Living Fire
“When you send forth your Spirit, they are made, and so you renew the face of the earth.”
Steve Prince describes himself as "a mixed media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, educator, and art evangelist." By his own account, he has "worked with several church’s of various denominations across the nation spreading a message of hope and renewal philosophically rooted in the cathartic nature of the Jazz Funerary tradition of New Orleans."
This vivid black and white ink image, Living Epistle, serves as an icon of what it means for mysteries we celebrate this Sunday to be embodied: the capstone of "Urban Epistles" series. The dynamic composition, expressive style, and bold contrasts give the work a raw, visceral energy that induces a sense of passion, intensity, and even catharsis for the viewer. We encounter deep emotion communicated through its visual language.
What we see is a stylized and flowingly contorted Black woman with large hands, and energy flowing from her. Perhaps they they are tiny silhouettes of people -- a community being birthed from the Spirit flowing through her. The three crosses around her evoke themes of Marian iconography, and a nod to the Trinity. One hand is raised in praise, the other descended, as a posture acceptance.
On her body are the words, "I am a living epistle, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the Living God, not in tables of stone, but in flesh tables of the heart;" an echo of St. Paul's words in 2Cor 3:2-3. In her belly is "Living Water," alluding to Jesus's promise in John 7:38.
What a beautiful picture of what the Spirit makes of us, when the Spirit is poured out upon us!
There is a lovely video from Riverside Church in New York City where Prince describes his art -- method, meaning, and symbolism, as well as his faith and background, in great detail. I don't know that I've seen an artist talk that begins with a hopping call and response in the Black American spiritual tradition, and a prayer of consecration over the talk before ... it's quite a treat!
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
— The Holy Apostle and Evangelist St. John (John 14:16-17)
Pentecost Sunday
Texts for This Week
Prayer
O God, who taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Almighty Comforter
"Sing a new song to the Lord!" Pastor, musician, and scholar Wen Reagan offers a contemporary folk "remix" -- of sorts -- of Horatius Bonar's classic Pentecost Hymn, "Almighty Comforter." He penned this 2011 arrangement under the aegis of Cardiphonia -- a liturgical folk art initiative under the leadership of Bruce Benedict at Hope College in Holland, MI.
In reimagining this 19th-century text through a contemporary musical lens, Reagan and Cardiphonia exemplify the seamless continuity between past and present that characterizes true worship renewal. They honor the rich theological and artistic heritage of the Church while breathing new life into ancient truths through creative expression resonant with our modern sensibilities.
This synthesis of tradition and innovation is at the heart of the Pentecost experience – the apostles proclaimed the "mighty works of God" in the common tongues of the day, making the eternal gospel accessible to diverse peoples. Similarly, worship arts renewal seeks to proclaim timeless truths through artistic forms that speak profoundly to modern cultures and contexts, without compromising the essence of the faith once delivered.
A bonus for the feast, here is an old Sacred Harp hymn, Abbeville. It brings forward some of the themes of the ancient invocation into a newer dialect:
Come, Holy Spirit come,
With energy divine,
And on this poor, benighted soul,
With beams of mercy shine.
Melt, melt this frozen heart;
This stubborn will subdue;
Each evil passion overcome,
And form me all anew.
Mine will the profit be,
But Thine shall be the praise;
And unto Thee will I devote
The remnant of my days.
