The parish life team will offer a Mother’s Day fellowship on Sunday, May 14TH
The flood story makes modern readers squirm. We would far rather
look at charming storybook images of the animals parading two by two into the
ark than deal with the underlying theme of divine wrath unleashed on all of
creation. Nicaraguan artist José Ignacio Fletes Cruz suggests another way to
interpret this foundational sacred narrative. In this oil painting on canvas,
the ark is presented not as a refuge where God seals off Noah and his family
from a doomed world but as a bustling community center open to all—a second
chance for humanity.
Fletes Cruz paints in a naive style, rooted in Nicaraguan folk
art, which he mastered in a Christian commune founded in the 1960s in the
remote Solentiname Islands in Lake Nicaragua to put the egalitarian principles
of liberation theology into practice. The group’s support for the Sandinista Liberation
Front’s rebellion against dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle ultimately led to
its destruction. Fletes Cruz has remained true to the community’s original
mission, even if its utopian ideals now lie in tatters in postrevolutionary
Nicaragua.
Viewing the ark of Noah as a type for the church has a long
history in Christian theology and art, but there is no hint of ecclesiastical
stuffiness in this carnivalesque scene of milling crowds beside the
high-and-dry boat. The people have taken over the ark and keep watch on its
deck for the new captain of the ship—one who comes in the name of the Lord,
bringing social justice and salvation. Says Fletes Cruz: “Christ has
revolutionized everything—and that is my message.”
ARTICLE FROM THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY
Holiday Sharing Program for Thanksgiving
Holiday Sharing of Anne Arundel County matches donors to seniors and families in need during Thanksgiving
Jane Papenberg has identified a family with
four children and four adult who will benefit from our Thanksgiving Gifts
Gift Cards from Aldi and Lidl’s are being
collected
You can also donate $$ Cash $$ to be used to
purchase Gift Cards
PLEASE BRING THE CARDS TO CHURCH ON NOVEMBER 13 TH OR
NOVEMBER 20TH.
JANE WILL
DELIVER THEM TO THE FAMILY ON NOVEMBER 20TH
