Twenty-Nineth Day
Creation (Megaplex) (2013)
by Marco Brambilla
3D high-definition video, Color, and sound, duration: 4 min.
Vignettes culled from hundreds of films, ranging from The Sound of Music to Star Wars, swirl together like a spiral galaxy or a double helix of DNA.
Esther 11.2-12
The book of Esther is something of a hybrid - a Hebrew original with later Greek additions, some of which duplicate the Hebrew text. For the purposes of reading Esther this week, we read from both versions in segments that fall roughly in chronological order, but the verse numbering will not always be sequential. As an indicator, any text set in brackets will be from the Greek additions.
Even a casual reading of the two versions will reveal significant differences between them. One important difference is that the Hebrew account is famous for never mentioning God, while the Greek text does; portions of the Greek additions, probably because of their more overtly religious language, are used in the Roman Catholic liturgy, while the Hebrew sections are not; and the Greek sections make explicit what is only implicit in the Hebrew story.
11
2 [DURING THE SECOND YEAR OF THE REIGN of Ahasuerus the Great, on the first day of Nisan, a dream came to Mordecai ben-Jair ben-Shimei ben-Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin - 3 a Jew living in Susa and holding high office in the imperial court. 4 He was among the prisoners that Nebuchadnezzar the Great of Babylon had exiled from Jerusalem along with Jeconiah, ruler of Judah.
5 In the dream, there were shouts and clamors, thunder and earthquakes and chaos over the whole world. 6 Then two large dragons appeared, each ready for a fight, roaring fiercely. 7 When their voices thundered, every nation prepared to wage war against the nation of the Just.
8 A day of uncertainty and anguish, of sickness and agony, of oppression and tribulation, descended on the whole world. 9 The nation of the Just was sick with trepidation from the fear of the evils lurking in wait for them. They prepared for death as they cried out to God.
10 From their cry, as from a tiny spring, there grew a mighty river, a torrent of water. 11 Dawn came, and the sun rose, and the lowly were raised up to devour the powerful.
12 When he awoke from the dream - this vision of God's plan - Mordecai pondered the matter very seriously, attempting to discern the meaning of the dream.]
"Make It All Still"
by Timothy Chang
found in A Creative Anthology From Pandemic Times (Coastland Commons, 2022)
How long until justice and mercy be available
to us all
When will we leave the oppression of night
and see the sunrise?
Until then, disquiet fills my soul,
my mind
my bones
Will we emerge together or find
we've been shattered to pieces
May God make it all still
Today’s Art Practice
Directions: Today's visual art piece is a video. It is a 4-minute video that is intended to be played on loop.
Watch the video for about 15 minutes, or 3 times through. Make sure you turn on the sound for the full experience.
What do you notice? What do you wonder? Does it connect with you differently the first time through than it does the second time? Third time? How does it make you feel?
If you like, you can use a sheet of the lined paper in you envelope to write down what you notice from this experience.
Let’s Pray…
Prayer for the Confused
by Dustin Wilsor
Divine Guide and Source of Clarity,
In the midst of confusion, I turn to you for guidance,
Grant me the wisdom to see through the fog of uncertainty,
And the patience to wait for clarity to emerge.
Bless me with insight to discern the right path,
And the strength to trust in my own intuition.
May I find peace in the midst of confusion,
And the courage to embrace the unknown.
In the name of understanding and peace, I pray,
Amen.