Faith & Clay: Blessing of the Bowls
Beauty through the arts is a core value at Church of the Vine as we celebrate the grandeur of God in all of creation. We proclaim the good news of the incarnation to the whole person, through all of the senses. We live an embodied faith!
Last year, we invited children and youth in our parish to create clay bowls, guided by Mark Terry, for use in our worship space during the sacrament of Holy Communion. We learned that a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of inward, spiritual grace.
On November 8, the children and youth who created the bowls will present them to the community during our Sunday liturgy. After the Peace, they will bring their bowls to the front of the church to be blessed, and then they will become part of the rotation for our Communionware.
Through molding these clay vessels, we hope these children and youth came to understand more about God as Creator by engaging in the arts. Mark reminded them that God formed man from dust, and they formed these vessels from another kind of earth—clay. We are made in the image of a God who creates.
This process is all the more meaningful knowing these Communion vessels were among the first creations fired in Mark’s new kiln, which a CoV missional grant helped fund. Mark has faithfully served our parish in many ways for many years, including guiding children through clay workshops that help them understand what it means to be created and delighted in by a good Creator.
Children are an integral part of our church life, and we celebrate this gift to our shared worship space!
Here are some prompts to guide conversations with your children about their experience engaging with clay in Children’s Worship:
I wonder what you know about the word "sacrament". I wonder what you have seen, heard or tasted of the sacrament of Holy Communion.
I wonder what it’s like to use your hands and work with clay. I wonder what you’ve created in Children’s Worship art response time with clay, or if you remember creating one of these bowls. I wonder if you know what the bowl will be used for.