DISCOVERING BEAUTY, DISCOVERING GOD

Cynthia A. Bacon Hammer

April 2015

Waunakee, Wisconsin

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry

Discovering Beauty, Discovering God

Cynthia A. Bacon Hammer

Doctor of Ministry Degree University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Dr. Bonnie Sue Lewis, Dr. Philip Jamieson, Dr. Susan Forshey, Advisors May 2015

Dissertation Abstract

Beauty is an entryway into the presence of God. The arts used in worship can act as a catalyst for that entryway. Chapter one, defines beauty theologically using the arguments of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Daniel Trier, Garrett Green, Jeremy Begbie,

Robert Lewis Wilken, Leland Ryken, and Luci Shaw, as well as explores natural beauty and created beauty, the human need to create, and humanity’s desire and need for beauty.

Beauty is defined as that which reflects God’s essence: God is beauty. In order to measure beauty, this project argues for six criteria: Christ himself, a reflection of eternity and of human limitations, universality and uniqueness, harmony with truth and goodness, a transformative nature, and abundance.

Intentionally using beauty in worship can be a means for transformation. Art is an animator of faith, engaging the imagination, and linking the essence of the human being with the essence of the Divine. Entering into a work of art and its beauty can lead to the transformation of the human being. The importance of the relationship between the arts and faith is argued and defined. Chapters three through seven explore specific works of art. Using the criteria from chapter one they are defined as beautiful. Specific examples, such as sermons, meditations, and study groups, are given for worship use. The works of art included are: the string composition Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, the painting Miss Elsie

Palmer by John Singer Sargent, the novel Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, the film

Monster’s Ball directed by Marc Forster, and the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Contents

DISSERTATION ABSTRACT

Chapter 1. Defining Beauty Introduction 1 Thesis Statement 2 Rationale and Context 3 Chapter Outline 6 Defining Beauty 9 Natural Beauty and Created Beauty 13 Humanities Desire for Beauty 15 The Human Need to Create 18 The Measure of Beauty 20 The Need for Beauty 25 A Definition of Beauty 27

Chapter 2. The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship as 30 a Means of Transformation Faith Informs Art and Art Enhances Faith 34 Conclusion 38

Chapter 3. Adagio for Strings: Opening the Heavens History of Adagio for Strings 40 About the Music 42 What Makes Adagio Beautiful? 45 How to Use Adagio in Worship 48 A Guided Meditation for use with Barber’s Adagio for Strings 51 Sermon to be used with Barber’s Adagio for Strings: Climbing the 52 Mountain

Chapter 4. John Singer Sargent and Miss Elsie Palmer: Eyes into the Soul John Singer Sargent and His Art 56 Miss Elsie Palmer 64 The Portrait 68 Why Miss Elsie Palmer is Beautiful 70 Use in Worship 71 Sermon to be used with Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer: 73 Eyes into the Soul Spiritual Exercise to be used with Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer 76 Chapter 5. Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton: The Least of These Elizabeth Gaskell 77 Mary Barton 80 Why is Mary Barton Beautiful? 93 Use in Worship 96 Sermon to be used with Gaskell’s Mary Barton: The Sin Within 98 Two Exercises and Discussion Questions for a Church Book Club 102

Chapter 6. Monster’s Ball: Choosing Forgiveness, Choosing Hope About the Film 104 The Film Itself 108 Why the Film is Beautiful 116 Use in Worship 118 Sermon to be used with Monster’s Ball: Hope for a future 120 Study guide for a church film club to use with Monster’s Ball 124

Chapter 7. Our Town: Eternity Now and Then Thornton Wilder 125 The Play 129 What Makes Our Town Beautiful? 137 Use in Worship 138 Outline for a Sermon Series Using Scenes from Our Town 139 Guidelines for Church Group Discussions Before and After 151 a Performance of Our Town

CONCLUSION 152

BIBLIOGRAPHY 158 Chapter 1

Defining Beauty

Introduction

It was Friday afternoon. Four pastors, including myself, heads full to the brim with history, polity, and ecclesiology, took the T to another part of Boston. Exhausted from our week of work, we sought a respite of sorts. We entered the museum anxiously, our energies restored at the thought of it. Tickets purchased, maps in hand, we made our way to the special exhibit: the paintings of John Singer Sargent. Earpieces in place, the guided tour began. Painting after painting, room after room we traveled. By the time we reached the final space I felt compelled to sit. We had to sit, it was so overwhelming. We did not want to leave the presence of this place. It was not only one painting or one technique or one appealing color combination. Instead it was the whole, the body of work. And so we sat. We felt our bodies breathing, the sensation of blood pumping through our veins. We were exhausted, yet more alive than we could describe. We had not merely observed the paintings, we had been invited into a mystery, an experience that was beyond words. That experience was beauty. Not the beauty of fashion models or the latest trend, but a beauty that spoke of truth and goodness, a beauty that was genuine to its core. “But what was the core, from where did this beauty come?” I wondered. And then it came to me. I was standing in a spiritual space. The work of the artist had brought me to rest in the presence of God. I saw God’s face in the body of work. I felt the essence of God revealed through the experience. And, in the midst of this mystery, I was filled, my imagination alive with thoughts of that which was beyond my grasp. The joy I knew

1 as the divine entered my heart and mind and soul was immeasurable. And I stayed in that place as long as I could.

Though sharing a story such as this may be considered unusual, it is experiential.

That is what is spoken of when engaging with beauty. Beauty draws a person. Unable to merely observe, a relationship with beauty begins. Just as God is experienced and not merely known in a cognitive sense, beauty too is experienced, and that is precisely the purpose of this paper.

Thesis Statement

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:81

We are told by Paul in Philippians 4:8 to “think about these things.” Why: because they lead us to God. They reveal God to us, helping us to see God at work in every corner of the world. When we think about “these things” we see God more clearly. We see

“these things” in the beauty of God’s Kingdom. We are able to look at the world, in part, through the eyes of God. “These things” transform us and give us a heart to do the work

God has placed before us. This work includes the calling of the church to love and serve, bringing all together in call, bringing all together in how they are sent.

This project will explore “these things,” specifically, works of art which are beautiful because they reflect the essence of God. The beautiful provides an entryway into an awareness of God’s presence. This project will begin by defining beauty in

! 1 All biblical quotes in this project will be taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

2 theological terms, and then speak in detail about the use of the arts in worship as an entryway into the awareness of God’s presence. Lastly, we will explore specific works of art and how they can be used in worship to this end. By addressing the concept of beauty in worship, intentionally seeking to awaken the imagination of the worshiper, God’s beauty can be named and reclaimed, that the people of God may be transformed heart, mind, and soul.

Rationale and Context

Beauty belongs to God. God is the measure by which all beauty is evaluated. I am arguing that God is beauty. God is revealed to us through beauty which is both true and good. Authentic or honest beauty is about God’s essence and reflects God’s character.

Through beauty, we are able to behold a glimpse of God. When that glimpse is revealed, our imaginations are awakened to all the possibilities of how God might be seen and what God might be sharing with us. In this awakening, we are able to see God more clearly and within many examples of beauty. Our desire to meet God in this way then grows, our longing is fueled, and our journey with God goes more deeply into the human- divine connection2 that is found in the imagination.

When in worship, we then intentionally provide opportunities to see God through beauty. We open the door for spiritual formation through beauty. Beauty, in this way, is then an entryway to the divine. When God is sought and then encountered through

! 2 See Garrett Green, Imagining God: Theology and Religious Imagination (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998). Here Green argues that the imagination is the meeting place of the human and the Divine.

3 beauty, the worshiper is able to take God’s self (beauty) into their created self (the longing for beauty).

In this intimate relationship with one’s creator, there emerges a desire to be one with Christ, to take on the heart of God. This is the transformation which is made possible through beauty. By creating desire or intensifying the desire which already exists, beauty urges one to a greater search, leading to a meeting place, and finally a following. One cannot sit and merely enjoy beauty, it begs us to follow.

Following beauty, the worshiper, who has come to see God more clearly, also comes to realize more deeply who they are and who the church is as created in God’s image. Identity is strengthened as a child of God, beloved and living in grace. The missio

Dei3 is realized through the wholeness of one’s own created image, and taking that unto one’s self with the renewal and transformation which can come from the arts.

Beauty, defined in this way, speaks of God’s truth and goodness, not of what the world might consider beautiful. The idea of aesthetics in theological circles has become suspect in recent years, and must be reclaimed by the worshiping church. What is of God is beautiful, not for its own sake, but because it opens the door to the Divine.

Two main aspects of today’s culture are critical to the future of Christ’s Church and the fulfillment of God’s mission in the world. First of all, we live in a broken world.

Hunger, violence, pain, and shattered relationships are thriving. Humanity seems to be lost in a cycle of believing the lies of the script of the world. We believe that money,

! 3 Missio Dei refers to the Mission of God. It is beyond the limits of this project to explore this with any depth. For the purposes of this project missio Dei will be defined as the transformation of humanity into the people they were created to be and the world into the Kingdom of God. To know more about missio Dei see David Bosch’s Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission.

4 power, fame, and a skinny frame will make us happy. The things that are temporary are given top priority in decision making. The things of God are seen as too far away, or irrelevant. We want to be happy now, and resist looking ahead. Our imaginations stifled, we are afraid to dream of eternity, preventing us from connecting with God through the truly beautiful. By putting our faith in the temporary rather than the eternal, we are lost and unhealthy. Our foundation is shattered, our identity altered. Where we look, we see only pain and hopelessness, and not the promise and possibilities of God’s Kingdom.4

Secondly, in our culture, the notion of beauty has been hijacked and distorted. We have not only lost sight of the eternal in our daily lives, but also in regards to our concept and definition of beauty. We believe that beauty is fleeting, belonging to and created by this earth and our society, rather than a gift from God that reflects God’s being to us, eternal by nature. When we see something we consider to be beautiful, we often do not consider the source of this beauty or the gifts that made it possible. Therefore, we do not fully understand the depth of beauty in its value or its influence on the world.

By addressing the concept of beauty in worship, intentionally seeking to awaken the imagination of the worshiper, both of these issues can be addressed and progress made. Beauty, as a valid and vital expression of God’s being, can be reclaimed. In that reclaiming, the people of God are transformed heart, soul, and mind, working to the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, the missio Dei.

Using the works of leading theologians in the field, Hans Urs von Balthasar,

Daniel Trier, Luci Shaw, Leland Ryken, Robert Louis Wilken, and Jeremy Begbie, I will

! 4 See Walter Brueggemann “Counterscript, Living with the elusive God, 19 Theses, Christian Century, November 29, 2005. In his 19 Theses, Brueggemann unpacks the concept of the script given to us by the world as false, and its failure as responsible for the unhealthiness of our society and its members.

5 set the stage for the practical application of the use of the arts in worship as a means of connecting people’s hearts to God through beauty for the purpose of transformation.

The approach will be three-fold (see Figure 1): the theology of beauty, the use of arts in worship, and reflection on specific works of art. The three are shown to overlap, creating one image in which the beauty of God is revealed and defined. God is not simply beautiful, God is beauty itself.

Use of the The Theology Arts in of Beauty Worship God is Beauty

Specific Works of Art Figure 1

Chapter Outline

This project, through specific works of art, will demonstrate that beauty is found in the offerings of specific pieces of art. It will analyze these pieces theologically, and with a specific theological focus. Suggestions are offered for using these works during the act of worship.

6 Chapter 1—Defining Beauty

In this chapter, beauty itself is discussed and defined in theological terms. Beauty as an entryway to God’s presence is explored. Our identity as creating beings is affirmed, as well as our heightened relationship with the Creator. I will argue that beauty itself is a means to divine transformation.

Chapter 2—The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship

Using beauty as a means of transformation is the main focus of this chapter.

Through the arts, beauty is revealed and our imaginations engaged. God’s gift of creativity not only helps us know ourselves as made in the divine image, but brings us to a deeper understanding of God’s Being. The use of the arts in liturgy and sermon are shown to point the worshiper toward thinking theologically. The chapters that follow will talk about specific works of art, what they reveal about God’s mission, and how they may be used in a worship context.

Chapter 3—Adagio for Strings: Opening the Heavens

This piece of music by Samuel Barber will be spoken of in terms of how the music leads the listener into the depths of God’s goodness and promise of eternity.

Though this world may bring challenges and conflict, pain and uncertainty, hope emerges triumphant, and God is seen as the music leads the listener to a place where they can both see and feel the opening of God’s heavens, inviting us in.

Chapter 4—The Paintings of John Singer Sargent: Eyes into the Soul

Sargent’s portraits, though criticized by his contemporaries for not being reflective enough of the Impressionist movement, was the premier portrait painter of his

7 time. In this chapter, we delve deeply into the soul of the subject as well as the artist himself. When one looks into the eyes of each portrait, the image of God becomes startlingly apparent, leading us to reclaim our created selves. In Miss Elsie Palmer, we not only see Miss Palmer’s humanity created in the divine image, but also our own.

Chapter 5—Mary Barton: The Least of These

In Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel, she paints a poignant portrait of the disparity between the classes in nineteenth century England. Showing the effects poverty has on its victims, Gaskell leads the reader through the desert of moral and spiritual temptation, challenging the Christian to love the least of these.

Chapter 6—Monster’s Ball: Choosing Forgiveness, Choosing Hope

The film Monster’s Ball, directed by Marc Forster, is a thick web of painful lives, interwoven by a series of tragic events. Just when the audience feels they can take no more suffering, a glimmer of hope appears. The characters do what is beyond themselves, they choose forgiveness. It is by God’s grace alone that this is possible.

Chapter 7—Our Town: Eternity Now and Then

This Pulitzer Prize winning play by Thornton Wilder speaks to the beauty found in every moment of every day of our lives, as well as the value of human life and relationships. Our lives are precious gifts from God, but this is only one part of the story.

There is more to come.

Chapter 8—Conclusion

In conclusion, we will review the definition of beauty, arguing for the reclamation of beauty as a vital and indispensable part of theological life. Through the use of the arts

8 in worship as an engagement of the truly beautiful, and the practical application of use of the arts in worship, God’s essence is experienced and transformation begins. By defining beauty, educating about beauty, and exploring its use in worship, God’s mission for us to know God moves forward.

Defining Beauty

From where does beauty come? How do we know that it is beauty? What causes us to name the beautiful and why do we desire it?

According to Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988), a prominent and prolific

Roman Catholic theologian, beauty is all about form. He argues that the form of God is the form of beauty. Beauty’s value is to be found in its representation of God.5 The first theologian to use beauty as the starting place for his theological discourse, von

Balthasar’s thoughtful, complete, and inspiring work has led to his status as the leading theologian on the topic of divine beauty.

Born in Lucerne, Switzerland, von Balthasar was a brilliant and compassionate man, known for not only his prolific writings, but for memorizing the complete works of

Mozart and the faithfulness he maintained to his calling of writing and exploring God’s nature in a more tangible way than had previously been attempted.6 Because of his unique yet grounded theological positions, von Balthasar was awarded the prestigious

! 5 Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, vol. 1, Seeing the Form (San Francisco, CA, Ignatius, 1982), p. 23.

6 Information on the life and works of Hans Urs von Balthasar taken from An Introduction to Hans Urs von Balthasar, by Statford Caldecott, 2001, and Hans Urs von Balthasar, an internet archive, by Stephen Joel Graver.

9 Paul VI Prize for theology. He would have been made a Cardinal in 1988 were it not for his death just days before the scheduled ceremony.

According to von Balthasar, the form of beauty is a mystery, how it gives its splendor, unknown: “We are confronted simultaneously with both the figure and that which shines forth from the figure.”7 In other words, when we see genuine beauty, we know it is beauty because it is reflective of the Creator. We see not only the thing we call beautiful, but the essence of the Divine which it reflects. Somehow the form of those things which are truly beautiful stand in what von Balthasar calls a “spiritual space.”8 He continues, going into more detail, “whether the space has been fully crystallized or is only now beginning to define itself,”9 whether complete or incomplete, “only such form is genuine form, and only it can wholly claim for itself the name of beauty.”10 Even a glimpse of the beautiful is able to open the window to the presence of the divine, whether just beginning to be formed, or fully created and presented in its completion. If beauty is present in the form of the Creator, spiritual space will be both present and felt.

This “form” is by its very definition a “mystery.” There is “no harmonizing, no skill, no comprehension...permitted” and “every such form (human skill and logic) must disintegrate in the face of the ‘contradiction,’ the concealment of everything divine under its opposite, the concealment, that is, of all proportions and analogies between God and man in dialectic.”11 Humanity, in dialogue or argument with God, might very well try to

! 7 Von Balthasar, 19.

8 Ibid., 23.

9 Ibid.

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid., 47.

10 link forms that are organically inharmonious, the divine and the human. If the forms do not share the same source, they will not coexist in peace. Their differences in fact prevent the sought after harmony. Humanity may not understand this, and von Balthasar argues that beauty is the only thing that can make sense of this paradox, this mystery. Beauty allows the mystery to be revealed, despite the inability of humanity to comprehend God’s form. The perception of beauty is gifted to the “human beholder” only “by the grace of

God.”12

If beauty is intrinsically connected to God, then it follows logically that beauty would work in harmony with God. Beauty itself provides clarity, linking the human and the Divine. Beauty lifts the fog of confusion when mystery and paradox fill our consciousness. Beauty, reflective of God’s being, draws the human being closer to the divine, allowing the opaque to become clearer and God’s light to illuminate the unknown.

