O Spirit, breathe among us here; inspire the work we do.

May hands and voices, eye and ear attest to life made new.

In worship and in daily strife, create among us still.

Great Artist, form our common life according to your will.

~Ruth Duck

A couple of weeks ago now I was taking a break in the late afternoon before I headed into some evening meetings. It was one of those rich, spring days when you could feel the energy of newness, of transformation in the air. Buds on trees throbbed. Grass was pushing up through the recently frozen ground. Overhead some birds sang sweet tunes while the geese honked from their communal formations heading……somewhere. People moving around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis had an extra spring in their step as they walked, jogged and rode bikes.Free of multiple layers, they were rediscovering what air on skin felt like. Dogs held their noses in the air or darted from place to place honing in on every new scent that was emerging. I

It was a haven of creative energy and just when I thought it couldn’t get more so, I saw a young man swinging a elongated paint brush on a long pole. The paint he was wielding was going onto large canvases laid on the ground. I watched from my car for a bit as his movements created a kind of meditation. His painting movements were more dance than pure strokes. His earbuds were obviously providing some music that only he could hear and he matched his movements to the sounds. It was a fascinating thing to watch. I marveled at the amount of effort he had taken to haul his canvases outside, to carry several buckets of paint. And I was inspired by his ability to focus on his art at hand, all the while surrounded by a current of spring awakening. 

Finally, I got out of my car and walked over to get a closer look at his work. I asked him if I might take pictures and he said yes. I smiled as he continued his painting, his dancing, his creating. Somehow it felt as if I, too, had become a part of this art which was being created. In addition to his painting, he also needed the seeing eyes of another. I simply stood and held the space for awhile and then said thank you as I went back to my car, back to the meetings ahead.

Later I began to think of all the artists…..and that is each and every person…..I encounter every day. Each of us creates a certain kind of art with our lives. Sometimes it is through the food we prepare, the words we say, the friendships we nurture. Sometimes it is in the children we tend, the seeds we plant, the animals we care for. Other times the art we create is in the home we open to others, the prayers we say, the kindnesses shown. While many paint on canvases, others paint walls and stripes on highways while some draw smiley faces on brown paper lunch bags. Other artists I know hold hands at bedsides and offer a gentle presence that becomes a healing balm. There are all kinds of artists because living is creative work.

What art are you creating today? How might the most menial task of your daily walk be transformed if thought of as art? Those of us in the Christian household often speak of the Holy as the Great Artist just as Ruth Duck did in the words above. We also say we are made in the image of this One. And so, if we believe this to be true, our title as artist comes naturally.

Today’s artwork may call for large canvases or tiny palettes. Whatever the medium, may the Great Artist be companion for all the artists……..and that is all the people….. channeling the creative energy found in these spring days.   

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