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| This captures the essence of my experience in officiating at a funeral for a teen. |
Some events have such a level of intensity that they require intentional time to reflect on the experience, in particular, where GOD is present amidst the chaos. This journal entry captures the key theological themes I experienced in the process of officiating a the funeral for a teenager.
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| Souvenir elements from the bulletin, prayers of the people, etc. |
The background prep includes the sponge painting in the teen's favorite colors and a collage of elements from the funeral. Then I identified my overall experience of response from the community-at-large regarding this tragedy, and it was clearly GRACE. I wanted to show the overwhelming response of people coming to grieve with the family. I layered a piece of art paper with holes to give texture and depth and to symbolize the 1,600 people in the "sold out" congregation. I facilitated a conversation on this them-grace experienced amidst the tragedy-with our youth group to help the teens identify God's presence amidst a tragic event. The journal and interactive teen conversation complements a theme we talk about often-what I call the "theology of the pit." When we fall into the inevitable pits of life and invite God into those pits, they become holy ground.
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| The black square is the pulpit and "RESPECT," and "TRUST" my experience from the host senior pastor. |
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| Repeating the favorite color theme, I "stamped" people using a hollowed out end of a wine cork. |