This is God’s gift to us, this connection to the Divine through beauty. With every piece of art inspired by God or work of nature created by God’s self that reflects the Beauty,

Goodness, and Truth of God, humanity is invited into God’s presence. It is God’s creativity that makes this connection through the beautiful possible. It is God’s gifts to those with a desire to create that allows humanity to see into God’s essence through works of human created art. God wants us to have this gift, for nothing is more important to God than a right relationship with created humanity, as depicted in Jeremiah’s description of the new covenant.13

! 12 Von Balthasar, 154.

13 See Jeremiah 31:31-34

11 God’s desire to be in relationship with us is perhaps the motivation for this beauty connection, for the God who made us knows that “We all respond to beauty.”14 It is built into us, part of our created selves, this desire for and attraction to beauty. Perhaps God made it so, that humanity might find the revelation of God as natural as appreciating the sight, sound, or touch of that which we find beautiful.

When the human being encounters beauty, it does not isolate one part of the person, the body, mind or spirit. Instead, the whole person becomes involved. Beauty is experienced, not witnessed. Within the essence of this form that reflects the Divine form is found not only “measure, number, and weight,” but also the “energy” of the

“organizing agent.”15 The energy and measure of God, therefore, are revealed through the experience of faith, the experience of the beautiful. Von Balthasar calls this connection

“indispensable,”16 and within this place of beauty and faith, the believer is then able to

“squander (oneself) in”17 love. Beauty, being in the form of God, then “develops as the verification of the form of faith in existence.”18 Through the five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste - beauty is experienced. Emotions alight, physical beings respond with more rapid pulse and breath, senses awaken, and the spirit is enlivened. This encounter then imitates the experience of faith. Von Balthazar asks the reader to consider what it is to experience faith, for within the form of beauty is found the “encounter of the

14 Matthew Benson, Beast in the Feast, Better Homes and Gardens, September 2014, p. 97.

! 15 Von Balthasar, 442.

16 Ibid., 219.

17 Ibid., 442.

18 Ibid., 481.

12 whole person with God.”19 Like faith that enters our beings and lives within us, beauty, since it belongs to God, is able to do the same.

Just as the entire being is immersed in an encounter with beauty, the entire person, body, mind, emotion, and spirit, becomes immersed in the experience of faith. This overwhelming experience allows the freedom to live in that beauty, that faith, that love, resulting in a deeper and profoundly organic experience of the Divine. Truly, it is an indispensable part of who we are as human beings, bringing us closer to the fulfillment of our relationship with the Creator, as the complete human being is being filled with the energy of God.

Natural Beauty and Created Beauty

What is the relationship between natural beauty and that which humanity creates, or between the works of God’s hand as found in nature, and that which is made with human hands? If form is the common denominator, how is form found in the comparison of these two mediums?

Von Balthasar explores these questions in this way: “It appears impossible to deny that there exists an analogy between God’s work of formation and the shaping forces of nature and of man as they generate and give birth.”20 He says there is a relationship, a point of commonality. Natural beauty, or that found in creation, is often referred to as the

“first kind.” It follows therefore, that the things we name beautiful which are made by the human hand would be named the “second kind.” It is said that the second kind is made,

19 Von Balthasar, 219.

! 20 Ibid., 36.

13 “testifying to God’s beauty, but in its own distinctive ways…in its otherness.”21 One wonders about the interplay between the two kinds. Can they be separated, the second from the first? The beauty we create can only come from God’s beauty; like love, “we love because God first loved us.”22

Daniel Trier, Blanchard Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, describes the beauty found in creation as reflected beauty, as it reflects its place of origin, the Creator.23

God shows us the Divine Self through this reflection: “God testifies to his own beauty through creation’s own beauty.”24 It would follow that God’s created beauty, reflecting the original source of beauty, provides humanity with the form to follow when creating the beautiful with human hands. From the first kind, comes the second. They are not the same, but the first informs and the second follows. There would be no second kind without the first. Von Balthasar calls this imitation a “new spiritual form, chiseled on the very stone of existence, a form which unmistakably derives from the form of God’s incarnation.”25 This observation then would lead to the conclusion that a valid connection exists between these two kinds of beauty and their source. They are related, having form in common. It is then justifiable to continue the exploration into this link and give it its due. In fact, it is a duty: “we have a real and inescapable obligation to probe the possibility of there being a genuine relationship between theological beauty and the

21 Daniel J. Trier, Editor, The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2007), p. 70

! 22 1 John 4:19.

23 Trier, 70.

24 Ibid., 25.

25 Von Balthasar, 80.

14 beauty of the world.”26 This concept is called analogia entis, or analogy of Being, “the belief that there exists an analogy or correspondence between creation and God that makes theological conversation about God possible.”27 Though limited human language cannot speak of the infinite God, there has been placed within created humanity some means by which humanity can enter into the presence of the Creator. The means which is able to accomplish this revelation is the beautiful, according to Trier and von Balthasar, both natural and created kinds. Natural beauty and that which is made by the hands of humankind are united by their common source, the beauty of God.

Humanity’s Desire for Beauty

Nearly all people have had the experience of being attracted to beauty. Trier speaks powerfully in his argument: “What we call beautiful we are attracted to.”28 From where does this attraction come? It comes from God. Trier’s eclectic, evangelical approach is based in his broad experience within the Reformed tradition, with influences from the Anglicans and Presbyterians as well as Methodist, Baptist, Brethren, and

Evangelical Free churches.29 Having explored the connection between faith, beauty, and the arts, Trier’s theological thought adds to that of von Balthasar in the the area of humanity’s desire for and attraction to God through beauty, “We are made to long for

26 Von Balthasar, 80.

! 27 C. Michael Patton, Credo House Ministries.

28 Trier, Editor, 211.

29 Information on Daniel Trier come from the Wheaton College website, where Trier holds the Blanchard Professor of Theology position.

15 God’s presence…thirst for him.”30 Because beauty is found in the form of the Divine, beauty draws us in toward that for which we long: “Beauty in the world that glorifies this

God will also evoke desire - a yearning to explore and take pleasure in whatever is beautiful.”31

The attraction, the desire, is only the beginning of this equation. It is true that

“beauty elicits desire,”32 but beyond desire can be found the longing for more. There is the beauty itself and then what lies beyond it - all that beauty may reveal and all to which the revelation may lead. Von Balthasar continues the discussion:

The form as it appears to us is beautiful only because of the delight that it arouses in us is founded upon the fact that, in it, the truth and goodness of the depths of reality itself are manifested and bestowed, and this manifestation and bestowal reveal themselves to us as being something infinitely and inexhaustibly valuable and fascinating. The appearance of the form, as revelation of the depths, is an indissoluble union of two things. It is the real presence of the depths, of the whole of reality, and it is a real pointing beyond itself to these depths.33

The beyond to which von Balthasar points, is a new depth of relationship with God through the beauty of the form: “Admittedly, form would not be beautiful unless it were fundamentally a sign and appearing of a depth and a fullness that, in themselves and in an abstract sense, remain beyond both our reach and our vision.”34 When one realizes the form of God within the form of beauty, the desire is flamed, not extinguished.

30 Trier, 31.

! 31 Ibid..

32 Ibid., 30

33 Von Balthasar, 118.

34 Ibid., 169.

16 Robert Louis Wilken, a former Lutheran pastor who converted to Catholicism, and William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of

Virginia, agrees with von Balthasar: “When the soul glimpses the beauty of God, it yearns to see more.”35 Wilken is interested in how humanity, throughout the history of

Christianity, particularly in its early period, has longed to see the face of God.36 Though the content of what is desired is more than what can be understood, the creature’s longing continues to grow, searching passionately for the “always-More.”37 He argues that when we see light streaming through a crack in a doorway, we are immediately drawn to it. We feel compelled to venture forth and explore the light, from where it comes. We desire the source of the light. Beauty functions in the same manner, as humanity is drawn toward the beautiful to discover its source, the divine.

This longing for more, this desired relationship, this connection to the beautiful, is

God’s way of drawing the human into relationship. This is an integral part of the definition of beauty itself. Whatever connects us to our Creator, whatever entices us into relationship with the divine, whatever draws us into a desire for a deeper, clearer, more faithful relationship to God, that is beautiful. The beautiful is provided by God for the very purpose of initiating relationship. It is God’s action, not that of the person, that defines our attraction to the beautiful as “the love which is infused in man by the Holy

! 35 Robert Lewis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Though: Seeking the Face of God (Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2003), p. 200.

36 Information on the life and theology of Robert Lewis Wilken from Reedits by arturovasquez.wordpress.com.

37 Von Balthasar, 320.

17 Spirit present within him bestows on man the sensorium38 with which to perceive God, bestows also the taste for God and, so to speak, an understanding for God’s own taste…

God possesses the full initiative in the creature’s relationship to him.”39 God alone owns the form of beauty, God is its source, God alone can elicit its desire: “It is not man’s love for God that has set before itself an image of God so as to be able by this means to love

God better: the image offers itself as something that could not have been invented by man…an invention of God’s love.”40 Again, God’s grace prevails.

The Human Need to Create

Within the human being is not only the longing for beauty, but the desire to create it. It is part of who we are as creatures made in the image of God. God is the Creator. In the beginning, God created the world as we know it. With each step, God’s voice spoke and it was so. It was good. It was true. In other words, it was beautiful. The goodness of creation, in that time of perfection and innocence, reflected the goodness of God. One could see God in what God had made. God’s creativity was the first act humanity was allowed to see.

The human person, being made in God’s image, longs to create and make what is beautiful41 as well. The created desires to see God revealed and understand the truth of

38 Sensorium, the seat of sensation in the brain.

39 Von Balthasar, 249.

! 40 Ibid., 173.

41 Please note that in this project, the words beauty and beautiful will be used interchangeably. Beauty will refer to the divine ideal as defined in Chapter 1. The Beautiful will then refer to a particular object that embodies that ideal.

18 what God has promised to us in Jesus Christ. Human beings are created, creating, and creative beings, who have been made to “create something beautiful and delight in it,”42 as God has done with creation. Leland Ryken, Professor of English Emeritus at Wheaton

College and prolific author, argues that what we see in the imagination and where that sight leads us, is where imagination meets both beauty and creativity. The result is the human’s need to express faith through creativity.43 The actions of the human being, if congruent with God’s image, will be of an imitative nature. What the human person does with the imago Dei matters. Creativity is at the heart of humanity’s identity.

Continually on a journey toward wholeness, toward oneness with our Creator, the created one creates because it is the essence of their created being. By creating, they grow closer to the one who creates and to one another. Prolific Christian Poet and Writer in

Residence at Regent College, Vancouver, Luci Shaw believes that “Each of us is called to cultivate beauty, knowing that as artists, and as those with whom we share our creative gifts, we become more whole and healed in that sharing of beauty.”44 This has been

Shaw’s experience as a poet.

Another voice that needs to be heard at this point is that of Jeremy Begbie,

Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, whose experience and knowledge have led him to the specialty of the interface between theology and the arts. As a theologian and trained musician, Begbie has much to say on

42 Leland Ryken, Editor, The Christian Imagination (Colorado Springs, CO: Shaw Books, 2005), p. 149

! 43 Ryken, Part 2 of The Christian Imagination.

44 Luci Shaw, Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), p. 13.

19 the desire to create beauty and how it relates to faith and the Creator. He states that the creative process is one of translation, and like “learning another language,”45 permits humankind to “never see things in quite the same way.”46 In the act of creating, of striving for an expression that is beautiful, that is authentic, more is discovered than could have been anticipated or imagined. This is the mystery of beauty found in the creative process.

The mystery of beauty is precious and important. An instrument of imagination, beauty leads the person to God. Through appreciation, recognition, or gratitude for the divine, the creative act emerges. Called to create, the human being then feels connected to the essence of the created self and its source. Ryken says it best: “Beauty matters. It is important to God. God also seems to be interested in helping his people both create and appreciate beauty.”47

The Measure of Beauty

Now that a case for beauty has been established, criteria must be set for discerning what it beautiful. Drawing from my conversation partners, I am arguing for a group of measurements that includes Christ himself, a reflection of eternity and of human limitations, universality and uniqueness, harmony with truth and goodness, a transformative nature, and abundance. As the reader will discover, there are no clear distinctions between these characteristics. All are woven together, dependent on one

45 Jeremy Begbie, Editor, Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2001), p. xi.

46 Ibid.

47 Ryken, 95.

20 another, and emerging from one another. Though they may be named individually, they are not separate entities, but aspects of one complete and perfect whole, their form harmonious with the form of God’s being.

Jesus himself is the ideal of beauty in theological terms. Von Balthasar states that,

“Christ becomes the measure.”48 His essence matches perfectly the essence of divinity.

Jesus himself is the model for beauty to which humanity can refer. Trier agrees: “Christ is to be seen as the ultimate measure of created beauty.”49 He was not created, but he is the standard by which we measure created beauty. Begbie also states, “Christ is the primary reality.”50 Jesus is “not only one who is wholly adequate: he is the measure itself.”51 And von Balthasar wraps up with the idea that if the form is true, you will see Christ within.52

The incarnation of God in Jesus is where we can find all of the measures to be mentioned.

They are the ultimate standard by which the beautiful is to be defined. “He is the image of the invisible God,” we are told in Colossians 1:15.

The beautiful reflects eternity. First and foremost, beauty is infinite, as is our God.

There is no limit, nor are there boundaries to the reflection of God to be found there.

“Beauty should be considered first of all in terms of infinity,”53 argues Trier. Because infinity speaks only of the divine, not at all of humanity, it a primary consideration when measuring beauty. This aspect of measuring beauty is important to von Balthasar as well,

! 48 Von Balthasar, 171.

49 Trier, 64.

50 Begbie, 49.

51 Von Balthasar, 472.

52 Ibid., 514.

53 Trier, 24.

21 who calls beauty “supratemporal,”54 more than spiritual or infinite, but paradoxically standing within time and space. Beauty is the expression of the form of Jesus which

“cannot be detached from the place in space and time in which it stands.”55

Beauty is limited, and also fragmented, revealing the “meaning of the eschatological promise it contains.”56 Beauty points toward eternity. When one looks deeply into the beautiful, there appears to be no end. Time after time the beautiful is seen, the image is deeper, broader, and more mysterious, inviting the human being to seek further and discover more. Through the senses and the imagination, it “clearly aims at making the mystery present.”57 Contemplating beauty means contemplating the “mystery of the God-Man not in the margins, but in its very centre.”58 The complexity of beauty opens the door to what words alone cannot express, the mystery engages and beckons to humanity, inviting one into the mystery itself, the incarnational beauty of God with us,

Jesus himself.

Universal in its approach, beauty appeals in its uniqueness, which is “open to all.”

It is open from within and from without, a “Marian experience”59 of Christ’s grace radiating so that “those who have eyes to see may ‘read’ the mystery of the experience.”60

With a universal approach comes a completeness, not only open to all, but complete in

! 54 Von Balthasar, 198.

55 Ibid.

56 Ibid., 460.

57 Ibid., 378.

58 Ibid., 322.

59 Ibid., 343. Von Balthasar uses the term “Marian” as it refers to Jesus’ mother, Mary, and that which relates to her.

60 Ibid.

22 that it reflects the fullness of God’s being. As the open arms of God reached out to Mary through the Holy Spirit, drawing her into the presence of the Divine, beauty draws us in to experience Divinity in a unique and tangible way, universal because we all desire it, universal because it speaks to all. And, like Mary, as beauty draws us in, it causes us to ponder these things in our hearts.61 As Mary’s eyes were opened to more fully understand the character and heart of her God, we are allowed by beauty to experience the seen and unseen together. Beauty is akin to “divine lenses - God’s vision given to us - making it possible for us to see both the visible and the invisible.”62 Beauty is universal, allowing anyone to enter its being, its core, its meaning.

The beautiful is abundant. Not only does it seem to have no end, but we do not have to look far to find it. If we are looking, or if we are not, “Eternal Beauty always pours itself out in a superabundant irradiation that is beyond every demand and expectation.”63 Beauty is a “re-creation exceeding all balance...a love that is absurdly lavish and profligate, surplus to all “requirement,” overflowing beyond anything demanded or expected, generous beyond measure.”64 Von Balthasar and Trier agree on this point. Reflective of Jesus in this way, the abundance of beauty may be likened to

Jesus’ declaration that, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”65 Beauty, in all its abundance, may be seen everywhere; in the reflection of the Divine we see in nature, to the wonder of the arts in all its various forms, to the amazing capabilities of the

! 61 Shaw, 125.

62 Luke 1:26-38, 2:19.

63 Von Balthasar, 417.

64 Trier, 29.

65 John 10:10.

23 human body, brain, and heart. Beauty surrounds us, informing our lives, witnessing to the power and imagination of the Creator.

