“Closing of Ministry Message - for Pastor Karen”
Rev Dr Cathie Lambert 31/07/2022
Readings - Psalm 139:7-12, Matthew 23: 34-40
As I was preparing for this reflection today, I came across an artwork titled “Transparent God”. The title grabbed my attention first, and then I saw the images. This large-scale art piece is by Danish artist, Peter Callesen. Created in 2009, this piece follows Callesen’s signature style of taking a single piece of two-dimensional paper and creating something three-dimensional. Many of his works have a religious or spiritual undertone. He works with the tools of a scalpel, a dentist tool used to help with folding or sculpting the paper and everyday paper glue. In “Transparent God” an unfinished figure emerges from the paper. My initial reaction was to balk at the anthropocentric imagining of God, but I was drawn to look closer. The figure is created entirely from the cut-out figures from the paper. These figures are of everyday people doing everyday things.
A bunch of theological questions were floating around my mind, like – How are we made in the image of God? Or do we create God in our image? Does this piece reflect the Spirit Breath of God, that breathes new life into the lifeless? How can we possibly imagine God without missing the mark somehow? Nevertheless, I ventured down the alluring rabbit hole of finding out more about this artist. After watching an interview and reading a few art websites, I caught a glimpse of this man. In describing his medium, usually an A4 piece of paper, he said, it is as close to nothing as you can get in terms of value. It’s something we use or touch every day, but don’t notice it. Each sheet holds a wealth of creative possibilities. In creating his art, Callesen describes it is a process of transformation. The emptiness becomes full. The lifeless finds form. The positive and the negative spaces are not separate, but held together. He draws his inspiration from nature, spending time noticing and being curious about his surroundings. Not once did he mention religion or a spiritual life, but the way Callesen spoke of the process had a depth and richness that for me reflected a profound spiritual nature.
I was led down the path of discovering this artwork by a collection of readings, poetry and quotes that Karen sent me to assist with this message. As I read these, I could tell that Karen and I are still, in many ways, on the same page. I could immediately see a common theme between the various readings – except one. The reading from Matthew seemed to be presenting a different message altogether. I clearly needed to do some more work and look at the wider context of these chapters of Matthew’s Gospel.
In the scenes leading up to these verses, we have the parable of the great banquet displaying the generous and inclusive love of God. The majority of the chapter that follows consists of Jesus calling out the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law and the pharisees. On the outside they appear clean and holy, however, on the inside they are consumed by greed and self-indulgence. They expect a certain way of life from those whom they teach, but do not live up to their own expectations. The teachers and Pharisees are not living in accordance with their own teaching.
The root word of “accordance” in Vulgar Latin means “to be of one heart” or “to bring heart to heart”. It seems that Jesus, in Matthew 23, is recognising and naming that these teachers are not of one heart. Their lives are divided, leading to hypocrisy. The verses we have heard today come just before Jesus’ tirade directed at the Pharisees. The Pharisees are testing Jesus out. What is the greatest commandment of the Law? Jesus demonstrates what it means to live in accordance, what it means to be of one heart, by giving them two commands. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength. But this command cannot stand alone, as he will clearly point out. A life lived in love of God is nothing if it is not held together with love of neighbour. The two commands – together - call people to be of one heart, to live in accordance with their love of God. It seems to me that what our world needs more than ever are people of one heart, whose love of God (their personal and contemplative life) is in accordance with their love of neighbour (the resulting action or service).
The quotes that Karen chose from Albert Einstein speak to me further of this integration. They bring together Spirit and Science, head and heart, wonder and knowing. It seems to me that this has been a mark of Karen’s ministry among you. I have watched (often from a distance) as Karen has led, encouraging both an intellectual wrestling and a simplistic sense of awe in the created world about us. Her ministry has emphasised a deepening of personal faith and serving the community with justice and advocacy. As a community it seems you have a rare gift of holding the “both/ and”. Through the years I have been associated with this congregation, I have seen clearly both Love of God and love of neighbour. And this is done with great humility.
Although I hope you all hear this as an affirmation of your life together, I also acknowledge that our capacity to know and love God and our neighbour is often limited by our humanity. But even when our human nature takes us to places that seem to be hidden from God (as in the reading from Psalm 139) God still finds us, seeks us out. Even in the darkness, the night is as bright as day to God. These years in ministry together have not been without their difficulties and darker times. There have been challenges, friends farewelled and a pandemic. This community, however, with Karen’s leadership has seen God shining through, has known God intimately as the rest of Psalm 139 shows. It was in a quote Karen chose from Thomas Merton that this became most clear.
“Life is this simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. God shows up everywhere, in everything – in people and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without God. That’s impossible. The only thing is we don’t see it.”
It was this quote that led me on what seemed the wild goose chase where I found Peter Callesen’s art. So, let’s return to Peter Callesen’s “Transparent God”. After reflecting on the scripture readings and pondering this faith community and Karen’s ministry here, I see this art work from a different perspective.
Perhaps Callesen’s “Transparent God” is actually the world formed in and around this community, created by and with you, the people. With all your differing experiences, life has been shaped and formed. Emptiness has become full. The two-dimensional has come to life. The positive and negative spaces are held together in creative tension. There has been transformation. And God’s light can be seen shining through it all the time for those who have eyes to see.
At the same time, it is unfinished, a work in progress. There is fragility in what has been formed, but this vulnerability allows the light of God to shine. And so, let us be thankful for Karen’s creative and humble leadership that has brought you to this point. But may you each recognise your part in this journey and the challenge which still lies ahead in continuing. Be of one heart. Love God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbour as yourself. For, as Mary Oliver says, “if the heart has devoted itself to love there is not a single inch of emptiness”.
Amen