Dec
24
2006

Light of the World

I read loads of different people's blogs and one which I read regularly is written by a guy called Peterson Toscano. He describes himself a “theatrical, performance, artist, a very queer and quirky Quaker, and an ex-gay survivor”. I had the privilege of seeing him perform this year and found it an extremely moving experience, not least because I recognised the experiences of some of my friends portrayed through his drama. I really hope that he doesn't mind me linking to his blog but go and have a look at some of his thoughts.

Anyway, I was reading his blog today and he said the following…

“A local conservative church here in Crieff, Scotland asked members to create floral arrangements to symbolize the birth of Jesus. These could be traditional, literal representations of the stable with Jesus in the manger, or something more abstract. A friend of mine, who is a member of the church, invited me to design and construct one with him.

Some days later I envisioned a stable made of rusted, broken, ugly, inorganic materials with a single sprout of new life wedged into the rubble. (The emergence of something New in the midst of the old world-order of brokenness and decay).

On a walk, we found an old dump pile loaded with broken glass, rusted metal and chicken wire. In another place we found a piece of barbed wire on a fence. My friend suggested a single lily nestled in highland moss instead of the sprout I initially suggested.”

Here is the picture…
flower

I thought this image was beautiful and is a world away from the tat and gaudiness that we so often see of Christmas. For me it is a simple but clear representation Jesus, the Light of the World who came to bring beauty to a broken, damaged and dirty world.

You can keep your Father Christmases, tinsel and over-indulgence; this is the image of Christmas I want to hold onto. One of hope in the darkness, joy in the sadness and the unsurpassed beauty and grace of the Saviour.

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized |

1 Comment »

  • tractor girl

    Thanks for the link, saw him @ GB and he was wonderful.

    Comment | December 29, 2006

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