The beautiful is always reflective of truth and goodness. Together, the three form a sort of trilogy, “always interrelated and interpenetrating…mutual interrelationships, the three members of the Trinity.”66 The three are inseparable, never working apart from one another, as are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Shaw agrees: “Beauty is never ‘skin deep’ but always revelatory of goodness and truth.”67 This trinity of essence is found in the beauty of art, a product of the creative process: “Art that reflects goodness and truth is beautiful, good, and true.”68 To be beautiful, an idea or thing also must reflect the goodness and truth of God Almighty, bringing together the consistency and fullness of divine love.

In keeping with the necessary consistency of beauty reflecting that which belongs to God, it also carries with it the power of transformation, which is the part of this measure that is larger than the sum of all the other parts. By leading us to God, “true beauty means facing the otherness of God…transcending, redemptive…Beauty alone is salvific.”69 Beauty is far more than a means to get to God, it is a means of transporting,

“which exacts imitation, a pliancy of the whole man which places one’s entire existence at his disposal as malleable material to be shaped into his image.”70 Beauty has the ability

! 66 Trier, quoting Von Balthasar, 214.

67 Shaw, 30.

68 Trier, 81, 212.

69 Ibid., 119.

70 Von Balthasar, 221.

24 to transform profoundly, so that “in the end something quite new” comes into being.71

Perhaps this divine transformative quality of beauty is the culmination of all that belongs to beauty. Beauty’s abundance, universality, truth, goodness, and eternal nature has been created by God and is reflective of God for this very purpose.

Returning to the incarnation of God in Jesus we can find all of the aforementioned measures. They are the standard by which the beautiful is defined.

The Need for Beauty

Beauty helps us to think theologically. Through beauty, we are led into God’s very presence. Being in the presence of beauty is akin to revelation as “what is revealed has been there all the time, but it has gone unnoticed in our humdrum everyday experience,”72 states Begbie. Beauty calls for receptivity. Von Balthasar argues that by

“its ability to receive,”73 the human person is called by beauty to become receptive to the

Divine presence. By accepting beauty’s invitation to experience rather than merely observe, the person is brought into “an attunement which is a concordance with the rhythm of God himself,” a harmony, if you will, and “therefore an assent not only to

God’s Being, but to his free act of willing which is always being breathed by God upon man.”74 In this place of indwelling with God, beauty demands “the contemplation of

! 71 Wilken, xvii-xviii.

72 Begbie, xii.

73 Von Balthasar, 246.

74 Ibid., 251.

25 faith.”75 Beauty not only leads the creature to the place where God may be found, but challenges and persuades interaction with and thought about the relationship between creation and Creator.

Beauty makes space for this interaction, promoting a recognition and a response, causing the human person to become involved. Beauty is relational. Trier tells us that the beautiful are “not beautiful for their own sake, but we call them beautiful because they call and recall us.”76 The call of the human name is spoken by God and heard through beauty. This call cannot be ignored. It is representative of “God’s venturing forth to man and man’s to God.”77 God’s beauty invites dialogue, thought, and prayer. Similarly,

Ryken argues that the beauty that “bubbles up within us, cries out for recognition and response.”78 The motion of responding, then, comes from both the beauty initiated by

God’s hand and that of the human, a further demonstration of the relational and dialogical nature of beauty. Beauty was made to “elicit some response from the human side.”79

While humanity may resist or ignore it, true beauty is irresistible, for it belongs to God.

Above all, beauty is a form, harmonious with that of the Divine form.80

Mysterious in this way, the form of beauty is not separate from the form of God, but rather, “breaks forth from the form’s interior,”81 from its core, its very definition. The

! 75 Von Balthasar, 203.

76 Trier, 74.

77 Ibid., 74.

78 Ryken, 94.

79 Begbie, 17.

80 Von Balthasar, 151.

81 Ibid.

26 form of the beautiful is to be found in the form of the Divine: God within beauty, beauty within God, “The aesthetic experience is the union of the greatest possible concreteness of the individual form and the greatest possible universality of its meaning or of the epiphany within it of the mystery of Being.”82 When we encounter beauty, we encounter

God. When we experience beauty, we experience God. Humanity needs beauty if there is to be any hope for a peaceful world, an abundant world, a loving world.

A Definition of Beauty

Beauty is that which belongs to God, always reflective of the truth and goodness to be found in God’s essence, “Seeing, transfixed, luminous”83 in this way, “beauty here is another name for God.”84 In its power, beauty is significant, and not only beauty, but in meaning as well.85 Beauty feeds the soul, which would otherwise be distorted and warped.86 Though beauty is different to each individual person, this personal perception is only another reflection of the beauty of God. Just as we are each created uniquely, no two of us are alike, so, too, our ability to recognize and appreciate beauty is unique. This is how we were lovingly designed by God. Though beauty may be found in the eye of the beholder, the common element remains. That is, the beautiful reflects God and invites us into God’s presence. That does not mean that each and every piece of art or writing or human accomplishment will be universally hailed as beautiful by all of humanity. Rather,

! 82 Von Balthasar, 234.

83 Trier, 138.

84 Ibid., 73.

85 Ibid., 175.

86 Ibid., 222.

27 it means that humanity will see that which is reflective of God’s being and name it beautiful, according to our unique gifts and talents and the God-image that has been placed in us.

A “clear reflection of grace,”87 beauty embodies the grace of God, allowing the unseen to be seen, despite the limitations of the human person. The function of beauty is to draw in the person to a place of satisfaction,88 joining the Creator with creation as intended.89 Natural and integral, beauty is “so deeply a part of who we are and what we enjoy that we may take it for granted. Even flawed or marred or distorted as a result of human depravity and failure, it is still visible in the fingerprints of the Creator on the natural world.”90 There is no escaping beauty, as there is no escaping God’s grace.

The “beautiful object is revelation: it is the beauty of God that appears in man and the beauty of man which is to be found in God and God alone…In the precise and unique mode of the incarnation.”91 When we see beauty, we see God, for “God’s beauty is the ultimate measure of all beauty.”92 Beauty is incarnational, as irresistible as Christ, and constant in its revelation. Beauty is that which opens the door through which humanity is able to catch a glimpse of the true self, the image of God.

In Chapter 2, the validity of the use of the arts in worship is argued. The arts present entryway into God’s presence and reflect God’s being. Using the criteria

! 87 Shaw, 121.

88 Begbie, 12.

89 Ryken, 91.

90 Shaw, 22.

91 Von Balthasar, 477.

92 Trier, 22.

28 established here, the arts prove to be a viable catalyst for God’s transforming work in the world.

29 Chapter 2

The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship

The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship as a Means of Transformation

In Chapter 1, it was argued that true beauty has the ability to transform. In this chapter, that transformation will be looked at more closely, using the arts as the means by which to initiate divine transformation. I will discuss the intentional use of beauty in worship through the arts as a means to extend a divine invitation to the worshiper. When works of art that reflect the essence of God’s beauty enter the worship service, reflecting

God’s grace and informing the imagination, harmony is found in the cohesiveness of

God’s self and the function of worship.

Use of the arts in worship is not a new concept, as the arts have been used to convey the imagery of faith for many centuries. In the Biblical witness we find a multitude of references to the use of the arts in worship, whether it be in the decorating of the Temple with precious metals and jewels93 or the songs written by King David and his musicians.94 Today, churches are decorated with the beautiful, psalms and other songs are sung. The visual and aural arts are here to stay.

Poet Lucy Shaw argues art is an animator of faith.95 In her book, Breath for the

Bones, Shaw highlights how the arts used in worship can act as a link from “earth to heaven, pointing the human to the divine.”96 The work of the artist, knowingly or

! 93 See 2 Chronicles 2-3.

94 See 1 Chronicles 25:1-31, Psalm 3-70, most of which are attributed to King David.

95 Shaw, x.

96 Ibid., 12.

30 unknowingly inspired by God, creates a pathway to connect human and divine. The work of art offers a beginning for this connection, a sensory point of reference which then captures the imagination, allowing the worshiper to think and feel beyond the tangible of this earth, and become open to the unseeable of God’s essence.

C.S. Lewis, prolific novelist, theologian and poet, who taught at Magdalene

Colleges of both Oxford and Cambridge, calls this kind of encounter the baptized imagination. Shaw picks up with this thought, stating that a baptized imagination causes a

“certain widening of the imagination.”97 This widening allows the human spirit to go deeper and enter into God’s mystery, and offers a “different way of absorbing information or of perceiving truth and of responding to it with our senses and our feelings as well as with our rational intelligence.”98 A work of art acts an an catalyst, what Shaw calls a

“lens” which opens a window to baptize the imagination.99

A baptized imagination, resulting from a work of art used in worship, allows the worshiper to go beyond their human experience, entering into the divine experience in a new and profound way. The art itself functions as the entryway, engaging the imagination, baptizing it and taking the worshiper to a new reality, the depth of which they have not experienced before. Art is that which can “reveal, disclose, open up the world we live in and, in unique ways…[become a] vehicle of discovery.”100 Not only

! 97 Shaw, 63.

98 Ibid., 71.

99 Ibid.

100 Begbie, xi.

31 does art open the door, it leads to a place of divine experience. According to Begbie, this is a discovery of the incarnation itself.101

Opening the incarnation leads to a whole other level of depth for how the arts function in worship. Through the arts we are able to see God face to face in God’s world.

Opening this new reality allows the worshiper to see God present in this world, to feel

God in everyday life, and to look for God with more anticipation each day, especially in congregational worship. As the arts lead the worshiper to a baptized imagination, that imagination then allows the human and the divine to meet.102 The new reality is what then begins the process of transformation.

The beauty of art, which reflects both the complexity of human life and of God,103 is the catalyst for the first step in transformation. When the worshiper is led to a new place with new possibilities, a deeper and more tangible experience in God’s reality, then life in this time and place look different. Perception is broadened. When perception is broadened, thinking changes. When thinking changes, actions change. When thoughts and actions change, transformation takes place.

In the Psalms, nearly every human emotion known is found in the lyrics of these sacred songs. Joy, anger, fear, gratitude, and love are only a few of the emotions present in the text. Many of these emotions are extreme, they have reached their limit. In Psalm

137, the Israelites in exile are experiencing such pain that they desire to dash the heads of

! 101 Begbie, xiv.

102 Green, 4.

103 Shaw, 108.

32 their captors’ children against the rocks. Truly, this is extreme. In the Psalms, the complexity of human life is expressed in a way that can be visualized and felt.

Likewise, the arts invite the worshiper into the complexity of the essence of God.

While humans attempt to formulate an idea of the nature of God, these attempts will always be incomplete. Our exploration of what is made available to us through the baptized imagination opens up new ideas and subtleties, eventually disclosing the truth in its diverse richness and complexity.104

Humanity’s images of God’s essence often begin in childhood with Bible stories,

Sunday School and worship. These images form our first picture of God. It may be simple or it may be complex, and there are teachers and texts to aid in the forming of the divine image. With age, thought, and experience, images of God emerge from other sources. An interaction with another person where God’s presence is sensed, the look on someone’s face, or an experience of suffering; these may reveal God’s essence, which add to the complexity and richness of God’s truth. This is what art often reveals and what begins the transformative journey.

Transformation begins with response. When God is encountered in a tangible way, the need to move, to be, to do, to become, are felt. Faith evokes a response. Art does the same. It causes movement. Art is about “what is bubbling up within us, which cries for recognition and response.”105 Faith and art share this common language, this function.

Perhaps that is why they work so well together. When the human being comes face to face with God, with art as the starting point, the journey toward transformation has

! 104 Shaw, 108 and 117, paraphrased.

105 Ibid., 5.

33 begun. As the imagination opens and God’s being is experienced with a deeper understanding, our innate need to respond increases as well. God bubbles up inside of the person, who then recognizes God, and wants to respond.

What comes from this desire to respond is new meaning. The emergence of new meaning brings with it a new sense of identity, a new definition of life, and a new realization of what matters. Choices are reorganized, priorities are triaged, and decisions are informed with reference to the new meaning. New meaning offers new direction, which is transformation. According to Shaw, this stems from beauty: “The messages of beauty through the senses, when combined with reasoning intelligence, achieve meaning or significance for us...do[ing] their transforming work in us.”106

God’s act of transformation is one in which the human person is led to a place of wholeness, of completeness. Transformation leads us from the earthly, temporal way of thinking and being, to the fullness of humanity as created in the divine image. Art, and its interaction with faith, is one place where this transformation may begin. If used wisely and creatively, the arts in worship will join earthly and divine beauty, allowing transformation to begin.

Faith Informs Art and Art Enhances Faith107

Exploring the use of the arts in liturgy, and how the worshiper can be pointed toward thinking theologically, is important. Theology is defined as that which is about

God. It is the role of the worship service to lead the worshiper in that direction - thinking

! 106 Shaw, 23.

107 Ibid., xvi.

34 about God, talking about God, learning about God. As theologian, author, and educator

Marva Dawn says, God is both the subject and the object of worship.108 A much sought- after speaker and well-known writer, Dawn is the Teaching Fellow in Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Worship is for God and about God. One does not engage in worship without engaging in theology. In worship, the worshiper is invited to experience God. This experience, when enhanced by artistic expression, can do just that - create a space that is all about and for God.

Art has its own “distinctive and indispensable role to play in what we might call the ‘ecology’ of theology--the whole gamut of ways in which the wisdom of God comes to be learned and articulated.”109 In other words, what art brings to worship is unique, offering what nothing else can. The role of art is also considered to be indispensable in the way that it is able to further the practice of theology - engaging Creator and created together as organisms interacting - hence “ecology.” Interaction is essential to the practice of theology in worship, where pastor or leader and congregation interact, thereby reflecting the interaction of God and God’s people. When engagement with art is added, the interaction is enhanced by providing a common focus that illustrates something of the

Divine.

This interaction might also be called dialogue. In worship, the liturgy is not about something, it is engagement with Something. It may be about “God or his attributes, or about truth from scripture.”110 It may be about how human life is informed by God’s

! 108 Marva Dawn, Reaching OUt Without Dumbing own: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time (Wm. Be. Eerdmans, 1995), p. 76-82.

109 Begbie, xii.

110 Shaw, 32.

35 being, or the interdependence to be found in a gathered community in Christ. But, no matter what the words say, it is sure that “a dialogue is going on.”111

When creating a worship service, ideally, the writer begins with scripture. The passage or passages of scripture that will be used in a particular worship service is central, and all else is chosen to enhance that focus. The opening parts of the liturgy lead to that point. The sermon and all that follows then reflect upon the same. The prayers that are written, the music chosen, the call to worship and charge to the congregation are all related to the central message of the scripture on which the worship is founded. The entire service is a dialogue: worshipers with the word of God, worshipers with the meaning of the word, worshipers with God’s self, meeting the Divine through the word.

The dialogue found in worship becomes sacramental, a means by which the invisible grace of God becomes visible. Garrett Green, Professor Emeritus of Religious

Studies at Connecticut College, states that “the absent is made present by the imagination,”112 indicating that the things of God that are not visible in this world are somehow brought to light in the act of engaging the human imagination through liturgy, art, or other means utilized in worship. Green also says that the imagination is informed by scripture.113 This sacramental dialogical work begins: scripture informs imagination, art and beauty allow the imagination to go a step further, and God’s presence is discovered. It is theology practiced, because it is all about God. The dialogue brings the worshiper into a conversation with the things of God, opening the imagination, and God

! 111 Shaw, 32.

112 Green, 60.

113 Ibid., ch. 6.

36 takes it from there, forming and transforming the human being, the congregation, the work of the church.

The next piece of this dialogue to consider is that it not only allows the worshiper to engage with the Divine Creator, it also gives us perspective on human life in this world. When the imagination is opened during theological dialogue, it is noticed more acutely how “the imagination is our fundamental mode of insertion in the world.”114

Living with the imaginations each and every day, the human person sees the possibilities of life in this world, to wonder and learn and grow in original ways. Imagination gives us a place. It inserts us into society and culture and the knowledge of this world. With this in mind, we can see how the imagination, as fundamental to the human being, may have

“deep religious implications.”115 The insertion into the world provided by the imagination, gives humankind the very idea of place and the desire to feel a sense of home, depth, and understanding in our life of faith.

The liturgical dialogue enhanced by art explores another layer: the dimension, that of truth. When the human person finds a piece of art beautiful (Ch. 1, as reflective of

God’s being), it shows truth. The truth of the art is the truth of life.116 It has integrity, it rings true. The same is found with liturgy, with sermons, with the gestalt of a worship service. When authenticity is discerned in the entirety of the message, the human person hears the ring of truth, and feels it in their souls. God is heard, and the person is drawn more deeply into the experience; when there, the human being finds themselves thinking

! 114 Ryken, 64.

115 Ibid.

116 Ibid., 79.

37 theologically. There is no doubt that the imagination has taken the person to the place beyond. The imagination has opened a whole new world to humanity: God’s world. The human person finds themselves at an end that is only a beginning. George MacDonald says that at the end of the imagination we find harmony.117 This harmony is the transformed self, or it is the beginning of being transformed. Whatever it is, when the harmony of God’s being, or God’s presence, is experienced, the human person knows transformation has begun.

Conclusion

It is essential that beauty be acknowledged within the Church and utilized in worship. If it is not, encountering divine beauty may never happen. The purpose of

Christ’s Church is to worship God in community, to meet God there, and to ensure that

God is both the subject and the object of worship. Using the arts as a catalyst to that end is imperative. If the church does not engage the arts as an entryway into the beauty of

God, it may very well not occur. It is necessary for the Church to take up this mission and allow God to work through the arts and reach humanity.

