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A Garden's Grace
Large or small, church gardens provide a place of beauty, meditation,
and inspiration. And for those who work in the garden – a closeness with
God. As The Rev. George W. Jones said, "good gardeners and good
Christians have much in common – great faith in God".
“Though garden design ranks with the finest of arts, a garden is among
the most ephemeral of art forms,” Rick Darke, horticulturist, author and
photographer, has written. “The garden is a unique conjunction of art,
living elements, and human events that take place in its embrace, and it
has a unique ability to heal, enlighten, and inspire.”
Planting a garden has been compared to painting a landscape with living
things. And just as an artistic touch can be found in the design of the
garden, the work of artists can be found within the garden in the form
of sculpture, fountains, hand-wrought gates, mosaics, and even in the
brickwork of walkways and walls. But the greatest work of art found in
the garden is God's own handiwork – flowers.
In what seems to be a never-ending variety of
shapes, sizes, and color, flowers bring unending beauty to the garden. But the
role of flowers does not end within the garden. Flowers are used to
adorn the inside of the church to enhance not only the beauty of the
church, but also to provide an uplifting experience to all who enter.
And as Sharon Sheridan pointed out in her story for
Episcopal Life,
flower arranging is an art in itself.
Flowers touch our lives in many ways and not just in the garden or in
arrangements for the altar. But also as gifts for the sick, the
bereaved, the aged, and in remembrance of birthdays and anniversaries.
The Rev. George W. Jones once told this story about his mission church
in Sherwood, Tennessee. "Souls starve for beauty just as bodies starve
for food. A gracious lady each morning took to the hungry children a
basket of fruit and a basket of flowers. By demand the supply of flowers
was the first exhausted."
Dan Hardison
Editor, The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts
editor@ecva.org |
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Small memorial garden at
St. James Episcopal Church,
Wilmington, NC
Liturgy of the Word
By
Anne Wetzel |
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Featured Congregation
Grace Episcopal Church
Mt. Meigs, Alabama
As suburban life encroaches on this historic church, its members can
take heart that there is a place of quiet and beauty where one can still
enjoy a harmony with nature.
Grace Church still retains the charm of the original country church with
one important addition, a garden built on the Arts and Crafts ideals of
reverence of nature, honesty of design, and respect for traditions of
place.
More . . . |
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The
mission of The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts
(ECVA) is to encourage artists, individuals,
congregations, and scholars to engage the visual arts in
the spiritual life of the church. ECVA values the
significance of visual imagery in spiritual formation
and the development of faith, and creates programs to
support those who are engaged in using the visual arts
in spiritual life.
To learn more about ECVA, please visit
www.ecva.org. |
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