Sunday, June 3rd @ 10:30am, Summit on 16th will host the official Stonewall Pride Blessing Sunday Worship Service – a Christian gathering to celebrate and kick off the month of Pride!  The worship service will be followed by a potluck lunch.

This Christian gathering will have representatives from churches across the city and is open to all people!

If you are interested in learning more or participating in the leadership of this service, e-mail April Blaine, Lead Pastor of Summit on 16th

SUMMIT on 16th

A Celebration of the Ways that Music and Movement bring Scripture to life and challenge us to live as changed people!

The Easter Season is not just about one day of the year.  The good news of the resurrection extends into the weeks following Easter and leading up to Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church.  Join us this Easter season as we explore a different kind of music each Sunday.  The music will infuse the sounds, speech, and message of the entire service each day, continuing to shape us into a joyful people who can, in fact, sing a new song in our communities!

SUNDAY WORSHIP – 10:30AM

April 15 – CELEBRATING WORLD MUSIC

Preacher: Dee Stickley-Miner

Stay afterward for lunch and our Campus Bakery Auction!

April 22 – CELEBRATING CLASSIC HYMNS

Special Guest: Meghan Western, dancer

Preacher: Our Student Intern: Charlie Prior makes his preaching debut!  Don’t miss a great service and an opportunity to sing some of your favorite hymns.

April 29 – CELEBRATING GOSPEL

Preacher: Grayson Atha

We love GOSPEL at Summit on 16th!  Don’t miss this lively Sunday!

May 6 – CELEBRATING CLASSICAL

Preacher: April Blaine

Classical music is alive and well at Summit on 16th – come be inspired and uplifted!

We will also take up a special Miracle Offering this Sunday to benefit Wing of the Morning, an important ministry in the Congo.

May 13 – CELEBRATING JAZZ

Preacher: Daniel Waechter Webb

Don’t miss this Mother’s Day service where the ebb and flow of jazz music takes us on an exciting journey!

May 20 – CELEBRATING MOVEMENT – Blessing of the Bikes

Preacher: Lucy Waechter Webb

A Joint Service between Summit UMC and Yay Bikes!  Ride your bike to church and keep riding it all the way into the centrum!

May 27 – CELEBRATING PRAISE & WORSHIP – Pentecost Sunday

Preacher: Grayson Atha

Don’t forget to wear red on this Pentecost Sunday – as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit with praise music!

]]> http://summitumc.org/2012/04/12/sing-a-new-song-the-easter-season-at-summit/feed/ 0 http://summitumc.org/2012/04/12/pastor-aprils-sermon-easter-sunday-4-8-12/ http://summitumc.org/2012/04/12/pastor-aprils-sermon-easter-sunday-4-8-12/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:55:01 +0000 Summit UMC http://summitumc.org/?p=1245 This week I’ve been asking folks about their experiences growing up with Easter.  People had stories of Easter bonnets and dresses and huge family meals, and easter egg hunts and long, church services.  Which we aren’t trying to create those kinds of memories today.

Meredith Joy remembered her Easter experiences this week and said,”You know people always told me growing up that Easter was the most important holiday – but I never believed them.  The presents are way better at Christmas!”

Each of us comes to this day from different places and experiences – but in the Christian church… this is OUR DAY.

This is the heart of our story.  This is what holds all the other days together.  It’s the glue that connects the stories from Genesis to Revelation.  It’s the reason that the birth, life and teachings of Jesus matter.

The story of the Christian faith cannot be told – without the story of the cross and the resurrection.

For us, this story tells us something very important about God.

The cross tells the story of a God who is willing to be humbled into human form, to suffer pain and humiliation out of a great love and compassion for humanity, who is willing to go to incredible links to restore a right relationship with creation.

And the resurrection tells us of a God who death cannot contain, a God who is in the business of bringing life out of death.

It is the story of a God who defies predictability.  This is a God of extraordinary possibility.

And the Easter story tells us something about ourselves.

That despite our mess, despite our brokenness.  We are beloved.

The lengths that God is willing to go tell us that in the midst of our mess – we are a people of infinite worth.

At the cross – Instead of receiving judgment, we are offered salvation.

And at the gate of the empty tomb – Instead of death, we are offered life.