Worship that is experiential, involving engagement with the arts, is vital to the transformative power of worship. When we can see, touch, and feel the glory of God as reflected in the beauty of art, our worship experience is changed for the better. It is more fruitful because it is more tangible. Because encountering beauty in works of art requires interpretation, this project will now explore a specific work of art in each chapter, what it

! 117 Ryken, 103.

38 reveals about God and God’s mission, and how to use it in the context of worship. Within each exploration, the imagination of the reader is invited to be enlivened, allowing creativity and application of original ideas for use of the arts in worship. As with God’s being, there is no limit: no limit to approaches, no limit to works of art, no limit to engaging in dialogue with God through the arts, and no limit to how God can use these revelations. Meeting God in our imaginations through transformative work, humanity may grow into its fullness and feel the divine harmony that life with God promises.

39 Chapter 3

Adagio for Strings: Opening the Heavens

History of Adagio for Strings

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) knew that he was destined to become a composer.

When he was nine years old, Barber wrote the following to his mother: “I have written to tell you my worrying secret. Now don’t cry when you read it because it is neither yours nor my fault...I was not meant to be an athlete. I was meant to be a composer.”118 This youthful certainty guided Barber’s life throughout. Before age nine he studied both piano and cello and finished a few modest compositions. At ten, he wrote the beginning of an opera, which he performed with his sister. At fourteen, he was in the first group of students to attend the first class of the newly opened Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.

There he studied voice, piano, and composition. By the age of sixteen, Barber was performing full recitals of his own songs. He then began writing for larger groups.119

In 1936, at age twenty-six, Barber was well-known as a composer, and during a summer that he spent in Europe, wrote his Adagio for Strings. Originally the second movement of a larger work, his Opus 11 for String Quartet which premiered in Rome that same year, Barber orchestrated it two years later for string orchestra and promptly mailed it to eminent conductor Arturo Toscanini. Toscanini memorized the piece, and sent it back without comment to Barber.

! 118 Daniel Felsenfeld, Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber: Their Lives and Their Music (Amadeus Press, 2005), p. 43.

119 Michael Steinberg, San Francisco Symphony, program notes (San Francisco Symphony).

40 Toscanini premiered the work with the NBC Symphony on November 5, 1938.

This first performance was part of the NBC Symphony’s weekly radio broadcast, heard by millions of people across the United States. A prolific composer, Barber went on to be an acclaimed world composer of songs, operas, concertos, quartets, and orchestral pieces.

Barber was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, for his opera Vanessa in 1957, and a piano concerto in 1962.

Since that time, Barber’s Adagio for Strings has not waned in popularity.

Considered Barber’s signatory work,120 it has been recorded hundreds of time, used in film scores (most notably Platoon and The Elephant Man), recorded by and arranged for many different groupings of instruments including solo organ, clarinet choir, woodwind band, and choir (which was arranged by Barber personally). In 2005, the Library of

Congress added the original Toscanini recording to its esteemed list, the National

Recording Registry.

Throughout its history, Barber’s Adagio, as it has been affectionately named, has been used for numerous funerals, notably President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert

Einstein, and Princess Grace of Monaco. It also was played publicly over the airwaves during the report of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and to commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks. Additionally, Adagio was used for such prominent events as the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. More recently, the work has been utilized as the basis for electronic music, Rap, and even as

120 Felsenfeld, 144.

41 accompaniment to the gaming industry. An electronic version of Adagio for Strings was one of the best sellers on I-tunes in recent years.

The Adagio’s universal appeal and popularity often has been associated with the timing of its composition. In 1936-1938, the United States was still immersed in the painful effect of The Great Depression. At the same time, the world was beginning to face the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich. Great suffering was felt and great suffering was coming.

This suffering affected not only how audiences perceived the work, but tuned their ears to the need to hear a profound, sensitive, and honest piece of music that would speak to their souls. It also affected the conductors, most notably Arturo Toscanini, whose influence affected the work’s popularity dramatically.

Toscanini was outspoken against both fascism and Hitler’s regime when the

Adagio came into his life. And, he had only recently settled in America after fleeing fascist Italy, where he had been named “an honorary Jew who should be shot.”121 His phones had been tapped and he was considered an enemy of the state. The gripping freedom and depth of beauty to be found in Barber’s Adagio allowed Toscanini to continue to speak the political thoughts of his heart through music.

About the Music

Adagio is a musical term which means slow and unhurried. There is movement, but never a rush. It is never fast. The music is to move naturally and without impediment.

Author Daniel Felsenfeld describes Barber himself in much the same way. He was “slow-

! 121 The Impact of Barber’s Adagio for Strings on All Thing Considered(NPR, 2006).

42 paced” and “mannered.”122 This unity of bearing might explain why Barber and his

Adagio are often identified as inseparable.

The work is in the key of Bb minor, with a relatively simple chord structure that vacillates between major and minor. The meter is 2/2, affirming the Adagio, with an occasional 5/2 or 6/2 measure included (m. 4, 15, 26, 32, 44, and 61). This simple variance allows the piece to have a free feeling throughout. The main melodic figure adds to this feeling of freedom. Beginning in the first violins, the melody line consists of a stepwise motion with quarter notes, moving forward and back, up and down, a few steps forward and one or two back, so that the continuous motion is one of moving forward.

Felsenfeld calls this a “slipper, stepwise”123 motion.

The violas soon pick up the melody, and within a few measures the first and second violins begin their ascent, which culminates in a two octave climb toward the climax, while at the same time trading the melody back and forth with the violas. Soon following comes a counter melody utilizing some quarter notes, but mainly half notes,

! 122 Felsenfeld, 57.

123 Ibid., 145.

43 slowing things down a bit at half the speed of the first melody,124 allowing the musical ascent to linger, giving it the time that it needs. This grounding motion gives the listener time to get to the core of the piece, aligning spirit to music. Meanwhile, tension is created through the use of suspensions, which create a feeling of anticipation for what might be next, and an increased desire to discover where this movement is leading.

The entire piece is described by many to be in the form of an arch, with a clear trajectory of ascent and descent.125 The repeated initial melody is built on a sequence, with the figure repeated in higher and lower ranges throughout, while always making its way upward. All writers agree that perhaps the most striking thing about the piece is that the Adagio moves clearly to a specific goal. It is a precise piece, a whole that builds to a climax. The listener is never in any doubt as to what it is about.126

The climax to which Adagio builds, the top of the arch, is one in which the lowest instruments have been eliminated and the climb has ascended to a height that is technically difficult for the instruments. As we arrive, we sit suspended for a moment.

Previously, during the build, we have had movement, continuous motion, quarter notes and half notes making a pilgrimage to this place of ascent. Then we stop. Bows must play by staggering their changes, as the listener experiences this lofty place with one chord for several measures, and then a second for several more.

Then, silence. It may last as long as the conductor desires, and it varies from recording to recording. The dominant range appears to be between three and six seconds.

! 124 Felsenfeld, 146.

125 Ibid., 147.

126 Joe Horowitz and Barbara Heyman, The Impact of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, All Things Considered (NPR, 2006).

44 After this continuous sound, the dramatic build, and the shimmer of the strings, the silence speaks volumes, allowing the listener to breathe or think or merely enjoy the suspension that has been experienced.

When the silence ends and sound resumes, the listener once again hears the familiar melody that began the piece. Its quarter notes weave back and forth, making their way back down to a place that is lower in pitch than in the beginning. All is quiet, all is calm. It is over, but remains.

What Makes Adagio Beautiful?

Using the categories outlined in Chapter 1, Adagio for Strings is a beautiful work of art because it exemplifies truth, it leads to the eternal, and it is abundant in its generosity and universality. All are invited to participate in these transformative qualities.

Barber’s “fluent technique is palpable. There is nothing forced…it is both rooted and abstract.”127 Barber’s work has consistently been called honest and open. There is nothing hidden. Like God, Adagio is transparent, never pretending to be something that it is not, always sure of where it is going and how it is going to get there. Adagio is true.

The piece is lyrical, but not lush. There is no sentimentality or excess128 to be found within its structure. Yet, there is an urgency, a drive to the build of the piece as it journeys from low to high, from movement to suspension. The feeling of forward motion never ceases, and even in the moments where the notes stand still and where the silence

! 127 Felsenfeld, 145.

128 Mortimer Frank, The Impact of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, All Things Considered (NPR, 2006).

45 occupies space, the piece shimmers with life in a way that sounds primal, timeless, and true.

There is an ethereal quality, an other-worldliness that emanates from Adagio for

Strings. And perhaps that in and of itself is the main argument for its beauty, its reflection of the Divine. It is an everyman piece, drawing people in from all walks of life, from all musical expressions and knowledge. More than any other single reason, its universality is why the piece has become so popular and remained so.

The breadth of human emotion expressed ignites the imagination, baptizes it even.

The baptized imagination, as referenced in Chapter Two, is that which allows the human person to enter more deeply into the Divine Mystery. This baptism allows for the juxtaposition of extreme sorrow and overwhelming joy. Sorrow weaves its way throughout by means of the melody, which is reflective of God in its consistency, persistence, and generosity. In the short term, the steady movement of the main melody moves in a stepwise motion, going back and forth, gaining and retreating. Humanity sees itself moving toward God, trying to gain ground, but veering from the path, struggling to return. In the long term, the consistency of the melody reflects God’s being that is always moving toward created humanity, always forward, always in pursuit of the goal of reaching the beloved created.

As the push and pull of the melody ascends, the listener is taken to a place that is beyond this world. It is the place of hope, the place of the heavens. Felsenfeld says,

“Barber forced our eyes to the heavens.”129 We live there for a moment in time, in

129 Felsenfeld, 147.

46 eternity. All sorrow is past and we are able to envision the glory of God. The heavens have been opened and God is luminous before us. Begbie states that music has the power to offer “a foretaste of heaven...an abundant, dynamic multiplicity.”130 Adagio fulfills

Begbie’s statement by taking the listener to the mountaintop, a place beyond time or space, the place where the abundance of heaven and earth meet.

After the climax and its ending silence, we discover the melody continues, and we are sent “back to earth.”131 After the climax, nothing can ever be the same. Time, space, and sound are altered. That is precisely why silence is appropriate at the end of the climax. Time is needed before the listener can breathe again, can hear something more.

When the original melody returns and perspective has expanded to God’s space, the listener is ready to move into life with this new knowledge, this revelation of God’s being. Transformation has begun.

Adagio is a piece of emotionally directed uniformity.132 We are never in doubt as to where it is headed. It begins, reaches its climax, makes its point and goes away. There is a poetry about it. It has a melodic gesture that reaches an arch, like a sigh, and then exhales and fades off into nothingness.133

Barber’s Adagio for Strings is beautiful. It is beautiful because it reflects who God is in its character, and how humanity is able to relate to God. It is beautiful because it

! 130 Begbie, 153.

131 Felsenfeld, 147.

132 Ibid., 148.

133 Barbara Heyman, The Impact of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, All Things Considered (NPR, 2006).

47 draws the listener in and invites an experience of the Divine through the gift of music.

Adagio is beautiful, and therefore may be used as an entryway into the presence of God.

How to Use Adagio in Worship

The beauty of Adagio invites its use in worship in many ways. As a guided meditation or sermon illustration, several theological foci are possible. Adagio may illustrate the movement of Lent toward Easter, or the imagery of divine light. It also may be used to reflect a pilgrim’s journey.

A guided meditation may be built around Adagio to be used in worship or in a retreat setting. The length of the piece is approximately eight minutes, unless the conductor makes the Adagio into a Lento. Some recordings are longer than ten minutes, which might prove to be too long for a guided meditation.

The piece also works well with a sermon or as a sermon. With a sermon, the pastor may write an opening that leads up to the point of hearing music, directing the congregation to listen for certain points in the music and how it may be considered theologically. As a sermon, the same thought process may follow, with the preacher offering spiritual images as the music plays. For both sermons and meditations, Adagio may be seen as a parallel to the movement through Lent into Easter. As Jesus and the disciples journey toward Jerusalem, sorrow is with them. Jesus uses three passion predictions in Mark’s gospel.134 This is the main portion of the melody. As the melody intensifies with higher and higher pitch, the worshiper can experience the suffering and

! 134 Mark 8:31, 9:31, and 10:32-34.

48 betrayal of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. When the highest point is reached, the worshiper has moved past suffering and is free to live in the glory of Christ’s resurrection. After the worshiper is awestruck and in silence, they then can resume life by hearing the original melody once more, but from a different perspective, as they are changed. The worshiper does not hear the melody in the same way, or look at the life given to us by God in the same way.

A second sermonic or meditative approach to Barber’s Adagio is exploring its manifestation of divine light. The entire piece shimmers in its arched approach. Light streams from every bar. The movement of the strings, the voicing of the melody as it moves from one instrument to another. It all shimmers. It shimmers like the Light of

Christ. It shimmers like Transfiguration.135 Shining more brightly than the twinkle or sparkle of a single star, Adagio’s shimmer reflects the brightness of Christ in the world.

As the piece is experienced, moment by moment, the shimmer grows until it feels as if

God is being met face to face.

A third approach for sermon or meditation is the idea of pilgrimage. When Adagio is heard, the listener knows that they are going somewhere. The Christian is making their way toward God. The experience of journeying in God’s direction where God’s very self is the goal, is mirrored in the piece. There is no doubt, there is no hesitation, there is only steady direction, forward motion. The melody weaves as the pilgrim weaves, yet divine persistence continues to pull us in the direction of our Creator. After the Christian has come to the meeting place, the place of revelation, they are gently placed back on earth.

135 See Luke 9:28-36 and John 1:9.

49 The use of music in worship to reflect God’s being is nothing new. King David certainly used music as something earthly, yet beautiful enough to be worthy to place before God’s ears. The Hebrew word mizmor means far more than its English translation psalm. A word study reveals that mizmor may refer to a song or a singer, a group of instruments, an accompaniment, a chorus of singers, or any combination of the aforementioned. Mizmor is everything that music can be in worship, that leads the musician and the worshiper toward a clearer image of God, and a more faithful response to God.

Jeremy Begbie writes powerfully about the use of music in worship, asking,

“What do we recognize of God and ourselves in this piece of music?”136 The worshiper may recognize the push and pull of their journey toward God, and the otherness of God in the ethereal nature of Adagio. They may see revealed the beauty of God’s presence, as the heavens are opened in the climax of the piece. And, they may identify God’s presence with them on the journey, or remember a time when God was present in their lives. Music

“depends on these interpenetrating and resonating features of sound more than any other sonic art form.”137 Music, made by the breath of the body, or the breath of the air, penetrates the human being. It resonates. Music becomes a part of the human being when listening, singing, or playing. The musician or worshiper can feel the vibrations of music’s sound waves in the entire body. Breaths can be measured to the music’s beat.

Lost in the movement of the music, the listener is invited to follow where the music leads.

! 136 Begbie, 139.

137 Ibid., 149.

50 A Guided Meditation for use with Barber’s Adagio for Strings m. 1-4 Feel your breath. Allow your breath to become one with the music. m. 4-8 Let your breath and your heart follow the melody of the violins. m. 8-15 Where are you going? You can feel that you are making progress, going somewhere, somewhere important. You are compelled to continue the journey. m. 15-19 You notice that you are no longer alone. Someone is walking beside you as you travel. m. 19-26 The journey becomes more urgent. Not hurried, but your desire to arrive is growing with each moment, with each step forward. m. 26-36 You walk and walk, another joins you. You pause to take a breath, then begin again. m. 36-43 You work in unison with the others, one taking the lead, then another. When necessary, you carry each other, you are so anxious to arrive. Are you there? Alas, no. m. 43-54 There is more to see, more to experience, more to travel. You go, climbing higher and higher. Your breath increases. It is a struggle to continue. There is doubt and then...Light! God! The beginning and the end. The source of all that has been, is and will be. You are home. m. 54 (there is silence) m. 54-57 You breathe again. Your pulse slowly returns to normal. m. 57-70 You turn and begin to travel once more, taking one step, then another. The familiar road is somehow changed. You see it from the perspective of the light. Exhausted, yet renewed. You know from where you come. You know where you are going.

51 Sermon to be used with Barber’s Adagio for Strings

Climbing the Mountain

Mark 9:2-8

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to climb that mountain with Jesus, to be one of the three chosen to make that ascent and see the glory of God with their own eyes? I have. I have tried to imagine the feeling to being invited on this journey. I don’t know if the three knew that they were making an historic journey, or if they thought that Jesus had some special instructions or honor for them, or if there was again the need to get away and pray in a place that was set apart. All we know is that they went, with Jesus leading.

They went up to a ‘high mountain’ our text tells us. Perhaps they are still in

Caesarea Philippi, which is the last location mentioned. This is the place that was known as the home of the pagan god, Pan. A large and opulent temple erected in Pan’s honor was located there, as well as a cave that the locals called “The Gates of Hell,” because of the unusual flow of water that sprang from its depths. It was believed that if you entered that cave, those “gates,” you would never return.

52 In the north of Israel, where Caesarea Philippi is located, there are many mountains to be found, though some might call them very large hills.

