Loading Video . . . Writer Lancelot Schaubert explores the meaning of words and translations in this poem responding to Luke 8:19-21. Luke 8:19-21 Philadelphia By Lancelot Schaubert Credits: Photo Credit by Dan Mall on Unsplash Curated by: Rebecca Testrake 2023 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link These three pieces work in tandem. They're meant as a running commentary on (1) the sorts of people who are close to us who reject the work of the miraculous in our lives and through our lives, (2) the kinds of silly exegetical traditions that exist as little more than a prop for church splits, (3) the metaphysical absurdity of the miraculous as the miraculous, when it happens, (4) a call to see James as a miracle worker in his own right, a cousin, and someone who would have been as baffled as anyone else — though joyful — in the presence of the miraculous. Sometimes the "sons of Thunder" stuff becomes such a focus, I wanted to focus on something else for St. James. To see the other pieces from Lancelot, click the links below: Bloodlines Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Lancelot has sold work to The New Haven Review (The Institute Library), The Anglican Theological Review, TOR (MacMillan), McSweeney's, The Poet's Market, Writer's Digest, and many, many similar markets. (His favorite, a rather risqué piece, illuminated bankroll management by prison inmates in the World Series Edition of Poker Pro). Publisher's Weekly called his debut novel BELL HAMMERS "a hoot." He has lectured on these at academic conferences, graduate classes, and nerd conventions in Nashville, Portland, Baltimore, Tarrytown, NYC, Joplin, and elsewhere. The Missouri Tourism Bureau, WRKR, Flying Treasure, 9art, The Brooklyn Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Fest, Spiva Center for the Arts, The Institute of the North in Alaska, and the Chicago Museum of Photography have all worked with him as a film producer and director in various capacities. Website Lancelot Schaubert About the Artist Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 3 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 2 Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert - Part 1 Posh Girls As Waters Cover Artist in Residence 2019: Lancelot Schaubert Dragonsmaw Daily | 1 Dragonsmaw Daily | 2 Dragonsmaw Daily | 3 Watchtower Stripped to the Bonemeal Metaphysical Insurance Claim 0075A: The Delphic Oracle Bloodlines Lancelot Schaubert Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship View Full Written Work FOR LOVE OF COMMON WOMBS UP THE BLOODLINE. By Lancelot Schaubert It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship Or brethren in faith, step-brothers, or meant Cousins. “Cousins” throws a wrench in the wren, Metal to make wings spiral on downward: Fallen angels or men melting wax strips? Two yokels talk at the scene of The Fall: “Thought those were his brothers?” “Nope, just cousins.” It takes one trip to Philadelphia To realize “same womb” can mean mom, mother, Or sometimes an earlier womb bygone. For they treat each other less with fiat, More like Middle Eastern cousins with bombs: “Me against my brother; me and brother Against cousin; me and my cousin, you.” First same womb, same dad; same womb, diff dad; Then same womb of my dad’s dad’s dad’s dad’s— Father Abraham had many sons, sons Father Abraham. I am one of them And so are you, so let’s just praise The Lord. From stones, he said he could raise up cousins, But somehow cannot do so from cousins? “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and ἀδελφός of James, Joses And Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own cousins and in his own house.” Do we seek context? Do we even try to understand it, To see what’s right before our eyes? Mirrored? I could stack citations up, up skyward; Speak up of all the times translation slips Two yokels stare, hear the scene of Our Fall: “Nope, just brothers.” “Thought those were his cousins?” It takes one trip to Philadelphia To realize sometimes there’s a crack in bells Allegedly first sounded for freedom. Is our faith so fragile? We Protestants? Need we preserve our Quincentenary Bitterness with flimsiest evidence? Do we even know about the third one? The third Mary? “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his Mother (Mary), his mother’s ἀδελφη, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Poor James. To be denied sainthood simply To sully the virgin status of Aunt Mary. Philadelphia’s stones still crack. Cracked. Stoned. The oracle at Delphi was Virgin. And the dolphins get to take shape Of virgin wombs, so does Numbers 30 (The perpetual virginity verse For married women who have had their kids). But not she who bore the body of God. It’s not good enough for her. Ignore texts: Let her also bear a Bro — Jimmy’s body Close Loading Video . . . It would be terribly inconvenient If ἀδελφός meant fellow countrymen Or fellow man or business fellowship Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This beautifully delicate poem by Laura Eve Engel pulls the reader in two directions, responding to the story of Lot choosing his inheritance of land in Genesis 13:9-13. Genesis 13:9-13 WISHBONE By Laura Eve Engel Credits: Curated by: Spark+Echo Arts 2019 Poetry Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link I've been fascinated with this passage—and the story it foreshadows—for a long time. The moment between Abraham and Lot where they willingly part company for the sake of a future peace is an understated turning point in Genesis, and it may even be the first moment in the Bible where we see an instance of literary foreshadowing: we see Lot consider the verdant land, "well-watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gommorah." There is, in this moment, the briefest appearance of dramatic irony, a nod to a reader who knows what's coming. (And speaking of the presence of the literary in this passage, Lot's predicament is also a "Road Not Taken"-style proposition—and how he manages this decision will, in a sense, make all the Frostian difference.) I like the idea of thinking of Lot at this crossroads—or anyone, in a moment of choosing—as two people. He's both himself and his future self. Or, he's both about to go left, and about to go right. He exists as a monument to a present moment just before the future overtakes it, and as a remnant of a present that, once he moves, will be altered forever. We're all that way when we stand at a crossroads, perhaps. I liked the notion of adding to these ideas the visual metaphor of a wishbone—not just because wishbones themselves are two-pronged, but also because a wishbone invokes the idea of luck, which is something that, if not invoked at a crossroads, can lead to an absence of humility. This poem aims to be humble before choice, to acknowledge and honor that sometimes having to pick a direction with confidence can make us all feel like wanderers in the desert. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Laura Eve Engel is the author of Things That Go (Octopus Books). The recipient of fellowships from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, her work can be found in The Awl , Best American Poetry , Boston Review , The Nation , PEN America , Tin House and elsewhere. She's in a band called The Old Year. Website Laura Eve Engel About the Artist I AM SMALL Laura Eve Engel Other Works By Related Information View More Art Make More Art The cactus grows green handles toward the sun as if you could grab the landscape by its points and pull until it comes undone short and long red and redder in one desert View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . The cactus grows green handles toward the sun as if you could grab the landscape by its points and pull until it comes undone short and long red and redder in one desert Download Full Written Work