The God of extraordinary possibility invites us to be made new.

The God whose dreams are far bigger than we can imagine – invites us to become big dreamers as well.

This is our story.  It’s the story that we sang about today when each member of our choir sang the anthem and when our musicians played their trumpets and trombones (names were said outloud).

It is our story and it is good news.

The joy of Easter began when Mary’s name was called in the garden… and her life was turned upside down.

And Mary knew in that moment that this good news was for HER.

And the joy of Easter has continued throughout history – every moment where we experience life, when we hear our names called – the joy of Easter continues.

The new life and new possibility that were real then – become real TODAY.

For us. (more names said outloud)

But if we are honest.  Easter comes and goes each year and most of us don’t experience life changing moments like Mary that turn our worlds upside down.

Actually, Easter Sunday has a rhythm of predictability around it.

The songs, the story, the Easter eggs, the food… the CANDY.

Did you know that we produce, every year – 90 million Chocolate easter bunnies?

And 16 billion jelly beans?

It’s easy to be distracted by the 5 million Marshmallow Peeps produced daily.

And the problem is that PREDICTABILITY is not at all what Easter is about.

Part of why the resurrection of Jesus was such good news is that it was utterly unpredictable.   It defied the logic, it required Mary and the disciples – to reconstruct their entire reality.  The joy came out of the fact that this changed everything.

And so it is not surprising that when we arrive on Easter Sunday with a pre-determined box about what we will hear and experience, about what we can expect AT BEST – the story of Easter can only enhance our lives, bring a little bit of a good feeling,

It couldn’t possibly turn our worlds upside down!

We often miss the sound of Jesus calling our name – each of our names –  (more names said outloud)

Each month at Summit – we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion.  We tell our story again – much as we have this week and this morning and we break the bread and we pour the cup and we invite all to this table of welcome.

This March, for me – was one of the most memorable communions ever.

Perhaps for some of you too.

We always set out the bread and the cup on the table ahead of time – before the service.

And…

Before we started the official service, while Grayson was preaching.  Little Charlotte Rauschenberg, decided that it was time for Communion.  And she bolted out of the nursery.  Past the teachers and into the Centrum.  And she ran passed all of us – into this Centrum and grabbed a big chunk of bread – and then she ran back out.

There are moments where the presence of Christ breaks through in a very real way.

And for me – that was one of them.

Unconcerned about anything or anyone else.

Charlotte was focused and ready to receive the good gift that was on that table.

And she knew.  She knew the gift was FOR HER.

And she wasn’t going to wait one more minute to receive it.

Part of the reason I think that Easter doesn’t change us – is that we aren’t really ready to receive the gift.  We aren’t really ready to hear God’s voice anew.  To know that this day and this celebration brings something special for us.  Something that can bring new possibility and life and healing and hope to our lives.

Ready to receive this story and this gift that is FOR US.

If FOR US.

It’s for….

(more names said outloud)

Do you know that?  Do you know that this story – this story about Jesus rising from the dead – this story of new life is also a story about you?

That your present reality, the things that plague you – the deaths that you feel in the pit of your soul – that God is longing to bring in – new life and resurrection?

That you might experience LIFE and JOY?

(more names said outloud)

We recently started a new tradition at our home on Sunday evenings.  Sunday evenings are MOVIE nights.

And we all look forward to it.  Marcus asks every morning whether tonight will be movie night.

The best movies are really just GREAT stories.

Recent movies like Hunger Games – people waited in line to see this movie on opening night , they dressed up in character, they stayed up for the midnight showing– some of them, because their friends were doing it – but in large part – because the story is so compelling.

When we go to the movies, we get to become a part of the story –  to walk into a great adventure – where the stakes are high, where there are twists and turns, where there is sorrow and joy, and where hopefully in the end – good triumphs over evil

It allows us a place to dream and imagine and experience adventure – without having to disrupt our orderly lives.

But the truth is friends that in the story of Easter, God is inviting us into the kind of adventure in our lives that is REAL.

God is inviting you – (more names said outloud)

The first Easter morning also brought on a thrilling adventure.  An adventure with twists and turns, but where you needed to be alert and ready.  When Jesus met Mary in the garden, when Jesus said her name – he invited her to be a part of something bigger than herself.

