Nancy Chinn : Tongues of Fire
10497 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles , California 90024 310 474-4511
www . westwoodumc . org www . TheLoftLA . org crEaTiVE FirE
By John Woodall
A
number of years ago when doing some continuing education in Berkeley , I spent an afternoon visiting some of the sights in San Francisco . One of my favorite stops is Grace Cathedral atop Nob Hill . It ’ s about as close as one can come to visiting one of the great European cathedrals while staying on the west coast . The massive front doors , replicas of Ghiberti ’ s Renaissance masterpiece , “ Doors of Paradise ,” make it clear to the visitor that this is no ordinary place . I had visited the cathedral before . As I walked inside on that particular day , I was taken aback by an art installation that had the effect of “ stopping you in your tracks ,” a real “ take your breath away ” kind of experience . Nancy Chinn , a Northern California artist , had installed a work entitled “ Tongues of Fire ” over the pews in the nave of the Cathedral . Hundreds of yards of fabric streamers in various hues of red , gold , orange , seemed to float overhead and the effect was really quite surreal . It captured the church season of Pentecost in a most dramatic way . It created a place and space that while of this ordinary world , felt very extraordinary .
In many ways , that is what this season after Pentecost is about – the extraordinary being inserted into the ordinary . Since that day in Jerusalem so long ago , followers of Jesus have spoken , written , sung , and artistically depicted that unpredictable , strange and empowering way our world experiences God as the Holy Spirit . The Spirit has been called comforter , refiner , empowerer , grace-giver . Whatever the name , the result is the same . When we choose to open our being to God ’ s Spirit , to receive the grace it provides and the inspiration it yields , amazing things happen . Simply put – things will change .
That ’ s probably one of the reasons we are often uncomfortable with the concept of the Holy Spirit . Most of us appreciate stability , predictability , solid foundations that we can count on – always . The Church is an institution that has carried that notion out exponentially . Even the most casual observer senses , however , that change is in the air . We who value our church homes and faith communities realize that these expressions of the Christian faith are at a crossroads , that things will be different . Some are observing that our inability to move past some of the doctrines and dogmas of a different time are holding us back , probably even preventing us from doing the work for which the Holy Spirit is providing the lead .
While insights may change , while foundations may shift , we are inheritors of the promise that God ’ s grace and God ’ s love – as experienced through the Holy Spirit – are eternal . The poet T . S . Eliot wrote , The dove descending breaks the air With flame of incandescent terror Of which the tongues declare The one discharge from sin and error . The only hope , or else despair Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre – To be redeemed from fire by fire . [ Four Quartets , Little Gidding ]
Could this be a time when the Pentecost Fire is working to ignite a fire within us ? A flame that refines a new vision for how those who follow Jesus may live faithfully so that justice , peace , and hope are available for all ? How is it on your journey ? — Pastor John
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