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Ecology and Climate: The Effects of Climate Change on the Church, A Creative Reflection
by Rhobey Mugaru The sun hung low over St. Peter’s Cathedral, its once-glorious stained-glass windows now faded and cracked by relentless heat. The parishioners inside gathered for their Sunday service, but the sanctuary was no longer a refuge from the world outside. The effects of climate change had breached even these sacred walls, forcing the…
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Expressing the Sacred: Iconography as Prayer
by Emily Clough Recently I went on a retreat to learn how to write an icon. My Dad thought I had made a mistake when I told him that’s what I was doing. Surely a person paints an icon or creates one, but a person wouldn’t write an icon. That is however the correct term.…
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Expressing the Sacred: Liturgy, Art, and Theology
by Rachel Revely “The Stations of Words” was a series of art pieces with an accompanying liturgy installed in Lincoln Cathedral during the Covid Pandemic. Pilgrims were invited to pray the liturgy whilst moving through the images. Here, Rachel Revely shares with us a part of the liturgy which pilgrims prayed, and speaks about Liturgy,…
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Expressing the Sacred: Video Games & Theology
by Dan Grayson In the many years that I have played video games, I have found them to be loaded with meaning. Meaning intended by the game’s designer, but also meaning made by a player through their experience of play. In video games we find a complete synthesis of creativity: the artistry of the designer…
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Expressing the Sacred: Poetry and Prayer
by Tadiwanashe Mugwenhi Spiritual Awakening In a world of nerves and doubt, I stand,A timid soul with a trembling hand.Across the room God’s presence gleams,A radiant star in my wildest dreams. His grace like diamonds, sparkle bright,A captivating celestial light.His love, a beacon warm and kind,A treasure I long seek to find. But fear a…
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Expressing the Sacred: Design & Theology
by Emily-Grace Sainsbury Celtic spirituality calls places where people might feel a particularly close connection to God ‘thin places.’ It is almost as if, there, whatever boundary separates the secular world from the sacred becomes translucent. Art has the potential to inspire a connection with God through the material in much the same way; the…
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Expressing the Sacred: Music in Xhosa Culture
by Lubabalo Qosi, Ordinand (False Bay) As a young Xhosa man aspiring to become a priest, the Xhosa-influenced liturgy has been a profound influence on my faith journey and Anglican identity. Rooted in the rich cultural and spiritual traditions of the Xhosa people, this liturgy has woven a tapestry of spirituality that resonates deeply with…
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Editorial: Expressing the Sacred
Amongst the many cultures that make up the Anglican Communion, there is generally agreement that art matters for Christians. But what art is meant to do in the life of the Church… that is more uncertain. In this cycle of publications, contributors from different cultures and perspectives within the Anglican Communion share their “arts”, their…