In the place where she expected to find death, Jesus was alive and he invited her to LIVE as well.

Jesus invited her on a great adventure, one that would be filled with unexpected surprises but would be filled with JOY.

And here’s one of the things that I love so much about this story is that right in that moment –

And at the very moment when Mary’s name was called and she received the good news and responded.

At that very moment – she was automatically qualified to share this good news with the world.

No special training, no small group study, no years of study in seminary.

Mary’s name was called and she was invited to step out of the box, out of everything she had known and to be a part of changing the world…

Mary was invited to receive the gift of love and to go out and share it – to bring that love and good news into the world – and to remind everyone that ALL THINGS ARE NEW.  To dream big dreams about what was possible and to live her life as if the good news were true!

And you know where this is going – it’s our invitation too.

You have been called by name.

(more names said outloud)

To receive LIFE.  To be changed by this story.  To RECEIVE it.

And to live in such a way that others might SHARE it.

Each one of us

(more names said outloud)

Now – I probably missed someone today.  And if I did – I’m so sorry.

But I need you to know that it is not about April speaking your name.

It is about the living God – the resurrected Christ – who knows each of our names and invites us today to a life filled with JOY – a life that is ready to receive it – and a life that is ready to go out into the world and SHARE it.

That is the great adventure that you have been invited to.  So, I hope that like Charlotte, you will be unafraid to run and grab this gift that is right before you.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!

Hey, parents!  After church on April 22nd, we’ll gather to review the report from the church’s behavior conversations, and how we can work together to support those ideas with our families. As parents, our ideas and work are so important to that conversation. See you there on April 22nd.

Mark 11:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 12-29

Rev. Lucy Waechter Webb

Closer to Complete has been our theme this Lent.

And each week we’ve been using the Psalms to reflect on different aspects of what it means to be whole, closer to complete. We’ve talked about Wellness, Justice, Faith, Salvation, Wisdom…..

As we do that, I have learned the ways that I am both whole and not. …we become more in tune with the ways in which we are well, and the ways in which are not. The ways we are faithful, and the ways we are not, the ways we just, and the ways we are not.

The point of this journey was not to criticize, or to necessarily cause guilt or blame. But on the journey toward wholeness, I usually do become more aware of how incomplete I actually am.

By the time we get to Palm Sunday we are ready to for some good news. We are ready for the point in the story when everything will break open, when the good will triumph over evil,  when we can find relief because we know that that we are saved from these imperfections.

Without that journey – Easter Sunday is just another feel good story. That’s why we need Ash Wednesday, a day that reminds us of our own mortality and brokenness. That’s why we need the season of Lent, a time of self-examination and personal transformation.

And I think it’s why we need Palm Sunday.

You may have noticed that the theme for today, thankfulness, was in the bulletin. Often when we imagine Palm Sunday it’s a triumphant scene and so thankfulness felt like a fitting theme. But the more I looked at this story and the more I thought about this entire Holy week, I was afraid the triumphant scene would overwhelm what is about to come. All too often we celebrate Palm Sunday, skip the rest of Holy Week and celebrate again on Easter. When we do that we miss the point of the story. And I plan to see you at the Thursday and Friday services.

So let’s start at the beginning of the week. Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It’s kind of a strange scene, people are laying down palms, and Jesus is riding on a donkey. There’s a lot of ways you can talk about Jesus on a donkey. J But the one that stood out to me this week focuses particularly on the crowd.

The Parade started with his followers, the disciples. And as they went along other people saw him and joined in. Most likely because they’d heard about him. They had heard that he had healed people, that he was a great teacher, and they had hope that this was the Messiah that their faith told them would one day come. The details of the parade were significant, he started at The Mount of Olives which is where the prophecy said the Messiah would begin his journey into the city.  So you can imagine the crowd’s sense of expectation, building excitement and yes, even celebration.

They saw this guy, riding a colt, a baby donkey, his feet probably dragging on the ground, wearing simple garments, riding silently, alone without chariots or bands or other royal gentry, and he’s riding into the is grand city. And like us at the end of Lent this crowd is desperate for good news, they are desperate for their Messiah. They were filled with hope that this man was the Son of God, and they threw down their coats, and they waved palm leaves …signs that this guy was a king.

