|
The
Water I Give
Photograph
"The
water that I will give will become in them a spring of water welling up to
eternal life."
John 4:14
In January 2009 I traveled with a group of pilgrims to the festival of
Timkat in Ethiopia. Timkat is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s celebration
of the Baptism of our Lord. At sunrise we gathered in a pavilion in the
middle of a huge field in Addis Ababa to witness the patriarch’s blessing
of water. Thousands filled the field outside the fenced enclosure, hoping
to receive some of the blessed water. Those of us on the inside filled as
many water bottles as we could to give them.
What does it mean when blessing is divided between insiders and outsiders?
John’s Gospel declares that the living water is within us. It is given to
both insiders and outsiders; both strangers and members. God’s pleasure is
to freely give the water of life to all people. It is in this equitable
refreshment that God’s culture of peace is founded, and nothing can stop
it.
In the image the crowd stands outside the green fence. As I reviewed the
image I discovered that the pattern of the fence places the cross between
the viewer and the subject. It is through the cross that we have hope of
drawing together in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
curator's statement | list of artists
thumbnail
index
|
