Sermon May 2023. The Tapestry of Faith
“My life is but a weaving. Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors. He weaveth steadily.” By Corrie Ten Boom.
Throughout the ages, Tapestries, large-scale pictorial wall-weaved art, have served as one of the most effective forms to vividly tell the stories of the Greeks, Romans, Medieval and Renaissance periods, especially to an illiterate population. Tapestries were stories told for the eyes to behold, and the heart to hold. Tapestries were like a sophisticated old-fashioned storybook or comic strip.
You might know the famous Bayeux Tapestry located in Bretagne, France, which is the most unique artifact that makes you step into the epic adventure of William the Conqueror in 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry is on UNESCO’s Memory of the World list.
At Christiansborg Castle in Denmark, there are beautiful Tapestries: 17 colorful tapestries where you can witness the history of Denmark from the Viking Era to the present. The tapestries are like a history book on the wall made by the modern artist Bjorn Norgaard. Colorful history lessons about Kings and Queens, events and inventions, times and seasons.
Tapestries are amazing storytelling art, and I thought about tapestries looking at the cover of the bulletin. The Cover is a painting called “The Kingdom of God. “by Cody F. Miller, and this painting reminded me of some unique tapestries. Like tapestries, this painting is filled with images of people, cultures, history, diversity and hope. “May they be one, as we are one.”
Have any of you visited the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, in Los Angeles? That beautiful iconic building is just on the busy 101 in LA as you drive down Grand Ave. to the Theater District and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It is such a beautiful Cathedral and the tapestries inside are breathtakingly beautiful. The tapestries are created by artist John Nava for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and they are the largest collection hanging in a place of worship in the US. The tapestries are part of a heritage and history, but they also are very contemporary. A tapestry is an art form that can combine immense size with the intricacy of detail, and in the Cathedral serves to soften and enhance the acoustics.
The Cathedral has three tapestry groups: The Largest is the Communion of Saints Tapestries, the smaller is the Baptismal and the Altar Tapestries. The tapestries vary in height but average about eighteen feet and cover about three hundred forty square yards of area. The Communion of Saints Tapestries hangs along the south and north walls of the nave. Twenty-five fresco-like tapestries depict 135 saints from around the world, including holy men and women of North America canonized by the Church. Twelve untitled figures, including children of all ages, represent the many anonymous holy people in our midst. The Artist Nava constructed figures from multiple studies, combined drawn and painted elements, had costumes made when needed, and even drafted family members to serve as models on occasion. He wanted the figures to look like people we know and relate to. Nava's desire is that people identify and see that "a saint could look like me." Nava hoped people would say about his tapestries, "These people were seen as whole, strong humans, full of hope." As he unrolled the "beautiful group of humans" on the tapestries sent from Belgium after the terrible events of September 11, 2001, Nava thought, "This is the time when you want to love humanity and see something that is really, truly uplifting and beautiful.”
The Communion of Saints consists of females and males of all ages, races, occupations, and vocations the world over. Saints from the Renaissance intermingled with people from the 1st century and the 20th century. Ex. Mother Teresa. Fittingly, a quote from the Book of Revelation is sewn into the altar tapestries and the quote reflects on the union of God and man. "See, God's dwelling is among mortals. God will dwell with them. They will be God's people and God will be with them."
If you have not yet visited the Cathedral, please do. And when you do and when you re-visit, remember the Gospel of today: “May they be one, as we are one.” And take in these majestic tapestries all the faces of Saints. Or as we Lutherans would say: the faces of Saints and Sinners alike. In the Tapestries we recognize each other and ourselves, our lives and our stories, - and our hope for humanity. And we pray with Jesus for the world, for us, for everyone: May they be one. As we are one.
Think about the tapestry of Faith that we are part of, here at the Danish Lutheran church. Centuries and generations are before us and hopefully, generations to come after us. Stories told all the way from the Rune Stone marking that Denmark became a Christians Kingdom, through Catholic ear, through Reformation, Through Enlightenment, through Grundtvig, through the Danish Constitution, and through immigrants carrying their faith and their denominations with them over the oceans. We are part of that history, part of that tapestry of faith, with people like you and me in contrasting times and seasons, and situations. So many faces of faith, so many images and stories.
A diverse living group of people from the past, the present, and the future united by a living faith that is woven into this living tapestry of faith that our Church, Christianity and our history are made of.
Whole strong humans, full of hope. And as the artist Nava unrolled the tapestries sent from Belgium in the aftermath of the terrible events of September 11, 2001, - we too in the midst of a time of unrest, division, war, intolerance, fear, and uncertainty, may unroll our tapestry of faith and exclaim: “This is the time when you want to love humanity and see something that is really, truly uplifting and beautiful.”
We truly need to see something uplifting and beautiful. We truly need to love humanity in a time where so much hatred and fear ruin even the simple trust and decency among people. We need to trust in God’s Grace and believe that this life, this world, this creation indeed is good and blessed. “May they be one, as we are one.”
This was the beautiful parting prayer of Jesus before he left his disciples to be in the world without him at their side. But he did not leave them without hope or guidance as the Holy Spirit continued and continues to breathe hope, faith, and love into humanity. May this still be our prayer that we are … one.
We are part of the tapestry of faith and humanity. Woven, intertwined, intermingled, detailed. Colorful. Diverse, Surprising. The tapestry of faith and humanity that whispers like Grundtvig said: Human first then Christian. The truth is that we cannot all be one, we really cannot understand the prayer of Jesus unless we believe that all people matter equally to God. To do so requires us to shift our thinking from me to us as we consider all people as part of one.
Earlier this month I attended the Pacifica Synod in Palm Desert with all my colleagues and other ELCA congregations. Days of sharing stories and sharing faith and hope for humanity. When I met with our rejoice conference, I brought two sets of Legos for them to build. Building Lego takes time, concentration, and teamwork.
The Lego sets I brought is one that we also have in the Hallway. It is called Everybody is Awesome. A rainbow row of people of every color. A wonderful symbol of diversity, inclusivity, and love which welcomes everyone that comes to our church. So, I asked the members of Rejoice Conference to sit on the floor, read the manual, and build Lego… and talk about how colorful their church was. What kinds of colors were in their church – diverse kinds of people, age, gender, sexual orientation, political views, income bracket, etc.
They were asked to think about how we are the church and how we weave our tapestries of faith to include saints and sinners alike. They were asked to pray with Jesus; May they be one, as we are one.
And so, I ask you to consider the tapestry of faith and humanity that you are part of – and how we expand, make more colorful to be Human first then Christian.
And let us pray to gather: May they be one, as we are one. Amen.