Still, a climb would take some time and effort, even for those who walked everywhere they went, for the landscape is one of rocks. There is rock everywhere, whether it be the limestone that continues to rise from the earth in chunks large and small, or the lava rock that is unique to the north. Whenever you go away from the road, there are rocks to be dealt with, climbed, walked around, encountered. This is not an easy thing, to climb this mountain.

We do not know what the conversation was as the four men made their way towards the top, or if there was any conversation at all. Did Jesus prepare the faithful followers for what they would see, or did they walk in silence? Whatever the scenario, nothing could have possibly prepared Peter, James, and John for what they would experience once they arrived.

Jesus has already shared with the twelve disciples two predictions of his passion.

He has told them plainly of his suffering and death. Yet, they do not seem to comprehend.

Perhaps the timing of this divine revelation will help to prepare them to hear the third passion prediction, which is found in the same chapter, twenty-two verses later.

As they reach the top of the mountain, Jesus is transfigured. In Greek, the word is metamorphóō, which literally means that he changed form while keeping his inner reality.

In Christian terms, Jesus shone with heavenly glory. We saw Jesus as he will be upon his ascension into Heaven. One might think that the sight of God’s glory might provide cause for a paralyzed mouth, but we know better than that. Peter always has something to say!

53 Peter is a ‘doer’ and he wants to behave in a way that is appropriate for such an occasion.

He knows of Elijah and Moses, who they are, what they mean to the faith. He sees Jesus glorified and speaking with them. And, he wants to keep them here, for this sacred place to always exist, as it does now. This is what tells us of the beauty and power of the experience.

But that is not all, there is more to this sacred time of transfiguration than Jesus changed and the presence of Moses and Elijah. God appears in a cloud and speaks. God affirms Jesus’ identity as the Son, the Beloved. God commands the disciples to listen!

Then, just as suddenly as God and the holy ones appeared, they are gone. They are once again alone with Jesus. And, they must make their way back down the mountain.

I would like us to take that walk up the mountain with Jesus and the disciples, to feel what it must have been like to make the effortful journey, to wonder where they were going and why. Perhaps the struggle of the journey itself kept them from wondering too much, but once they arrived, when the last step had been taken, they were invited into the presence of the Divine and allowed to stay there for a time. It must have been difficult to leave, to pull themselves away from the glory of that moment. I wonder if they lingered, or longed for the light of Jesus’ countenance to return. Whatever the case, the disciples returned with Jesus, commanded to not speak of their wondrous encounter with God until after his rising.

A piece of music that reminds me of Jesus’ transfiguration, and particularly the experience of the three who accompanied him up the mountain to the top, is Barber’s

Adagio for Strings. As we listen to the piece, try to imagine that you are with the three on

54 their journey with Jesus. You do not know where you are going or why, but, compelled to follow, you trust that the journey is where you are meant to be.

Play Toscanini’s recording of Adagio for Strings. As the congregation listens, call their attention to the anticipation felt as the melody continually moves upward in m.

19-42, and to the climatic moments of m. 43-54. Remind them to breathe and relax at m.

55. Ask if the journey up looks the same as the journey down.

We have been to the mountaintop. We have seen God. But now we are back on earth. What has changed? How do we see the world differently than we did before? This is our calling in life, to live with the knowledge of Jesus’ glory, to allow the revelation of his Transfiguration to change us, informing our lives. May it be so. Amen.

55 Chapter 4

John Singer Sargent and Miss Elsie Palmer: Eyes into the Soul

John Singer Sargent and His Art

John Singer Sargent was born on January 12, 1856, in Florence, Italy. His parents,

Dr. Fitzwilliam Sargent, a surgeon, and Mary Newbold Singer, had moved to Europe in

1854, a year after the death of their first child. Intending this move to be temporary, the grieving couple instead became expatriates, spending the remainder of their lives living in Europe. The Sargent family was originally from New England, with roots in

Gloucester, Massachusetts, where John’s grandfather was in the shipping business. When the business failed, the family moved to Philadelphia, where the young surgeon and his wife first lived.

Considered the outstanding portrait painter of his generation,138 Sargent had an unusual upbringing with a nomadic lifestyle. Never staying in one place very long, the

Sargent family spent their winters in various locales in Italy, and during the hot summer and early autumn months in Switzerland, France, and Germany, where the weather was cooler. This constant travel led young Sargent to become very close to his family, particularly his sister, Emily. She was his junior and a bit isolated because of a spine deformity which resulted from a childhood injury. The two had a third sibling, a sister,

Violet, who was fourteen years John’s junior.

! 138 Elaine Kilmurray and Richard Ormond, Editors, John Singer Sargent (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, 1999), p. 23.

56 Sargent was a true cosmopolitan139 because of his great travel experience. He was confident and comfortable in almost any surrounding. As a child and as an adult, he had endless energy and was restless. His love of travel stayed with him all of his life and served his art well. Sargent’s education was varied as well, his father acting as his main teacher in math, history, science, and reading. A prolific reader, Sargent’s wide range of knowledge was invaluable as he traveled, and later in life when he had clients from all walks of educated life. Sargent also became fluent in four languages, English, French,

Italian, and German, due to the education of life lived in many places, and his great love of reading. Though he did not visit the United States until eighteen years of age, it is said that Sargent was always proud of being an American.

Sargent’s religious formation proves elusive, yet his thoughts on religion as an adult greatly influenced his art. Most notably, the Boston Public Library’s Triumph of

Religion gives us a view into Sargent’s religious thought. Showing a mix of religious expressions and utilizing a multi-media approach, the work was at the same time popular and controversial. The piece explores the role of religion in the age of Enlightenment.

While many believed that religion would disappear, it is theorized that “Sargent, and the experts he consulted, believed that the external forms of religion (creeds, dogma, institutions) would decline and pass away, while religion itself would survive and even triumph through private, individual, subjective spiritualities.”140 Sargent believed that religion would triumph over reason, albeit transformed into something very different. His work on Triumph of Religion began in 1893, and lasted until the end of his life.

! 139 Kilmurray and Ormond, 11.

140 New World Encyclopedia, John Singer Sargent.

57 A talented pianist as well as artist, Sargent continued to play the instrument socially throughout his life at parties and other gatherings with friends. His musical talent was recognized by prominent musicians through his life. Those musicians, such as Percy

Grainger, believed that the musicality Sargent brought with his presence, changed the way people listened to music.

Of course, the young Sargent had within him a passion for art. His mother was a talented watercolorist. While still quite young, Sargent’s painting was a point of pride that his parents shared with family in America. Both of John’s parents took his painting seriously, and in 1873, he was taken to Florence to study art. The very next year, Sargent and his father traveled to Paris, the center of European art, and John was enrolled in art school with young teacher Emile Carolus-Duran.

Carolus-Duran was the champion of a new form of realism141 called tonal realism.

In a very short time, Sargent became his star pupil and protégée.142 Sargent stood out in

Carolus-Duran’s class, appearing older than his age and, though American, he spoke

French fluently.143 Other students often commented on Sargent’s mature style and used his work as a measure of their own.

The influence Carolus-Duran had on the young Sargent was profound. He taught

John this new method of painting which was achieved by laying on the paint stroke by stroke without reworking it. The aim of tonal realism was to create the greatest of

141 Kilmurray and Ormond, 23.

142 H. Barbara Weinberg, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) (Heilbronn Timeline of Art HIstory, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000), p. 1.

143 Kilumurry and Ormond, 11.

58 accuracy of representation with the minimum means.144 This became the foundation of

Sargent’s work. Accord to Carolus-Duran, this approach to technique would give his work a sense of immediacy,145 which was a popular artistic movement in the 1870s and

1880s among young international artists who wanted to record the world as it really exists. They sought to portray objects and people under faithfully recorded conditions of light and atmosphere.146 This technique made full use of the contrast between the values of light and dark, in an effort to capture the essence of the real world at a specific moment in time.

After spending three years with his mentor, Sargent struck out on his own into the art world. He was driven, ambitious for his art and its place in the world. Tireless both physically and mentally, he set out to make his way in the art world of Paris. Sargent exhibited twelve paintings at the Paris Salon in the next several years, six portrait and six subject pictures,147 including a portrait of his teacher and mentor Emile Carolus-Duran.

The non-portrait works included subjects from his travels, those of rural life and working people, portrayed in natural poses as they went about their world.

Overall, Sergeant’s work was seen as daring in style and order, yet maintaining a dialogue with tradition.148 This method made Sargent a popular portrait artist at a very early age, which was unusual in this setting, especially considering his nationality. His works were natural and true to real life, capturing that moment in time effect, aspired to

! 144 Kilmurray and Ormond, 23.

145 Ibid., 24.

146 Ibid., 4.

147 Ibid., 25.

148 Weinberg, 2.

59 by the tonal realists. His works were also quite large, often full-length, and created a setting that was viewed as artistic or staged, in an effort to bring out the very core of the person or situation. Sargent focused on artistic renderings that were true to the subject’s natural essence and spirit. Sargent was known for creating a spatial atmosphere, a place in which his subjects might live and move naturally and freely, allowing their true nature to shine.

Sargent’s portraits during this time became popular with the French aristocracy, artists, musicians, authors and actors, and the artist became well acquainted with the likes of Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Auguste Rodin, and Henry James. He was a part of their inner circle. He often would travel with other artists on sketching expeditions, traveling across Europe and searching for material for future works. At this point in his life,

Sargent was popular socially and professionally. He maintained close friendships, yet was intensely private. He “lived intensely for his work,”149 his drive never waning, his energy boundless. Absorbed by “life in the here and now,”150 Sargent’s focus was always on his art, on the power of image to reflect the human condition and the beauty of each person or situation.

In 1884, Sargent was to exhibit once more in the Paris Salon, but this time he went too far. With his now famous portrait of a young woman entitled Madame X,151

Sargent created a scandal from which he could not escape. The full-length life-sized portrait pushed convention beyond what the Salon could accept. With a sleeveless, low-

149 Kilmurray and Ormond, 16.

150 Ibid., 18.

151 See painting on p. 61.

60 cut black gown and a suggestive pose, the picture was removed after public outcry and the request of the subject’s mother. Sargent’s career as a famous portrait painter was over in France. Commissions were cancelled and no new opportunities appeared.

Madame X, John Singer Sargent, 1884 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund

In 1886, after numerous urgings by his friend, Henry James, Sargent moved to

London where his career slowly resumed. It was a long time coming, but slowly

Sergeant’s popularity resumed, with his first commissions coming from Americans. This occupied his time nicely, and within a few years the British followed with their commissions after the popularity of Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, which was exhibited at

61 the Royal Academy in 1887. This painting depicts two young children, girls in white, with lanterns in a garden at dusk. More than anything else, this single painting restored

Sargent to the public and his elite clientele.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, John Singer Sargent, 1887 Tate Gallery, Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1887

By the 1890s, Sargent was again in high demand for portraits as well as murals.

He was commissioned by the new Boston Public Library, the Boston Museum of Fine

Arts, and the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to paint murals. Respected as a seasoned and wise artist, Sargent occasionally was called on to arrange, exhibit and sell the works of deceased artists. Generous to struggling young artists, Sargent often

62 supported young painters and musicians, both financially and with connections from within his circle.

In 1907, consumed by commissions, Sargent retired from portrait painting, and resumed his love for murals and landscapes, traveling each summer to Switzerland,

France, or Spain. Sargent also took up watercolors in 1903, and became well known for these paintings in the later years of his life. During WWI, the British Government suggested that Sargent travel to the Western Front to paint the realities of war. The result of this request was a large scale war picture entitled Gassed. The scene depicts what

Sargent was tasked with, a painting to “capture the spirit, philosophy and sacrifice of war.”152 Sargent lived among the troops, experiencing the bombings, destruction, and danger of war. For this the troops respected him.

Gassed, John Singer Sargent, 1919 Imperial War Museum, London

John Singer Sargent died in his sleep in England on April 25, 1925, just before traveling to Boston to continue work on the mural.

152 Kilmurray and Ormond, 263.

63 Miss Elsie Palmer

Miss Elsie Palmer was born in 1872, the daughter of rugged pioneer William

Jackson Palmer, and well-known singer Mary Lincoln “Queen” Mellen. For the first part of her life, Elsie lived life as an only child. It was not until Elsie was eight that the family expanded to include two more daughters, Dorothy and Marjorie, eight and nine years younger than Elsie, respectively.

Elsie’s father was a Union general in the Civil War and then worked for the railways. He moved west to Colorado and established the town of Colorado Springs.

When he and “Queen” married, they built a large estate and named it Glen Eyrie. Mr.

Palmer, often called the “Colonel,” concentrated on establishing the town, while his wife founded the first school in the area, as well as a church. Elsie loved Colorado, especially exploring the out of doors: “Elsie, like her father, loved Glen Eyrie. Glen Eyrie fed the girl’s active imagination as a child.”153 She liked reading there, and had a favorite tree under which to spend time with a good book. Elsie was a child who was observant, noticing each thing in nature, every aspect of a personality. She was interested in botany, reading, and writing about her interest in the subject. “A curious, inquisitive child, who took notice of small things like freckles and smells,”154 Elsie wrote stories about her life and was an active letter-writer and diarist. Details mattered to Elsie.

However, Elsie’s idyllic life in Colorado Springs was not to last. Her mother’s health suffered from the climate found in the west, and much time was spent in New York

! 153 Alexa L. Hayes, Confronting Elsie Palmer: John Singer Sargent as a Painter of Real Women (Emery University, 2010), p. 37.

154 Ibid., 39.

64 with family, and eventually in England, where Elsie spent ten of her childhood years.

Having traveled to Europe for three months on her honeymoon with Elsie’s father,

“Queen” was attracted to England, specifically to the Medieval era, and the culture that surrounded it. While living abroad with her daughter, “Queen” rented Ightham Mote, a

Medieval-styled manor. There, she was part of artistic society, with friends such as Henry

James, the same author with whom Sargent was acquainted, and Ellen Terry, a prominent actress of the time. Undoubtedly, this society is how Elsie’s mother came to commission a portrait of her eldest daughter.

While his family was living across the Atlantic, Colonel Palmer kept in communication through telegraph, letter-writing, and one or two visits a year. A visionary man, Palmer and his daughter were very close. “Elsie and her father seem to have shared a special connection that was intimately tied to the wild outdoors.”155 Following the painting of her portrait, Elsie returned to the United States, where she and her father embarked upon a railway adventure in his private car.156 By the time Elsie returned to

England, her mother’s health had deteriorated significantly, and Elsie’s familial responsibilities increased. “Queen” died in 1894, and the three daughters returned to their father’s home in Colorado, where they “took over the entertaining duties of the guests that came to visit.”157

! 155 Hayes, 39.

156 Elissa Amesen, Tim Nicholson Collection (The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Starsmore Center for Local History, Colorado Springs, CO), p. 4.

157 Amesen, 5.

65

Miss Elsie Palmer, John Singer Sargent, 1890 Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado, USA

Elsie’s personality is of great interest, since it is portrayed with such depth in her portrait. Having been raised for part of her life in the wilds of Colorado and part in an

English manor house, Elsie very well may have felt torn as to where her home truly was.

She loved Colorado, and longed to return there, where she could roam freely and discover what the world had to offer. At the manor house, Elsie was obedient, even while having

66 her portrait painted, yet independent and strong willed. Her independence very well may have come from seeing her mother’s total control over the household while in England, or it may have been a result of the freedom she experienced in Colorado. Whatever the case,

Elsie was a child with an “independent streak.”158 She also was left to her own devices much of the time in England, for the governesses spent most of their time with the two younger children, who needed more care. Elsie was mature as well, responsible, and handled her duties as eldest daughter without difficulty. She was serious and intelligent, loving learning and reading. Her intelligence and seriousness is also evident in her portrait.

It has been said of her portrait that Elsie is perhaps unhappy at having herself the subject of a painting, or that she does not enjoy sitting for such a long time, or even that she is resentful of the situation in which she finds herself. It also has been suggested that

Elsie finds the dress, the room, and the entire experience unpleasant. She would much rather be out of doors or reading. It is not possible to know exactly what occupied Elsie’s mind as she sat for Sargent, but the intensity of her emotion is evident.

Elsie Palmer remained independent throughout her life. She did not marry until the age of thirty-seven, though it was expected that she marry at eighteen as was common in her time. She continued to explore and assert her strong will and spirit. She and her husband, poet Leopold Hamilton Myers, had two daughters. Eventually, the family moved to England, where Elsie died in 1954 at the age of eighty-three.

158 Hayes, 50.

67 The Portrait

Sargent’s portrait of Elsie Palmer is unusual, deviating from some of Sargent’s norms of method. First of all, he tried many different locations and made several sketches of Elsie in varying poses. This is a far cry from the man who was taught to put paint to canvas and never turn back. Also, it took Sargent over a year to finish this portrait

(1889-1890). While in America years prior, he had painted forty portraits in a matter of six months. Why then, did it take so long for this particular portrait?

Hayes states eloquently that Miss Elsie Palmer is a portrait of “a girl caught between two worlds.”159 She is caught between her mother and father, between Colorado and England, between childhood and womanhood, between obedience and independence.

