The arts have been eschewed by the church at various points throughout history, but the church has also been a great patron of the arts. This back-and-forth relationship is probably because artists are often edgy; we point out things that might be uncomfortable, nonconformist, or even blasphemous.
Photography literally means “writing with light.” Photographers see; we see what others do not see, capture it in our viewfinder, and make a picture. The picture freezes time, magically preserves the moment, and though a still life, is yet alive.
One of my favorite parts of preaching, particularly as a preacher who regularly uses the Revised Common Lectionary, is that I get to return to passages over and over and discover anew their blessings and revelations, holy reminders of how God has been, is, and will be present with creation in the most intimate and enduring ways.
On a warm summer night, God intervened in a way that was beyond comprehension. During a time of worship, I felt God’s presence, and the fullness of God’s love became indescribable. It was not just in the words of the hymns or the warmth of the prayers but in the overwhelming sense of belonging in a space where love for God and for one another was palpable.
Accessibility and sustainability are words that bring to mind all kinds of images. From a liturgical perspective, accessibility can be linked to the ways that people feel welcomed to the table. Accessibility connects to the practical side of life as well, such as the ways people are able to enter your building, and beyond that be able to functionally use the building space.
There are many questions and myths/beliefs about the place for people with disabilities in our faith practice. How we hold the truths of disability and healing leads to our perspective about how our practices can support people with disabilities.
Visual literacy is the ability to access and understand meaning conveyed through images. As the church struggles to reassert its relevancy following pandemic-induced changes, might artful imagery be embraced as unselfconsciously and enthusiastically as hymnody?
On Friday night the Sabbath began when my grandmother lit the candles which, in every Jewish home, traditionally begins the twenty-four-hour Sabbath.
Sonja Dziekciowski and I (Alexandra Jacob) work together collaboratively as part of the Families, Youth, and Children staff in our congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the past four years of working together, we have sought to strengthen our commitment to accessibility in worship and faith formation for our community’s youngest worshipers.
© 2025 Call to Worship
Lovingly made by Worship
Times, Websites for
Ministries
