element itself) in a service of
worship at CTS, to invite worshipers deeper into the season and their own lives’
intersections. Submit both prayer and photo/recording of your artistic element
on Moodle. Do three submissions total, one for each season.
A
note: Is designed to help you develop your seeing and describing muscles—this
time, at the intersection of human experience and the season of the Christian
Year.
How
to go about creating your submissions:
1.
Since
this exercise is intended to be one you would practice within a particular
season of the Church Year (Easter Cycle, Christmas Cycle, Ordinary Time),
select the season you will use as your interpretive lens. In other words, set
your intention: I will move into this
week as if it were a week of Lent; everything I observe, I will see through
that lens.
2.
Let
the themes of the season and its companion texts (you might want to choose a
week from one of the lectionaries to focus you) reverberate as you move through
the week. Alternatively, you can set
aside time—an hour in a deliberately dis-locating space, as we do in the
parable exercise—in which to clear your mind and just experience your
surroundings.
3.
Wait
for an “intersection between time and eternity”—that is, a moment of insight
when an image or experience suddenly deepens your understanding of the sacred
story, as we live and tell it in this particular season. And you really must
wait for it; these things can’t be forced.
4.
When
you get home, write a one-paragraph description of that moment of intersection.
What was going on, when you saw the image and made the connection? How did the
connection manifest for you? How did it help you to better see and understand
this season of the Church Year? What are the particular details that resonated
in your life?
5.
Write
a brief prayer in which you allow the image to lead other worshipers into
similar depth of meditation and reflection. Write it as a prayer you might use
in CTS chapel, for this community. (To practice one ancient prayer form, the
“collect,” consult the instructions on Moodle.)
6.
Post
both the image and your written paragraph and prayer on Moodle by the published
due dates.
Assignment
Professor's Response
Gina, thank you for this Intersection reflection and prayer. It is truly beautiful: the image, the memory, your reflection on it, and the prayer are all rendered with an extraordinary mixture of power and tenderness. Your gifts for observation and encounter, Gina, and for language and liturgy are so strong. This is the kind of piece that could lengthen into a sermon on one of the least preached-about themes of the Easter Cycle: the ascension. It could also be included, with others like it, into a book of meditations, or added to a weekly newsletter to a congregation as inspiration and encouragement for them to begin their own "intersections" practice. Maybe this would be a good way to teach about the Christian Year, now that I think about it: invite people (confirmands would be a great group to start with) to look for moments when heaven meets earth in a new key and time, and then ask them to offer an image, a brief description (voiceover would be interesting, if it's a clip), and a prayer. Or maybe intersections like yours (and theirs) could be included in every sermon. It would be a way to bring meaningful visuals (attached to meaningful reflections) into worship. In any case, yours is a model of what I hoped students in the class would compose -- and I thank you. I hope you'll keep up a version of this practice, and think about ways to keep bringing your work to a wider audience or readership.
I also would like to think with you about editing. The piece is nearly perfect (if perfection is even something we're allowed to talk about or aim for), and a few slight edits would smooth it even further. I think we'll take this up in class, as all of us (all the time!) can benefit from a workshop round of first and second drafts.
Thanks, Gina. I am really appreciating your presence in the class.
ACF
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