They actually could have been arrested for acts of treason, showing loyalty and reverence for someone other than the king of Rome. And they cried: Hosanna! Which is both an exclamation like Alleluia! He has arrived. It also means Help or Save us! Hosanna. Save us now. Please help.

So why wouldn’t we be thankful on this Palm Sunday? Because we know where this is going, we know that Easter comes, that Jesus was that Messiah, the one who came in the name of the Lord, the one who saves.

But there we go again jumping forward – celebrating Easter a week early.

Now don’t get me wrong, it is our call share the Easter story, to proclaim the good news every Sunday, in fact our weekly worship is a celebration of resurrection. But this week, this week is the one time of the year, where we pause and walk through the whole story, that we know ends at Easter. And so let’s give our attention.

This crowd was a motley crew, a word we have used to describe Summit.

And here’s the sucker punch. That very same crowd, the one cheering for him, the one who had great hope crying Save us, also cried out on Friday. They gathered around Pontius Pilate, and as was custom during Passover, which is the Hebrew festival referred to in the scripture that we read on Good Friday, Pilate would let a prisoner free for the Jews. And so he asked the crowd, do you want me to release the King of the Jews? And what did they say? They said no. They had been rallied by the religious leaders none-the less to see this guy as a fraud. And they forgot their cries of Hosanna and they cried out: crucify him!

Some have called this week the holy-horror week. Because it tells the story, it tells our story, that we are a crowd that turns on our own God.

They were fickle. Changing their loyalty and affiliation based on a whim. On a good story, a valid excuse, a slight possibility.

And Jesus became a scapegoat. Do you know where that word came from? In the Jewish faith, the priests would have a goat that they would cast all of the sins of the people through a ritual onto, and they would send it out into the desert to die. It ritually functions in a way that recognizes we have sin, we’re going to cast that sin on this living object and we’re going to send it out. The goat didn’t actually do anything right? It’s a goat. It’s a scapegoat.

We do this today. Only we’ve lost the wisdom to first name that we are the ones who carry the sin, and instead we jump to cast blame upon others. That’s what the word means today – “we didn’t do it”. We create a new kind of scapegoat.  And usually those scapegoats are now people, or a group of people.

And so the crowd moves in a matter of days from praising this man as a possible savior to casting upon him blame for all their fears and all of their brokenness.

The crowd turns on him because they cannot look at themselves. The priests turn on him because they cannot be threatened. And Rome is happy to kill him. He’s a leader of the minority. But remember it wasn’t Rome that made the decision – it was the same crowd that lauded Jesus as King.

I was thinking about all of this as I followed the news this week.

I imagine that many of you have heard about Trayvon Martin’s death. For those of you who have not, Trayvon was a 17-year old African-American boy, in a hoodie, walking home from the convenience story carrying only Skittles and an iced tea, when at some point he was followed by a man George Zimmerman who was part of the Neighborhood Watch team. Zimmerman was fearful, suspicious that Trayvon was up to something. Beyond those details, we don’t know for certain what happened, but we do know that Zimmerman shot Trayvon and killed him.

Zimmerman felt threatened by this young black teenage male because our society often treats young black men as scapegoats. Trayvon was a scapegoat for all of Zimmerman’s fears about safety and crime. And Zimmerman has become our scapegoat, we have cast blame on him in the media. But we cannot excuse ourselves from the reality that we have said it’s ok to make young black men our scapegoats.

In the midst of all the commotion over this killing, you can see a fickle crowd. Wavering over every new piece of evidence. Showing allegiance with one side or the other. Blaming the shooter for his cold blooded aggression fed by fear and racism. How could he? Blaming the young boy for the potential that he attacked, blaming him for the way he dressed, one policeman was reported to have said “you act like a thug you die like one.”

No matter what happened that day, whether Trayvon attacked or not, our reactions, our outcry tell the story. We know racism is at work here. It’s not even about racial profiling, as they say in the news, those are just nice words that make the reality of racism easier to digest. And we know racism is at work here, because we know it’s at work in our world still today. In Florida, in Ohio, in Columbus. We are terrified to see ourselves. To look at the truth that we are the Good Friday crowd that yells crucify! We are willing to cast our own sins on others who can die on our behalf.