Loading Video . . . This one-act monologue, "A Good Neighbor," by playwright Kelley Girod invites the audience into a space of candid self-reflection in response to the injunction to love one's neighbor as one's self from Leviticus 19:18. Leviticus 19:18 A Good Neighbor By Kelley Girod Credits: Curated by: Michael Markham 2018 One-Act Play Primary Scripture Loading primary passage... Loading Passage Reference... Share This Art: Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy Link As I worked on my piece in response to this bible passage, I thought a lot about not only what it means to love your neighbor, but also how do you recognize who your neighbor is. Having grown up in the deep south as a woman of color, I became used to "self segregation" which I feel is still perpetuated in our society — perhaps even more so now as stereotypes of the "other" are pushed onto us by the media and fear impedes our ability to get to know each other on a meaningful level. It is easy to love someone who we recognize as our neighbor: someone who looks, thinks, and acts in a manner similar to ours, someone we can relate to and understand. But what about those people who we don't really see as equal to us, or who we see as 'foreign' to us? To take this a step further, I wanted to examine the subtle ways in which we may still treat others as less than our neighbor, even when there is an outward, actionable attempt to do something kind for someone else. To me, the perfect setting to examine this passage is in our present day climate of navigating race relations including micro-aggressions, generational gaps, and deep seated prejudices. How do we live together when our behavior towards each other is directly linked to a country's dark and complicated history? How do those of us who are "privileged" recognize that privilege, and then use it for good? And, ultimately, how do we begin to make a real effort to meet each other in the middle in order to make things better for everyone? Through the journey of exploring, and responding to this passage I discovered that the simplest, but most difficult answer to these questions is that the work has to start within us as individuals in order to truly love our neighbors as ourselves. Spark Notes The Artist's Reflection Kelley Nicole Girod is the founder and Executive Producing Director of OBIE Award winning, The Fire This Time Festival (NYC). She is a 2008 graduate of Columbia's MFA playwriting program where she was a Stein and Liberace Fellow, as well as a John Golden Fellow. She was named Nytheatre.com Person of the Year for her work on The Fire This Time Festival, and is a part of the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame. As a producer her credits include Israela Margalit's Get Me A Guy , and Night Blooming Jasmine (both at Horse Trade Theater); Louisiana Mon Amour (Women Center Stage at Culture Project); Thais Francis's Outcry (Horse Trade Theater, Jack). As a playwright, her plays include This Stretch of Montpelier, Ambrosia, Poetics of the Creative Process, Parabolas, Rote, Straight on til Morning, and Lessons of the Trash Gang . She is currently Programming Associate at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in NYC, where she helped to found and produces The Catholic Theatre Festival. She is most proud of being a wife, and mother to two beautiful daughters, Penelope Evelyn and Noelle Anamaria. Website Kelley Girod About the Artist Kelley Girod Other Works By Listen to the audio performance above and read the script here . Related Information View More Art Make More Art View Full Written Work Close Loading Video . . . Download Full Written Work