Hayes goes on to detail how Sargent depicts each of these contradictions in Elsie’s life through the painting. Her dress is that of a young woman from a family of wealth, of marriageable age. Her pose is obedient with folded hands and feet, poised and ladylike.

Her hair, however, is that of a girl, free and undone.

The room in which the portrait is painted is cold and impersonal, a hallway in the manor which was sometimes used as a chapel. The dark wood paneling provides a stark contrast to the cream-colored gown, and Elsie’s hair even seems to blend into the color of the wood, perhaps expressing Elsie’s desire to be in the Colorado wilderness rather than having her portrait painted in England.

Then there is the expression. With her large eyes and unhesitating stare, tension is created with the formality and decorum of the pose. Sargent does remain true to his

! 159 Hayes, 24.

68 artistic roots by capturing a moment in time. One almost has to hold their breath when viewing the painting, Elsie’s stare so strong, the contrast so bold. As is usual for Sargent, the painting is large. Hayes suggests that the viewer stand at least twenty feet away to have a proper look.160

Lighting may have been one of the challenges in painting Elsie, as the dark paneled hallway did not allow for much light, and the weather was uncooperative. It also is a distinct possibility that the time Sargent took with this portrait is due to the complexity of Elsie’s personality, and his desire to capture her fullness with honesty and authenticity. Sargent does just that with Miss Elsie Palmer. Elsie’s look is strong and independent. Her intelligence shines through. Her heart is not at ease. Her soul is struggling, perhaps in pain. While viewing the portrait, it is difficult to remember she is not a real girl, for it seems as if she could step out of the painting at any moment. When

Miss Elsie Palmer is seen, Miss Elsie Palmer is met.

Kilmurray and Ormond state that at this period in Sargent’s work, the portraits often seem “deliberately enigmatic and close to story-telling.”161 Here, Sargent tells the story of Elsie’s life, of the struggles she is experiencing by being caught between two worlds. Her soul cries out in this work. The viewer cannot avert their gaze: “An encounter with this portrait becomes something more like a confrontation, an uncomfortable yet seemingly inescapable experience once the viewer is caught in Elsie’s gaze.”162

! 160 Hayes, 15.

161 Kilmurray and Ormond, 139.

162 Hayes, 15.

69 Why is Miss Elsie Palmer Beautiful?

Why, then, is this painting beautiful? It is beautiful because of the integrity, giftedness and accuracy of the painting. Miss Elsie Palmer is true. The eternal nature created in her by God is evident. Sargent painstakingly and with much attention and skill, has captured a human being on canvas. Her soul shines for us to see. When her eyes are met, much more is seen than the blankness of her stare. The person God made Elsie to be looks back at us, as does the reflection of God’s image within her. Elsie’s uniqueness and giftedness leap out. The strength and irresistibility of Elsie’s spirit, represents the irresistibility of God. The complexity of Elsie’s life, the conflict between who she was created to be and the life she is living, are apparent. There is a reason that the viewer keeps looking. Meeting Elsie Palmer is compelling, mysterious, just as is the Divine.

When viewing the portrait, the person is invited into Elsie’s presence, the totality of her life. When this invitation is accepted, God’s invitation is accepted as well.

Within Sargent’s magnificent portrait, the human person is given eyes into the soul of a young woman created in God’s image. The viewer is able to see the very essence of Elsie’s being, the reflection of God in her. And perhaps the viewer is catching a glimpse of what God sees when looking on Elsie Palmer, the person God lovingly created, her uniqueness, her giftedness, her eternal nature. Sargent’s portrait is beautiful in its abundance, generosity, and honesty. Miss Elsie Palmer is beautiful because it is revelatory of God’s work in humanity, and the faithful stewardship of God’s gifts to the artist. When we see Elsie, we see God.

70 Elsie’s portrait was hung in London’s New Gallery in 1891. Reviews were mixed and people were puzzled as to the painting’s meaning. Yet people talked about it and continue to do so. The portrait now hangs in the Fine Arts Center of Colorado Springs,

Colorado, and is considered its signature piece.163

Use in Worship

Using visual aids in worship, such as a painting, provides the pastor and the worshiper with many opportunities. The simple presence of a portrait such as this would engage the worshiper’s imagination. During a sermon or silent exercise, one might ask the congregation what they see when they look at Miss Elsie Palmer. Or, one might speak of Elsie’s life in a sermon and her portrait, and imagine what their own portrait might embody of their soul.

Looking into the soul of another might also encourage the Christian to look for the Divine in each face met, or at least to look deeply enough to see the face of God in neighbor and friend, enemy, too. It is a challenging spiritual exercise to imagine what

God sees in each human person, and yet Miss Elsie Palmer might provide such an opportunity. Awareness of ourselves in light of the Divine is a means to holy transformation. Upon reflection on the self, how human persons are made in God’s image, how God may see the human person and how the human person sees themselves and others, the Christian may be awakened more fully to their purpose in God’s world, and to the calling God has placed before them. When considering this sacred relationship

! 163 John Hazlehurst, Going, going, gone: The art that got away and some that made it home to the Springs (Colorado Springs Independent, 2005), p. 1.

71 of human and Divine, the imagination can take the human person to a broader and clearer vision of what it means to be fully human, created in the Divine image.

No matter what the medium, worshipers may be invited into Elsie’s soul and then reflect upon that from a variety of perspectives. Meditation, sermon, and study are all ways that Miss Elsie Palmer may be used in worship as an entryway into God’s being.

The congregation or small group might enter into a time of meditation and reflection. After looking deeply into Elsie’s eyes and the structure of the painting, they may write down what they see and who they believe she is. The time might end with a sharing of their thoughts and revelations, or simply with praying about what they have experienced.

Within a sermon, the preacher is free to explore how God sees humanity and how humanity sees themselves. Using Miss Elsie Palmer as an example, the worshiper can be led through the idea of getting to the core or essence of humanity: how God made humanity, how God’s image is reflected in humanity, and imagining how God sees humanity.

In another approach, members of a class or small group might be instructed to write down what they see of God in one another after exploring Elsie’s portrait, and then share those impressions of God’s reflection with the group.

The important thing to remember when using Miss Elsie Palmer in worship is that the focus is always on who humanity is as children of God, how God made humanity, how humanity sees themselves and others, and how God sees created human persons. If the exercise or sermon is based on this foundation, it should prove to be fruitful.

72 Sermon to be used with Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer

Eyes into the Soul

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

The Lord looks on the heart. I wonder what God sees in our hearts. Wouldn’t it be a great blessing to know what God sees in us, our gifts and our failings, our wisdom and lack thereof, our limits and our potential. Most of all, it would be a great gift to see what there is of faith in our hearts. If we could see that in ourselves and in one another, I believe we might see ourselves and the world differently.

Our text today tells us that human beings look on the outward appearance. We know that to be true, for each time we look at a person we notice what they are wearing, their height and build, their coloring and hairstyle, their eyes and their demeanor. And, while some of those visible attributes may lead us to the heart, others may be distracting.

Judgments may be made based solely on appearance, on clothing and cleanliness and style. For example, we may determine a person’s monetary state by their dress. We might make assumptions about how they make their living, or their sense of right and wrong, all based on what we see at a glance.

But, 1 Samuel tells us, there is more to evaluating a human being than that. There is the heart. That is where God looks, and it is our calling to look into the heart of human

73 beings as well. If we consider this concept of the heart prayerfully, I think we will understand what God is saying to Samuel. He is, after all, looking for a king to govern the

Hebrew people, and the heart is important. As hesitant as Samuel is to establish a monarchy, it is what the people want and it is what God has commanded Samuel to do.

The heart of a leader is important, it will speak of faith and faithfulness, wisdom and purity, selflessness and generosity. The heart can tell of motivation, priorities, and purpose in a way that appearance cannot. And so, Samuel is sent to find a king. And, as we already know, David is God’s choice, and the rest is history!

But, what of looking at the heart in today’s world, from the context of Christianity today? With the many distractions of the world and the fog of our strong culture of consumerism and success, how can we look at the heart with any clarity? Perhaps there is a visual example that can aid us in our search for the heart.

In 1890, painter John Singer Sargent completed his portrait of Miss Elsie Palmer, the picture that has been displayed before us since we entered the sanctuary. Elsie’s gaze is hard to resist. If you have been looking at the portrait you may have been wondering about who this young woman is, her place in the world. You may have even drawn some conclusions about her character or her mood, as well as her position. Let’s share some of those ideas now. (the congregation is invited to offer their observations, thoughts, conclusions and questions about the subject of the portrait)

Miss Elsie Palmer was, at the time of the portrait, the seventeen year old daughter of Americans who were living in England. She was a strong willed and independent young lady. She would much rather have been in the wilderness of Colorado, where her

74 father was founding the town of Colorado Springs, than in a medieval manor house in

England with her mother and two younger sisters. Elsie, though now on the cusp of womanhood, longed to explore, discover and be free. She did not delight, as did her mother, in society or fashion or recognition. And, she most certainly did not relish sitting for a formal portrait.

Elsie’s straightforward stare, chosen by Sargent after many sketches and differing poses, is a gift given to us by the artist, allowing us to look deeply into her soul, to catch a glimpse of her heart. When I saw this portrait at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in

1999, it was but one of dozens of portraits and paintings by Sargent. All were captivating.

All were a moment in time, a glimpse into the depth of each person as created by God.

The portraits were windows into the soul. I was overcome with the beauty of this experience, and felt God’s presence in a powerful and sacred way. Yet, of all the paintings that captured my heart and spirit, Miss Elsie Palmer is the one that has stayed with me most powerfully.

Perhaps it is the complexity of her personality that Sargent captures with such authenticity. Or, perhaps it is the image of God that is seen with such beautiful reflection.

I do not know. I only know that when I see this portrait, I feel as if I am seeing Elsie in the flesh, all the way into her soul and to the very essence of her heart.

Look around this sanctuary. What do you see? Who do you see? Are you able, by looking deeply into another’s eyes, to see to their core, to see the heart? I believe that if we look for the heart, trying to see as God sees, then we will certainly find more than if we do not. And, if we are able to see more, even if we do not make it all the way to the

75 heart, we will be better equipped, by the grace of God, to love God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We will love God more for the beauty of what has been created without reservation and placed in each human being - a piece of God’s self. We will love neighbor better because of the gift of understanding and knowledge of the person God has lovingly made. And, we will love ourselves more freely because we will be able to see God’s mark on our own souls, our own hearts. May it be so. Amen and amen.

Spiritual Exercise to be used with John Singer Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer

After a time of prayer, the small group or class will divide into pairs. 1 Samuel 16:7 is read.

For a period of five minutes, each person is to look into the eyes of their partner and delve as deeply as they can, perhaps even into the heart. What does God see in this person? What of God is present within this human being?

When the five minutes is complete, the silence shall be maintained and participants are to list what they have found in their search. Discoveries and observations may then be shared within the pairs or with the entire group.

This sharing is then concluded by sharing broadly about what God sees in humanity, and how we might be able to use this approach in our daily lives.

If the exercise wishes to continue, the leader might add the following:

If you were to see a portrait of yourself, what do you hope it would reveal about your heart and about God’s work in you?

76 Chapter 5

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton: The Least of These

Elizabeth Gaskell

Novelist Elizabeth Gaskell was born in Chelsea in 1810, though she did not stay in London long. Her parents were William and Elizabeth Stevenson. Unfortunately, the elder Elizabeth died when the younger was only a year old, and the child was sent to

Cheshire to live with her maternal aunt, Hannah Lamb. She studied languages and fine arts at a school for girls, Byerly Sisters’ Boarding School. When she was twelve,

Elizabeth’s elder brother John joined the Merchant Navy, and then disappeared six years later on a voyage to India. Her father died the following year, and Elizabeth then stayed in London with an uncle.

In 1831, Elizabeth met William Gaskell, a Unitarian clergyman, while visiting

Manchester. The following year the couple married. Together they had six children, two of whom passed away while young. The first to die was the Gaskell’s first child, a daughter. The second to die was their fifth child and only son, William, who died at just under a year from scarlet fever.

It was at her husband’s urging that Gaskell began writing after William’s death.

Three years later, in 1848, Mary Barton was published. An immediate popular success,

Gaskell then became acquainted with other prominent writers, most notable Charles

Dickens and Charlotte Brontë. Dickens commissioned Gaskell to write stories for his publication Household Words, for which Elizabeth wrote for thirteen years.164 Brontë’s

! 164 MacDonald Daly, Mary Barton (Penguin Classics, 1996), p. 1.

77 brother, Patrick, commissioned Gaskell to write his sister’s biography. Elizabeth continued writing novels. Among these works are Cranford in 1851, Ruth in 1853, and

North and South in 1854-55, all of which were published in Dickens’ magazine by installment, along with other works such as short stories. Her final novel, Wives and

Daughters, was published in another magazine from 1864-1866, though it was never completed.

Two main characteristics of Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing as seen in Mary Barton are worth noting. First of all, Gaskell uses Christianity as a powerful aspect in filling out her characterizations. Each person in the cast of characters has something to say about

God, sin, and how their lives are guided by faith. They judge themselves by their faithfulness and make difficult decisions based on what they believe is faithful and right in the eyes of God. Granted, more of this is seen in Gaskell’s depiction of those characters in the lower classes, but by the end of the book it is seen from all vantage points of economic and social status.

The ease with which the author paints these images of people of faith is not surprising, considering the world in which she lived. Her husband was, after all, a well known clergyman in Manchester. Besides her duties as wife and mother, Elizabeth was also the ‘pastor’s wife’ and assumed the expected tasks. She was around ‘faith talk’ constantly, and her faith was an integral part of her life. For Mary Barton, the foundation of faith and the ease with which it was spoken of appears to be essential for the novelist.

Secondly, Gaskell makes plain from the beginning that her first novel is about the difficult relations between economic and social classes. Her home was close to a slum in

78 Manchester,165 and, as the clergyman’s spouse, much attention was given by Gaskell directly to the poor and suffering of that neighborhood. MacDonald Daly believes that

Gaskell saw her writing as a mission.166 Though her husband’s church was where the well-to-do of Manchester worshiped, and also were those at whom she looked with a critical eye in her book, Gaskell’s view of the social problem of inequality among the classes and the sin that it caused would not be quieted: “The two prime determinants of her ideological formation were the bourgeois class to which she belonged and the

Unitarian faith to which she subscribed.167 Was Gaskell’s aim to criticize those who were comfortable in the world, including herself and most of her readership? Was it to heighten awareness of the way the poor were living during this time of great economic depression?

Was it a challenge for all people to see humanity as one, not divided into classes, but as brothers and sisters sharing the human condition? More will be said about this subject in the next segment of this chapter, when the details of plot line and characterization are examined more closely.

Elizabeth Gaskell died unexpectedly in November of 1865 while visiting The

Lawns, a home in Hampshire, purchased by Elizabeth as a surprise for her husband,

William.

! 165 Maggie Brown, BBC turns its back on period glitz with gritty look at working-class: Social realism to the fore in planned adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell novel about Victorian hardship (The Guardian, 2012)

166 Daly, viii.

167 Ibid., xii.

79 Mary Barton

Published in 1848 in two volumes, Mary Barton was the first of Elizabeth

Gaskell’s novels. An “instant success,”168 the novel takes the reader to 1840s Manchester, creating a world unto itself. Written during a period of rapid industrialization and economic depression, Mary Barton was one of many novels that confronted the social problems of the time.

Unique to Gaskell’s formatting of the novel are its chapter titles and literary quotes at the beginning of each chapter such as songs, poems, nursery rhymes, the Bible, and novels by Thomas Hood, Ebenezer Elliott, Caroline Elizabeth Norton, George

Gordon Byron, Robert Burns, and the like.169 This technique allows the reader to catch a glimpse into the heart of what the author feels and would have the reader feel at the beginning of each chapter. At times, the titles can be a bit of a spoiler, telling what will happen before the reader discovers it for themselves, but in the overall movement of the novel they add far more than they take away.

The original title for the novel was John Barton, but publishers persuaded Mrs.

Gaskell to acquiesce to the softer Mary Barton. Perhaps initially, the book sold more because of the feminine name, but upon reading the book, we can understand the desire for the masculine title by the author. While Mary Barton and the other characters undergo great changes and are integral to the plot line of the novel, it is John Barton whose portrayal exemplifies the social movement the author wishes to highlight.

! 168 Daly, 1.

169 Notes from the Penguin edition of the novel indicate that Gaskell wrote the introductory words for each chapter from memory and was not always accurate in her wording.

80 It is John Barton whose faith and moral character are most changed because of his situation. It is he who cannot forgive himself for the person he becomes. It is he who causes the most change in the life situations and in the thinking of the other characters.

In the beginning, Barton is a happy man. Wise and kind, he is the father of a son and daughter, and loves his wife unfailingly. He is gainfully employed and supports his family comfortably. He enjoys friendship and walks with family and neighbors. Within a few chapters, all of this has changed. Barton’s wife dies in childbirth, and his neighbors remark that “he was a changed man.”170 Barton now occupies his time with clubs and the

Trades Union. He is gloomy and stern more often than not.

Soon afterward, a second blow comes when John Barton’s work is no longer required at the local mill. And, after searching for work and struggling to feed his family,

Barton comes home to find his son dead from hunger. As a boy, John had known hunger, but he survived. Now his only son was dead.