That is why, today, as a Good Friday crowd, today we cry as a Palm Sunday crowd:

Save us. Hosanna. Save us now.

Because as Jesus said from the cross:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Welcome to Holy Week – This is our story.

I was in the 2^nd grade at Fulbright Elementary School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I was a pretty good student and made it a priority to do my best on my school work and to turn in my work on time.

But one day, I forgot.

I don’t remember why, but I simply forgot to do my homework.

When I arrived at class the next day, the teacher asked for the homework and I realized my mistake.

So, instead of owning up to my mistake.

I crafted a lie.

My mother!  It was her fault that I had not been able to do that homework.  She had forced me to do work with the family and had strictly forbidden me to work on homework.  So, it was my mother’s fault and I would have it done tomorrow.

To my surprise, my teacher said, “OK, April.  Turn it in tomorrow.”

Quite pleased I was with myself that my story had worked.

What I hadn’t planned on was my mother stopping by the school that afternoon.

Of course, when that happened, my teacher mentioned my story and I was exposed.

Again, my teacher returned and asked me again to share why I had not done my homework.

This time, I was getting more desperate.  I admitted that it actually wasn’t my mother who had stopped me from doing my homework, but in fact, the librarian (which honestly right now – I can’t remember how that made sense).

Once again, my teacher said, “OK, April.  Turn it in tomorrow.”

I was getting more nervous but I had dodged the bullet and the day was almost over.

The bell at the end of school rang and I was leaving the classroom.

My teacher stopped me on the way out and asked if I would come with her.

Uh-oh.

She walked me down the hallway in the direction of the library.

We stepped inside and there sitting at a table were two people: my mother and the librarian.

Now, at that moment – I knew.

The gig was up and I was exposed.

And the feeling that came through my body was a feeling of great sadness and remorse.

And in that moment – as all eyes were on me – there was one question that I was asked.  “April, is there something you would like to share with us?”

There are these moments in our lives where we know that we are really being seen for who we are – where the truth of our lives is exposed before others and we can no longer hide.  All of us have probably had those moments.

But something else often happens in those moments as well –

We are often also able to see ourselves.  The exposure of the truth is not just for others but it is for us as well – and we can no longer pretend that something else is true about our lives.

And those moments are incredibly formative for us – because in this place of great vulnerability – the way in which we perceive others to be responding to us – has an incredible impact.  Are we still loved?  Do we still have a place?  Do we still have meaning and worth?  Can we experience forgiveness?

This is exactly the place where our Psalmist finds themselves in Psalm 51 today.

This particular psalm is often attributed to David – and there is a footnote there that says that this is possibly the psalm that David wrote after he had an affair with a woman named Bathsheba and then to cover up his ordeal, he had her husband Uriah killed in battle.  David’s close friend and confidante, Nathan, comes to visit him, and tells David that he sees him.  That he sees what David has done.

The truth is exposed and not only does David know that he is exposed in truth before his friend Nathan, but he also sees the truth exposed before his own eyes and even more importantly, before God.

And then David writes this Psalm – a song of music that comes out of a place of remorse and sadness and guilt.  Out of a place where he has found himself utterly exposed.  And he is asking those questions as well – will I still be loved?  Can I be forgiven?  Will I ever find Joy?

Save ME.

For I cannot save myself.

Salvation is a phrase that we Christians use a lot.  Jesus saves us from our sins.  Jesus is our Savior.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from being separated from God forever.

Salvation is a really important part of the Christian story – but it’s not always an easy concept to explain.

Exactly how does Jesus’ death save us?  Save us from what?  Is it just about heaven or hell or is there something else much deeper going on here?

Jesus talked about salvation a lot during his ministry – he doesn’t explain it – but he just does it.

When a woman marked as a sinner came to see Jesus at the home of a respected official in the church, she wept and poured perfume on Jesus’ feet and washed his feet.   The truth of her sins was exposed and she humbled herself before Jesus.  And in this moment of great vulnerability, Jesus says to her “your faith has saved you.  Go in peace”

When Zacchaeus, a dishonest tax collector, met Jesus – he was utterly exposed.  Jesus says to him.  I see you Zacchaeus. I am going to dine and eat with you.  And in their time together, the truth became clear and he decided to repay all the people twofold for the $$ he had stolen.  At the end of this visit, Jesus said that “today salvation has come to this house.”  The truth of Zacchaeus’ life was exposed and then the invitation to live differently was made possible.