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About the Bible This project is based on our love of the Bible, and a belief that God's Word changes hearts and lives. We believe that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God. We affirm its divine origin and trust in its unerring truth, viewing it as the ultimate guide for faith. Through the Bible, we find the message of salvation, the revelation of God's character, and the timeless principles that guide our lives. The Bible shapes our understanding of God's redemptive plan, providing wisdom, comfort, and direction for all aspects of our lives.

Donate The goal of giving the world a new way to encounter the Bible through art is only possible through the generous support of our incredible donors. If you resonate with our mission, would you consider joining us? Your donation supports efforts like: Ongoing commissions of new art Strengthening and evolving the website platform Communicating our messaging further & faster Support for our internal teams dedicated to driving the vision forward THANK YOU for your support, and for being a valued part of this community. Spark+Echo Arts is a GuideStar Gold Candid-Rated 501c3 All Donations are tax-deductible

Our Curation Model Through over a decade of commissioning Biblical art in this unique way, we have developed some fine-tuned processes for seeking and evaluating this special kind of expression. While still "more of an art than a science," we are careful, thoughtful and prayerful about the experience we seek to curate both for our artists as well as for our Bible readers. In Brief: We respect the artist, the Bible, and the audience. We ask each artist to approach the task of responding to the Bible with an open mind, to focus on the passage itself, to treat the text and our audience with respect. Likewise, we respect each artist by giving them the freedom to respond in their voice and not censoring their work or process. Finally, we ask our audience and patrons to approach each response with an open mind, with that same kind of respect. Through this approach we will all experience the Bible in a new way: we’ll hear a verse come to life in ways we never imagined, watch world-class artists wrestle with Scripture in powerful ways… thousands of times over. In More Detail: The primary guidance we developed is the three pillars of Respect: for the artist, the word, and the audience. Deeply inherent here is the support for the artist to learn more about the scripture. We work with them to ensure theological integrity, consulting pastoral insight and other academic resources. We also stress to the audience and artist that if they read a verse for the first time and it viscerally comes alive to them and they want to create in that moment, that is a totally valid way to create and also has deep theological and artistic relevance. This is something that makes this project unique. By communicating that culture and approach, we also communicate to both artist and audience that God’s Word IS alive and speaks to us in countless ways. So we try to validate and support the many ways you can respond to Scripture. ~ In addition, we've also defined "respect" as "an artist's respect for themselves." It encourages them to consider and evaluate if the work they're producing for Spark+Echo is matched to the nuance and quality of the full body of art they produce. We're particularly proud of the "Spark Notes," the artist's statement about their own work. “I read the verse and it came alive for me in these ways because of the experiences I've had in my life.” These personal revelations have helped audiences tremendously to align and "settle in" to the art they find. We think those kinds of works are some of the most exciting, because even though we might not see similar things in that verse, we understand that something was there for them. And that makes us want to peer into Scripture even more, through other lenses. What do I see? What is God saying to me? And even what did God say to me through your work? ~ If the work is just challenging for an audience and skews from a “traditional” interpretation, we spend extra time with the artist's statement. Periodically, we include an “editor’s note” to help orient the audience. For additional questions about the project or process, check out our FAQ , or feel free to contact us .