Barton’s descent into darkness continues as his temper turns violent against daughter Mary, using harsh words and physical violence. John is repentant for his actions, but the blackness in his heart grows. As Mary begins supporting the family through her apprenticeship to a dressmaker, John chooses opium instead of food, and turns his anger and pain into political speeches made at Trades Union meetings. A bitter man, all Barton wants is to work. “I don’t want money, child! D--n their charity and their money! I want work, and it is my right. I want work.”171

! 170 Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (Penguin Classics, 1996), p. 23.

171 Ibid., 115.

81 All the time, Barton has been joining with his neighbors to care for those who are dying from hunger or untreated illness or living in squalor due to unemployment. His humanity remains intact enough for these purposes, though markedly diminished by his growing resentment toward the rich. The final straw seems to appear when he represents the Trades Union in London and is turned away. This is when, our author says, John

“ceased to hope. And it hard to live on when one can no longer hope.”172 From that point on, his thoughts are “diseased,”173 and John Barton is continually contemplating the difference between the rich and the poor, their separateness and distinctness from one another. Why, he asks, “when God has made them all? It is not His will that their interests are so far apart. Whose doing is it?”174 It is this question that consumes John Barton.

As part of the Union, Barton still feels some value as one who can lead others and work for the benefit of others. But when the meeting between the masters, or mill owners, and the workmen goes badly, the desire for violence ensues. The meeting was in a public room but that did not aid the situation in the least. The masters see the workmen are starving, but they seem to notice the shabbiness of their clothing more than its loose fit.

Some want to help, but do not want to feel bullied by their workers. Not wanting to yield, or give up anything, the masters look upon the workers as “more like wild beasts than human beings.”175 That is not the worst of it, though. One particularly insensitive among the masters is so disrespectful as to draw a caricature of the workers in their poverty and

! 172 Gaskell, 169.

173 Ibid.

174 Ibid., 170.

175 Ibid., 182.

82 pass it around for his comrades to see. In their arrogance they believe that the workers have not seen their cruelty. But of course, they are mistaken. This flagrant disregard for the solemnity of the occasion and the dire need of the workers, finds the workers puzzled and seemingly without recourse, when a ‘gentleman from London’ is added to the conversation. In a direct way, he speaks to the Unionists about such things as joining with unions from other communities and choosing delegates and the like. Still, their children are crying out in hunger. Their family members are dying of disease. No aid is coming their way, much less any compassion from those who have so much.

Barton is late to the meeting, but upon assessing the situation, gives a rousing speech, speaking of the workers’ earnest plea for daily bread, and the hard-heartedness of the masters. From that moment on, John sets out to make the masters suffer as he has, and hatches a plot to do just that.

Not long after, John Barton leaves Manchester, supposedly heading toward

Glasgow. However, for some time no one truly knows where he is. It is noticed that he is not quite himself as he leaves town. He refuses to eat the meal that Mary has prepared, and tries to leave without a word of love or blessing. He is hurried and avoids answering

Mary’s questions about his journey. The reader is as puzzled as his family about what Mr.

Barton’s plans are, but for a brief moment upon his departure, John’s true character shines through when he helps a lost child to find his way home. And then, he is gone.

We do not see Barton again until he returns to Manchester, “this night there was something different about him still; beaten down by some inward storm, he seemed to

83 grovel along, all self-respect lost and gone.”176 He is, Gaskell tells us, a “phantom likeness of John Barton - himself, yet not himself.”177 When daughter Mary arrives home from Liverpool, knowing of her father’s descent into darkness and sin, she finds her father sitting in his chair, but with no fire going to keep him warm, his body unmoving, his face sunken. He looks like the living dead to Mary, who tries her best to serve him.

When the neighbors learn of Barton’s return, they keep “strangely aloof. Of late years

John Barton had had a repellant power about him, felt by all, except to the few who had either known him in his better and happier days, or those to whom he had given his sympathy and his confidence.”178 People are afraid of John Barton, not only what they remember of his temper and resentment, but also of the demeanor with which he reappears. They know that something has happened to him, and whatever it is, it is not good.

In short time, Barton reveals to the mill owner, that the life of his son was lost by

Barton’s own hand. This is an act of public repentance, for Barton is speaking not to Mr.

Carson alone, but with the witness of his neighbor, his daughter, and the one who had been accused of the murder. He speaks of death as a gift, a gift that would free him from the sin he feels. He is haunted by the sin of his actions. In his confession, Barton speaks,

“I’ve kept thinking and thinking if I were but in that world where they say God is, He would, maybe, teach me right from wrong, even it if were with many stripes. I’ve been sore puzzled here. I would go through hell-fire if I could but get free from sin at last, it’s

! 176 Gaskell, 346.

177 Ibid., 347.

178 Ibid., 356.

84 such an awful thing. As for hanging, that’s just nought at all.”179 Through the horror and inhumanity of his actions, Barton has returned to his senses, his self, his heart. He knows that death is near, and does not care if it comes naturally or by hanging. He only knows that until death comes, he must spend the time he has left “wrestling with my [his] soul.”180

The conclusion that the reader is drawn to, is that poverty and all that it entails, be it death, disease, or hunger, takes away the human being’s hope. In desperation, if they act out in revenge or hopelessness, they lose their soul along the way. That is the greatest evil that poverty brings.

From this point on in the story the reader finds themselves torn between the repentant soul of John Barton, who represents the poor, and the change of heart that is coming from the mill owner, Mr. Carson. At the beginning, Carson is unforgiving, bent on Barton’s paying for the crime of taking his son’s life. Imagine the great revelation to the poor when they grow to understand that the rich have a heart that can hurt as does theirs, that they, too, do suffer: “The eyes of John Barton grew dim with tears. Rich and poor, masters and men, were then brothers in the deep suffering of the heart; for was not this the very anguish he had felt for little Tom, in years so long gone by, that they seemed like another life?”

It is a profound moment in the novel when the one in poverty feels the anguish and humanity of the one who is rich: “The mourner before him was no longer the employer, a being of another race, eternally placed in antagonistic attitude; going through

! 179 Gaskell, 364.

180 Ibid., 365.

85 the world glittering like gold, with a stony heart within, which knew no sorrow but through the accidents of Trade; no longer the enemy, the oppressor, but a very poor and desolate old man.”181 When this revelation occurs, Barton is no longer the same person.

Barton apologizes, but to no avail. He says of his altered state when the crime occurs, “I did not know what I was doing.”182 Later, Barton states to his family that he was “tore in two oftentimes.”183 Carson returns home, angry and filled with rage. Yet, he strives to understand. He is haunted by Barton’s statement of unknowingness and wonders where he has heard it before. He turns to his Bible and remembers Jesus on the cross, forgiving his killers, “they know not what they do.”184 In humility and sorrow, he forgives John Barton, returning to the guilty man’s home in time to hold him in his forgiving arms as the last breath is taken.

In an effort to discover the details of his son’s murder, Carson speaks to Barton’s friends and asks questions. When his questions are answered, the topic of conversation turns to the relationship between the masters and the workers. Carson earnestly seeks to know what might make a difference, what might make things better going forward. Ideas are shared, but no conclusions reached. The question was asked as it had never been asked previously. It is stated, however, that “If we [the workers] saw the masters try for our sakes to find a remedy, - even if they were long about it, - even if they could find no

! 181 Gaskell, 366.

182 Ibid., 369.

183 Ibid., 371.

184 Luke 23:34.

86 help, … we’d bear up like men through bad times. No one knows till they have tried.”185

A beginning, a dialogue, mutuality considered as an option for the first time, human being to human being. This is the brilliance of Gaskell’s writing.

Her creativity and singleness of purpose shows in other ways as well. Besides the details of the plot line and characterizations, her overall descriptions of groups of people change over the course of the book. In the beginning, Gaskell describes the young women of the lower class with an impersonal distance, perhaps describing them as did the upper classes in her circle of acquaintances: “their faces were not remarkable for beauty; indeed, they were below the average, with one or two exceptions; they had dark hair, neatly and classically arranged dark eyes, but sallow complexions and irregular features.

The only thing to strike a passer-by was an acuteness and intelligence of countenance, which has often been noticed in a manufacturing population.”186 This description seems cold, and without saying so directly, provides the reader with an eye into the view of the upper classes and how they may have stereotyped the lower classes in a way that is somehow less than human.

The lower classes do the same, with Barton and his neighbor, Wilson, speaking of the upper classes. “Thou never could abide the gentlefolk,” Wilson says to Barton.

“And what good have they ever done me that I should like them...If my child lies dying...does the rich man bring the wine or broth that might save his life? If I am out of work for weeks in the bad times, and winter comes, with black frost, and keen east wind, and there is no coal for the grate, and no clothes for the bed, and the thin bones are seen through the ragged clothes, does the rich man share his plenty with me, as he ought to, if his religion wasn’t a humbug? When I lay on my death-bed,

! 185 Gaskell, 386.

186 Ibid., 6-7.

87 and Mary stands fretting, as I know she will fret...will a rich lady come and take her to her own home if need be, till she can look round, and see what is best to do? No, I tell you, it’s the poor, and the poor only, as does such things for the poor.”187

This distinction between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is keenly felt at the very beginning of Mary Barton. And, as the story unfolds, the divide increases because of poverty. As the plot unravels and characters are built, with great depth and fullness, this divide is seen in a more acute manner, with dire consequences. Gaskell is about the task of painting a picture of the human condition, about suffering and grief, about assumptions and blame, about desperation and hopelessness. Daly says it this way: “The intellectual work of analyzing society is integral to the process of transforming it.”188 If her mission is to change the world through literature, Gaskell does a remarkable job planting the seeds of transformation.

The image of how the two classes live reveal the point even more strongly. Wilson goes to Barton, asking what he has to spare for the Davenport family, whose father lies dying from a fever. Barton has no money, but takes the remainder of his food with him to feed the family. Upon entering the home, this is what they experienced: “you went down one step even from the foul area into the cellar in which a family of human beings lived.

It was very dark inside. The window-panes, many of them, were broken and stuffed with rags...the smell was so fetid as almost to knock the two men down...three or four little children rolling on the damp, nay wet brick floor, through which the stagnant, filthy

! 187 Gaskell, 10-11.

188 Daly, vii.

88 moisture of the street oozed up; the fire-place was empty and black; the wife sat on her husband’s lair, and cried in the dark loneliness.”189

Wilson then takes it upon himself, despite Barton’s cynicism, to ask Mr. Carson if he might offer some help to his worker, Mr. Davenport. When Wilson enters the Carson home, this is what he sees: “Mr. Carson’s was a good house, and furnished with disregard to expense. But, in addition to lavish expenditure, there was much taste shown, and many articles chosen for their beauty and elegance adorned his rooms. As Wilson passed a window which a housemaid had thrown open, he saw pictures and gilding, at which he was tempted to stop and look; but then he thought it would not be respectful. So he hastened on to the kitchen door. The servants seemed very busy with preparations for breakfast; but good-naturedly, though hastily, told him to step in, and they could soon let

Mr. Carson know he was there. So he was ushered into a kitchen hung round with glittering tins, where a roaring fire burnt merrily, and where numbers of utensils hung round, at whose nature and use Wilson amused himself by guessing. Meanwhile, the servants bustled to and fro; an outdoor man-servant came in for orders, and sat down near

Wilson. The cook broiled steaks, and the kitchen-maid toasted bread, and boiled eggs.”190

If this contrast in living conditions did not speak loudly enough to the reader,

Gaskell adds her own editorial about the ignorance of those who are well fed: “The coffee steamed upon the fire, and altogether the odours were so mixed and appetizing, that

Wilson began to yearn for food to break his fast, which had lasted since dinner the day before. If the servants had known this, they would have willingly given him meat and

! 189 Gaskell, 60.

190 Ibid., 67.

89 bread in abundance; but they were like the rest of us, and, not feeling hunger themselves, forgot it was possible another might.”191 It is editorials like this one, on the part of the author, that plant the seeds of social change within the hearts of Gaskell’s readers.

The same might be said for the great furor raised over the death of one of the elite,

Mr. Carson’s son, Harry. When he is murdered, the police drop everything and search for the murderer. The entire town speaks of the murder, of possible scandal, and the assumed motive of jealousy. But, when member after member of the working class perish, it is not even noticed by public officials such as the police or the government. These deaths due to poverty are accepted as the lot of the poor, and life goes on. The movement of the town is not stopped, much less consumed, as it is for the death of Harry Carson. One individual who did not particularly like the book, even states that she “struggled to care about the tragedy of Harry’s death when he was a) not a nice fellow, b) a bit part character, and c) so many others have died or suffered by then.”192 Perhaps that is the point Gaskell tries to make: that within this class structure the other deaths go on unnoticed, they are accepted blindly. But the death of this one is given all attention and urgency. Is starvation not murder when food is plentiful in the town? Gaskell wants the reader, especially the well- off or comfortable reader, to consider this question.

Not all readers approved of the stark contrast between rich and poor portrayed by

Gaskell. The reviews of the time say as much, for they challenge her portrayal of life from the workers’ point of view. In February of 1849, a correspondent wrote for The

! 191 Gaskell, 67.

192 Alex in Leeds, Review: Mary Barton-A Tale of Manchester Life by Elizabeth Gaskell (Alex in Leeds, 2012)

90 Guardian that her work has “already become very popular, and will be generally considered a faithful and true picture of Manchester life...its errors have become dangerous.”193 He introduces this accusation by preaching about the need for authors to

“well consider their own responsibility, consequent on the influence that is likely to be exerted on readers, especially when the subject refers to our present circumstance, and the relation between employers and employed, - between the rich and the poor.”194

In addition to the powerful challenges she places before society through the writing of Mary Barton, Gaskell’s skill as a writer is never in question. Even the critic for

The Guardian in 1849 says that, “As a whole, the tale is beautifully written; the characters introduced are graphically delineated; the events are so interestingly interwoven, and the groundwork is so artistically constructed, that whoever reads the first two chapters is sure to read the whole story.”195 Modern day bloggers also recognize the beauty and depth in Gaskell’s writing, saying that, “One of the strengths of the novel is characterization. We meet Mary Barton, her family, her friends, her community. We meet so many different characters. Characters that are so easy to care about...All her characters have depth and substance. It’s a very human book. The novel is also rich in detail and is very atmospheric.”196 The Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Blog Tour states that “Gaskell

! 193 A Correspondent, Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life (The Guardian, 1849), p. 1.

194 Ibid.

195 Ibid., 2.

196 Becky Laney, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (Becky’s Book Reviews, 2009).

91 finds the room to invent characters with zeal, lust, passion, heartache, pain, addiction, and exhaustion.”197

It is true, the characters are fully developed, multi-faceted creatures. Gaskell does not back away from any subject or the reality she has witnessed in her hometown. In fact, her characters are so well written you feel you know them. One almost comes to finish their sentences in the second half of the book. It is not predictable per se, but the characterizations are consistent and evolve as the book unfolds, allowing the reader to know them well. As the story develops and time passes, the reader is allowed then to mature along with the characters, as understanding deepens and the reader becomes immersed in the culture found within the novel.

Some who have read the book criticize it for its seemingly melodramatic approach. Though one could argue that ‘melodrama’ is not an accurate word to describe

Gaskell’s writing style, it was common for social criticism books of the mid-1800s to be written in such a style. Whether Mary Barton is melodramatic in style or not, it need not be seen as a negative when considering the value of the novel. If melodramatic, the skill in writing is enough to deem it valuable. Scholar Alison Moulds states, “Melodrama and authenticity need not be read as mutually exclusive.”198 Gaskell’s work is decidedly authentic, one of the main attributes which made it so very popular. If it is true to the form of her time, then it probably does contain a melodramatic element, but that does not

! 197 Kelly Yanke Deltener, Mary Barton - Book Review (Elizabeth Gaskell Bicentenary Blog Tour, 2010).

198 Alison Moulds, The Female Witness and the Melodramatic Mode in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton (Victorian Network, Volume 5, Number 2, Winter 2013), p. 83.

92 cheapen the work in the least. Rather, it created an atmosphere in which the readers of

Gaskell’s time could relate and appreciate.

Gaskell’s Mary Barton is truly a masterpiece, in terms of plot, characterization and cultural influence. There is nothing easy about what the reader encounters in its pages. Rather, “Mary Barton is one of the most militant pieces of fiction to come out of the nineteenth century.”199 It is not meant to be easy or pleasant. Gaskell’s aim is to awaken the hearts and faith of those who are comfortable in this life, and lead them to a place of deep understanding about the oneness of humanity, about their commonality with the ‘other.’ Let us now turn to the beauty of Mary Barton.

Why is Mary Barton Beautiful?

Mary Barton is a beautiful work of art. Because of its authenticity, brutal honesty, and challenge to compassion, this novel reflects God’s essence. Like a prophet, it asks questions of faithfulness and Christian morality. Like a Greek chorus, it comments on the twists and turns of the plot. And, like a preacher, Mary Barton keeps the focus on the dignity and value of each and every human being God has created. With compassion as well as challenge, the failings of people from all walks of life are accepted, understood, and redeemed.