In both cases, people found themselves to be utterly vulnerable and exposed before Jesus.  Everything that was true about them was there – revealed to the very God of the universe.

But it was Jesus’ response to them – responding to them in love, forgiveness and an invitation to live life differently.  It was the response that saved them.

Jesus exposed the truth about us, that we are broken and sinful, but his response is to offer blessing, forgiveness, and new life.  People experienced salvation not because they saw the mess they were in, but because Jesus invited them to a life of forgiveness, , healing, and redemption.

Jesus reminded people that their brokenness and sin do not tell the final story – that God has infinite love for them but also infinite possibilities.

Jesus’ exposure of truth and constant invitation to people to live differently and to have hope in what was possible – led him all the way to the cross.

But the truth could not be killed.

And the truth would be even more fully exposed when Jesus rose again on the 3^rd day.

Jesus is indeed our savior and Jesus saves us from our sins.

And the moment we realize this is a powerful one.

In November of 2000, I knelt beside my bed in Rocky Mount, North Carolina where I was a teacher at the time.  And I prayed.  I prayed that Jesus would come into my life and save me, that Jesus would be my savior and that I would live a life that was different.

And that moment was real and powerful and I knew that I was forgiven and loved and has indeed changed me.

But Jesus has continued to save me many, many times since then.

Over and over, I find myself, like David – making mistakes and getting myself into mess after mess, and utterly exposed before God.

And over and over, I find a response of forgiveness and love, inviting me to live differently in the future.  Reminding me of what is true and what is possible.

And I find over and over again – that Jesus is still saving me.

Saved me from horrible mistakes, saved me from hurtful words, saved me from living a life without meaning or purpose, saved me from thinking that I didn’t matter or that I wasn’t loved.

And Jesus is constantly saving me from the idea that I need more stuff, that I need more things to make me happy.

And Jesus is trying daily to save me from the idea that I cannot in fact do anything about the systems and powers of evil that I see in the world.

And Sometimes on a Sunday morning when I am running late on finishing my sermon on Salvation and Redemption and I lose my temper at my 2 year old for waiting 30 seconds after getting off the potty to proceed to poop all over himself.

Even in those moments, I find salvation and redemption in a God who is filled with love and forgiveness and healing.

And that love, that forgiveness, that healing – it changes us – it heals us.

Salvation is a process, and as we willingly expose more of the truth about us – we find that God’s response is always one of healing and love and forgiveness – helping us to move toward hope, and possibility and new life.

This is exactly what we celebrate in the sacrament of Baptism.  We celebrate the fact that we are a people who have been saved.  It has happened and it continues to happen.

That while we may be a mess, while we are in fact sinners, people capable of living according to a lie and participating in the kinds of things that tear apart ourselves and our communities, and yet, we are made new – we are capable of hope, healing, forgiveness, and extraordinary possibility.  We are saved.  We participate in the life, death and resurrection of Christ and as beloved creations, we are being made new.

God is not finished with us yet!

And so we will first celebrate the sacrament of Holy Baptism for one young person and then we will be inviting you to come forward and to remember your baptism… and as we prepare for our offering – we invite you to think about all the ways that God has and is seeking to offer you salvation.  Perhaps there is a moment that you remember in your life, where you were utterly exposed before God and you received in that moment forgiveness, grace and salvation.

Join us the weekend of April 27-29th for our Spring Retreat.

We’re goin’ to the Hocking Hills for fun, fellowship and some god-talk.

We will leave early Friday evening and return Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and the best part is… it’s free!

We’ll take the church van down and be staying in the Rustic Cabins at Top of Caves Campground. There are beds in the cabins and community bathrooms (with showers) at the campsite.

RSVP today to Pastor Lucy: lucy@summitumc.org

Beginning Easter Sunday, April 8th, Summit is introducing a whole new way to do Sunday school. Godly Play is quite different from the traditional model in which the teacher tells the children what they need to know. Godly Play encourages participants to make meaning for themselves by inviting them into stories and providing the opportunity for them to connect the stories with their personal experience. It results in giving children Christian language and a creative environment to discover the depths of its meaning.