Illuminations Gallery or refresh page to see more. Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 1 Ecclesiastes 1:8-18 Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 2 Ecclesiastes 1:8-18 Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 3 Ecclesiastes 1:8-18 The Capture, The Escape Jeremiah 13:20 The Mountain of the House of The Lord Matthew 1:5 I See Him but Not Now Joshua 2:1-24 So Shall Your Descendants Be Joshua 6:22-24 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 1 Proverbs 19:20-21 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 2 Isaiah 50:6-8 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 3 Exodus 28:1-5 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 4 Isaiah 50:7 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 1 Revelation 11:3-7 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 2 Revelation 9:10-20 Artist in Residence 2017: Lily Maase Part 3 Revelation 9:10-20 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 1 Proverbs 8:32-36 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 2 Proverbs 8:6-11 Artist in Residence 2016: Lauren Ferebee Part 3 Proverbs 8:17-21 Artist in Residence 2013, Emily Ruth Hazel Isaiah 50:2-3 Artist in Residence 2020, Sapient Soul (Marlanda Dekine) Job 10:10-12:8 Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 3 Romans 12:2 Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 2 Romans 12:2 Artist in Residence 2015: Jason DaSilva Part 1 Romans 12:2 Reflections on Water Isaiah 43:2 Artist in Residence 2018: Elias Popa Part 1 Job 38

Experience the Bible Illuminated. A modern gallery of honest expression from artists deeply engaged with Scripture. Start Exploring Welcome to this NEW 2024 beta version of our site. Please bear with us as we iron out some minor issues. We hope that you'll check back often – to see the on-going development, and to continue experiencing the Bible through art in your everyday life. The Bible Sparks Inspiration. Enlightenment. Challenge. Interruption. Examination Comfort. Provision. Healing. Satisfaction. Rest. When we encounter it... We listen. We respond. We create. We echo. Explore Gallery In response to Obadiah 1:21, photographer Allison Daniell Moix offers this work as in thoughtful and vulnerable reflection. Obadiah 1:21 A New Language Featured Art View This Art Allison Daniell Moix What Is Illumination? Yesterday's illustrated manuscripts and story-telling stained glass open new avenues of expression to today's culture. Why This Project Matters Melissa, TN "I never imagined something like this could exist. You've transformed how I view my favorite passages." Abby, CA "The discussion and energy that this has generated has been nothing short of phenomenal. I can't tell you what a breath of fresh air this is." John, PA "I've needed something like this for so long to re-ignite my desire and passion for Scripture. The expression of these artists is giving voice to my heart." There are 31,102 verses in the Bible. 28,858 still need illuminated. Our Goal: Illuminate the Whole Bible. Get Involved CONNECT Join our mailing list for news and updates as we grow. CREATE Join our growing list of artists to be selected to illuminate a passage. GIVE We rely entirely on the generous support of our donors. Any amount helps. Donate Today! SHARE Who needs to know about Spark & Echo? Spread the Word far and wide. COPIED! Paste to share in social or email! Copy www.sparkandecho.com Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 1 Proverbs 19:20-21 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 2 Isaiah 50:6-8 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 3 Exodus 28:1-5 Artist in Residence 2015: Melissa Beck Part 4 Isaiah 50:7 Eve's Song Genesis 2:21-24 Caves and Echoes 1 Samuel 24:3-7 2020 Artist in Residence: Marlanda Dekine Job 10:10-12:8 A Clean Heart, O God! Psalms 51:11 Haggai 2 Haggai 2 ALMA No 5 1 Timothy 6:1-21 A Study in Lying Ecclesiastes 4:10-11 Memories Ecclesiastes 9:5-7

How to Get Involved 100%. Without A Doubt. Like, we've never been so sure about anything. This Project needs you. Become a Creator Sign up to join our growing list of artists. We'd love to explore a potential future commission! Sharing is Caring! Who do you know who would love Spark+Echo? Share us on social. Send a friend an email. Give somebody an old-fashioned phone call to share your excitement. Contribute Financially Any amount helps, and regular monthly donations are such a blessing! To date, this project relies completely on the generosity of faithful donors who resonate with the mission. All donations are tax-deductible. Join our Mailing List The best way to stay in the loop of news, updates and future opportunities to get involved!

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