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Thank you for journeying with me through Lent and into Easter in these wee daily reflections in tandem with The Visual Commentary on Scripture. In my reflection in church on Easter Day I referred to the notion of the “sacred chain” connecting us with God which is a feature of Paraphrase 48, The Saviour diedContinue reading “Sacred Chain”

Here is a link to the final Visual Commentary on Scripture reflection for Easter Eve, also known as Holy Saturday. Here is the image referred to in Ben Quash’s video. Today we sit in the aching gap of Jesus taken from the cross and laid in a tomb. Anyone who has experienced the loss ofContinue reading “The pause”

You can find the images and today’s reflection from The Visual Commentary on Scripture here. It looks at the three images that we’ve experienced this week and notes that each artist took a different approach to the title nailed to the cross above the head of Jesus. This extends the commentary on the differences foundContinue reading “Many titles – what do we call him?”

Today is Maundy Thursday, and you can find the the reflection from the Visual Commentary on Scripture here. This week, the commentary has been considering different perspectives on the cross, from personal experience and reflecting on that of others. It reminds us that where we are coming from is so significant to how we engageContinue reading “The layers of the moment”

Today’s reflection from The Visual Commentary on Scripture is well worth taking in, here. Its focus is the mixed media art of Igael Tumarkin and his Bedouin Crucifixions. These speak of the plight of the nomadic desert people of Israel-Palestine and their fate in a country apparently unsympathetic to their way of life. As youContinue reading “Whose Crucifixion?”

Today’s reflection from the Visual Commentary on Scripture is well worth reading – I have nothing to add! Here’s is Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion, which is today’s artwork. To accompany your reflection, some beautiful music from Orlando Gibbons, sung by the superb choir, Tenebrae: Drop, drop, slow tears.

You can find the introductory reflection for Holy Week from the Visual Commentary on Scripture here. This week we’ll be thinking about how the message of the cross lands differently in different contexts and for different hearers. Ben Quash also reminds us that we shouldn’t be too certain about who exactly it is that weContinue reading “The Contextual Cross”

Palm Sunday, tomorrow, is all about power…….or the lack of it. As we go into our Scottish Parliament election campaigns, political power is very much on the minds of the candidates, although with a generous spirit, let’s say it is also about service to the common good. Our sectarian politics, with entrenched party positions, hasContinue reading “Into the vortex”

You can find today’s reflection on the theme of Lament from The Visual Commentary on Scripture here. I was struck by this section: Laments express sorrow, anger, and frustration in the wake of catastrophe. Weaving together themes of loss, suffering, memory, vengeance, forgiveness, hope, and healing, laments perform a fractured identity.  My friend undertaking hisContinue reading “Lamenting to new life”

You can find today’s reflection from The Visual Commentary on Scripture here. Today’s artwork is a powerful piece of sculpture, entitle Blood/Sweat/Tears by Alison Saar. It speaks of the experience of suffering as if the body were weeping great bronze tears. As you reflect on the image, here is a lament from the Highland pibrochContinue reading “The Lamenting Body”