Though the novel is not a happy story or devoid of suffering, much is to be found in it that is harmonious with God’s nature and form. First of all, the poor in the book speak of God freely. They make decisions based on what God would have them do, how

! 199 Daly, xxvii.

93 they might respond to difficult situations and remain unified with God’s being. They respect God and God’s providence, accepting both the good and the bad that they feel

God sends their way. The poor continually turn to God’s Word for wisdom, recalling lessons they have learned in church to guide their behavior. One such instance involves

Mary, who is struggling with what to do next: “And then she came upon the old feeling which first bound Ruth to Naomi; the love they both held towards one object, and Mary felt that her cares would be most lightened by being of use, or of comfort to his mother.

So she once more locked up the house, and set off towards Ancoats; rushing along with downcast head, for fear lest anyone should recognise her and arrest her progress.”200

Characters also refer to their faith when recognizing their own errors in action or judgment. John Barton, after a particularly cruel encounter with his sister-in-law Esther, who has become a prostitute, has these thoughts: “He believed she deserved it all, and yet he now wished he had not said it. Her look, as she asked for mercy, haunted him through his broken and disordered sleep...now, too late, his conscience smote him with harshness.

It would have been all very well, he thought, to have said what he did, if he had added some kind words, at last. He wondered if his dead wife was conscious of that night’s occurrence; and he hoped not, for with her love for Esther he believed it would embitter heaven to have seen her so degraded and repulsed. For now he recalled her humility, her tacit acknowledgement of her lost character; and he began to marvel if there was power in the religion he had often heard of, to turn her from her ways. He felt that no earthly

200 Gaskell, 265.

94 power that he knew of could do it, but there glimmered on his darkness the idea that religion might save her.”201

Other characters do the same. When Job Legh lies to Jem’s mother to spare her feelings and lighten her load, he wonders if he has done more harm than good by breaking God’s law. Mary, too, as she burns a piece of evidence that would convict her father of Harry’s murder, doubts the rightness of her actions in God’s eyes. This daily reliance on God is not only an aspect of the characters Gaskell writes, but a reminder to the reader that the purpose of her book is to ask the same questions. If human beings are indeed people of faith, it is puzzling to know why much time and effort is spent dividing human beings into groups and viewing them as so very different from one another.

Gaskell’s writing is beautiful in and of itself. Her character depictions, plot choices, and narrative of scenes is a gift from God, which she shares freely. But, the beauty of the writing is not what points to God. What acts as a doorway for humanity to catch a glimpse of God is that after the pain and suffering, after the mockery and violence, there is repentance and forgiveness, pointing to God’s steadfast love. It is as if this is a modern telling of the Joseph story, where pain begets pain and in the end, mercy is shown and healing is greater than could have been imagined.

In Genesis, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers. Through no fault of his own, Joseph ends up in prison. After much suffering, Joseph is released when his giftedness in interpreting dreams is discovered. He becomes the Pharaoh’s assistant, and saves the Egyptian people from starvation. When his starving brothers come from Canaan

! 201 Gaskell, 126.

95 to Egypt in search of food, they do not recognize their wronged brother, but he recognizes them. He forgives them. He saves them. Just as in Gaskell’s story, there is great suffering, much fault to be acknowledged, but forgiveness is chosen. In the end of both stories there is mutuality and common purpose, the desire that none may suffer as they have suffered.

Mr. Carson wishes “that a perfect understanding and complete confidence and love, might exist between masters and men, that the truth might be recognised that the interest of one were the interests of all.”202 This is a beautiful idea and I would argue that, for it is

God’s desire for humanity that we love our neighbor, that we see ourselves as one humanity made in God’s image.

Use in Worship

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton provides much material for use in worship. As an example of injustice, it shines. As a call to resolve differences peacefully and with an open heart, it is imaginative and authentic. As an illustration of what happens to a human being when they veer from their faith and heart, it is powerful. All of these aspects of

Mary Barton will serve the gospel, the preacher, and the congregation well. As the subject of a sermon, a book study, or character study, Mary Barton has much to share about God’s work in the world and the transformative power of beauty.

The most obvious way to use the work in worship is in the sermon, where the great divide between rich and poor can be related to today’s cultural reality. The preacher

! 202 Gaskell, 288.

96 may challenge the congregation to think deeply about this divide and its consequences, and, like the book, hope to compel the church into action.

As a book study, Mary Barton would provide rich material to broach the same subjects, injustice and inequality. It would be important to allow enough time, and not rush through the book, that the nuances of characters and situations, the complexity of the world of Mary Barton, might be explored fully and with great care.

Another way to utilize what Gaskell’s novel has to offer is with a different kind of investigation. A group might take the time to examine each family or character individually, and consider their motives, feelings, faith, and challenges. In this way, the reader would place themselves in the story, and, as Gaskell does, show understanding and compassion for each situation.

An exercise that might prove fruitful is that of an entire congregation setting goals for themselves that address the social problems found in Mary Barton. Such an exercise might include hearing speakers from various aid organizations in the community, or creating a series of factual documents about the needs to be found in the community.

After digesting this information, the congregation may choose to act in a way that uses its gifts faithfully, and will allow them to make a positive impact on the problem of suffering in the local community.

97 Sermon to be used with Gaskell’s Mary Barton

The Sin Within

Romans 7:14-20

For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

We have all made mistakes. We have all hurt others. We have all done things that we wish we had not. Words spoken in haste, reactions instead of actions. Misjudgments, hurt begetting hurt, injustice that brings us to vehement anger. These are the makings of a statement like Paul’s in his letter to the Romans.

As a people of faith, hopefully we have a better handle on viewing our own actions, words and choices through God’s eyes, but we are, after all, only human. We will err. We are not perfect. And so, Paul’s words speak powerfully to us about the sin that dwells within our limited humanity, and the good of God that we are privileged to share while on this earth. Paul’s humble statement helps us to find that place of tension, uncomfortable though it may be, of accepting that whatever is good in us is of God, and whatever is not is of our own making.

It is almost as if Paul is crying out in the pain of his human limitations. His desire to be an imitator of Christ is boldly stated in his writings, but here he says that he is not able to do what he wants. He makes mistakes. He does what he does not want to do. He

98 does not understand his own actions. He humbly accepts that it is not he who does these things, who hurts others, who is often harsh and hateful, who makes errors in judgment. It is the sin within him, the sin that he cannot escape, the sin that he shares with all humanity. Paul is an ordinary human being, devoting his life to God, and still he sins. Is that not the human condition, that no matter how hard we try, we will still, at times, fail?

There are, of course, life circumstances that lead us to do the things we do not wish to do. We find them present in our community. Violence begets violence. One spouse chronically abuses the other. The other then retaliates. They did not want to do it.

They do not think of violence in word or action as a rule. But, their perspective is changed when they are repeatedly beaten verbally or physically again and again. If you are out of work and starving, would you not consider doing most anything to feed your family and yourself? When you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, does your thinking not change? When your once idyllic neighborhood becomes infested with guns and drugs and people whose actions you don’t understand, are you untouched? What would we do in their situations?

Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1848 novel, Mary Barton, discusses this very question. She asks: What happens to people when they are beaten down by life? The Barton family is a working class family in Manchester, England. John Barton, the patriarch, is a mill worker. He weaves. Having grown up in a family of want, Barton knows the fragility of life. He is thankful for his work and family, his neighbors and community. But in a short time, John’s life is taken away from him one piece at a time. First, his wife dies in childbirth. Soon after he loses his job. His young son then dies of starvation.

99 With each loss, John descends more deeply into a dark, bitter place. John spends his time trying to make a difference by working with the local union, but meets resistance from the upper class, the mill owners; at every turn he is turned away. John’s attitude toward the mill owners is negative anyway, for he feels that they do not care about their workers, never coming to their aid, not valuing their contribution to the success of the mill. This feeling is only intensified as life slips away from him. John becomes depressed, choosing opium, which was legal at the time, over food. The only bright spot in his life is daughter Mary. She is apprenticed to a dressmaker, where she receives meals.

She is safe from starvation.

As more and more neighbors die, from disease, starvation, and living in squalor,

John’s bitterness turns to hatred. The once faithful man who could consider his actions through God’s eyes, now only wants the ‘haves’ to suffer as the ‘have-nots.’ He wants them to know the pain the workers and their families have known. And so, he hatches a plot to kill the son of the mill owner and he carries it out.

It this the action of a loving family man? Is this who John Barton is at his core?

Or, have life’s circumstances changed him and his thinking, alienating him from the person God created him to be? After the murder we find just that. A man who is not himself. A man who is much more broken than when he was starving and poor. And, in this horrible place, is where light begins to shine. John realizes his sin. His clouded thinking is once again clear. He sincerely repents, naming his sin, and makes amends as best he can.

100 But, the story does not end there, for it is about far more than one man and his sin.

The story is about hope and reconciliation, which is what I believe Paul’s message is for us. The story continues in this way: for the first time, Barton understands that humanity is one, that those who are rich are just as human as those who are poor. His humble and honest repentance in turn changes the hateful and bitter feelings of the rich and grieving mill owner toward Barton and the rest of the workers. He too, sees humanity as one, and works toward a place of harmony and love between the two classes.

Paul’s statement in his letter to the Romans reminds us that although we are imperfect and will sin, that it is part of the human condition, and that we are forgiven by

God. We must accept our frailties and the frailties of others, just as God would. And, Paul says that if we name our sin with honesty and humility, we then are able to see the good that God has shared with us and with our fellow human beings. We can begin again, anew with our Creator, anew with hope.

For the Christian, which means us, this statement is also a call to alleviate suffering in this world. If Barton’s suffering had been addressed in a sincere and meaningful way, he would not have become a murderer, his soul would not have been altered so drastically. If the weary souls of the world are offered what they need, if we are able, with God’s help, to see humanity as one and look at life through the eyes of others, understanding will grow and suffering will be addressed.

This is more than a social question. It is a spiritual one. Do we care for the souls of those who are troubled physically, mentally, or emotionally? Of course we do, in a cognitive, theoretical way. But what about in a faithful way that is practical? Who are we

101 as a church and how do we respond to the great needs in our community? At times we respond, but often in an easy way that does not interfere with our way of life. Gaskell’s novel challenges us to a deeper response, to one in which we are willing change our ways, that all may have enough, that all human needs may be met. Does Gaskell envision a time when there will be a perfect world? Does Paul? I think not. But, a world in which humanity is seen as one, with common needs and desires, is a start. Amen.

Two Exercises and Discussion Questions for a Church Book Club

I. Read Mary Barton to completion. Meet to discuss these questions:

A. What do you notice first about this book?

B. Who do you see as the main character and why?

C. What do you believe to be Gaskell’s purpose in writing the book?

D. How does Gaskell describe the differences between the classes? Do you think it is accurate or an exaggeration?

E. Is anyone or anything at fault for the downfall of John Barton?

F. How do you see the characters maturing as the story unfolds?

G. What would God have to say about life in Manchester in the 1840s? How does this book highlight God’s will and way, the mission of God?

H. Any other discussion points that arise.

II. Read Mary Barton according to this schedule, discussing each turn of the plot and development in characterization as the plot evolves:

Week 1-Introduction and Chapters 1-6 Discuss the main characters, the themes emerging and where the plot may be going, as well as the structure of the book with titles and quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

102 Week 2-Chapters 7-12 Discuss changes in the characters and what has caused the changes. Observe the bright spots of what has happened in the midst of poverty. Which developments have surprised us in the plot?

Week 3-Chapters 13-18 Discuss the events leading up to murder. What has changed in the situations of the various characters and how is the author leading us to think?

Week 4-Chapters 19-25 Discuss the justice system in this time. What do we think of the use of the words alibi and sub-poena? Are we surprised by Mary’s actions? Jem’s? How do we view the descriptions of Alice’s illness and Mrs. Wilson’s condition?

Week 5-Chapters 26-32 What do we learn about Mary during her time at the docks and in the trial? Do we find the narrative of the trial convincing?

Week 6-Chapters 33-38 Discuss fully Mary’s illness, Barton’s state of being when he returns and Mr. Carson’s transformation. Why does Jem not fight to regain local employment? Now that we have read the complete book, what questions do we have? Discuss how Gaskell’s novel might inform our faith or the life of the church.

103 Chapter 6

Monster’s Ball: Choosing Forgiveness, Choosing Hope

About the Film

Monster’s Ball is the title of a 2002 film starring Billy Bob Thornton and Halle

Berry. The title comes from “an old English term for a condemned man’s last night on earth.”203 As the director, Marc Forster, tells it, in 17th Century England a ball was thrown for a person facing death by the criminal justice system the following day. At these balls were drinking and dancing. It was an enormous party for the prisoner to enjoy on their last living evening.204 An appropriate title for a film that begins with the condemned man saying goodbye to his family, the death team preparing for the execution, and the audience living the last few hours with a man before and during his execution. This single act of execution proves the catalyst for each character’s point of view in Monster’s Ball, and for future developments in plot and character.

Of course, there is no ball, no party, no drinking. There is only a family waiting for the last phone call, drinking, smoking, and eating to cope; a young guard becoming ill while walking the prisoner to the electric chair; and the thoughtful and beautiful sketches done by the condemned man in his last hours, a gift to the prison guards. It is a dark story,

Monster’s Ball.

Director Forster is a German-born, Swiss-raised director who studied film in New

York City. When he directed Monster’s Ball he had received some recognition from the

! 203 Roger Ebert, Monster’s Ball (Newspaper Syndication, 2002).

204 Marc Forster, Anatomy of a Scene (Monster’s Ball, 2001).

104 independent film community. Thorough in his research, Forster spent a great deal of time learning about the life and culture of prison guards, discovering that it was often a generational profession, like father, like son.205 He learned also that the death team (those who work as a team to prepare for and carry out the execution) were much like priests or social workers in their attitude toward the job, spending their final hours with the prisoner keeping them calm, that they may spend their final hours with as much dignity as possible.206

Forster’s approach to the film as a whole was one of honesty and “an appropriately restrained manner.”207 He wanted to tell the story authentically, and for the audience to take away “a piece of awareness, a piece of hope...that whatever tragedy...there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, always a path to light and love, that we can walk above the mud and stand as a flower above the mud.”208 Forster accomplishes this goal with a “deliberate pacing and the gritty, smudged look that

Roberto Schaefer, the cinematographer, brings to the workaday modern South to create an atmosphere heavy with the buried emotions of grief, rage and terror.”209 Prison scenes were filmed on location at Angola, Louisiana State Penitentiary. The film, under Forster’s direction, was able to be produced with a very small budget ($2.5 million) and in a very

! 205 Forster.

206 Ibid.

207 Harvey S. Karten, Monster’s Ball (IMBD, re.carts, movies, reviews newsgroup, 2001).

208 Marc Forster, Cast and Director Interviews (Monster’s Ball, 2001).

209 A.O. Scott, Courtesy and Decency Play Sneaky With a Tough Guy (New York Times, Movie Review, Monster’s Ball, 2001).

105 short time period (35 days). His directness and clear vision created a film that though very dark and filled with pain, is, at the end, about hope and light.

“Subtle and observant,”210 the screenplay is perhaps the most striking thing about the film. Friends and fellow actors, Will Rokos and Milo Addica, began work on the script in 1995. They “shut themselves up in Addica’s tiny Santa Monica apartment and decided to explore dramatic territories that were relevant to both of them.”211 The actors interviewed, without hesitation or thought, all stated that it was the writing that attracted them to the roles. It was the script that made the decision for them.212 Heath Ledger expressed that the characters were honest and that the script gave a picture of life, with pain and confusion and questions about the nature of masculinity.213 Both the producer,

Lee Daniels, along with Forster, felt the same way. It was the story that brought them in.

Reviewers also noticed the writing, with the New York Times stating that, “The characters and the bond that develops between them are too complex for words, and the writers use very few. Their economy and the eloquence of Mr. Forster’s unshowily beautiful images give ‘Monster’s Ball’ the density and strangeness of real life.”214

Daniels speaks in detail of the difficult task of bringing Monster’s Ball to fruition.

The film went through three incarnations of production. The first, with Sean Penn directing, was to star Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro and Wes Craven. It was all set to

! 210 Ebert.

211 Variety, October 11, 2001.

212 Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Peter Boyle, Health Ledger, Sean Combs, Cast and Director Interviews (Monster’s Ball, 2001).

213 Ibid.

214 Scott.

106 go, says Daniels, and then it didn’t happen. In another year or two, Oliver Stone was set to direct, with Tommy Lee Jones starring. Again, the project fell through. Daniels ended up going through his attorneys, who were also serving as legal advisors to Rokos and

Addica. He had a six-month option, which meant that he had to secure a director, the talent, and the funding. On the last day of the six-month period, Lionsgate picked up the project.215

Marc Forster came into the picture when Daniels went looking for a director who was had a completely naive view on racism. This would be difficult to find, but Daniels began looking for a non-American director. He wanted someone who would look at interracial relationships from a child’s eye and not give a stereotypical black and white perspective on the south.216 He found this in German-born, Swiss-raised Forster. What

Daniels hoped to bring to this story, which was so close to his heart, was someone who could bring to the screen the “gripping honesty”217 of the writers, whom he said, “cut right to the heart of the matter.”218 The story was a simple one, close to his heart, and he could not let go of it.

The audience is not able to let go of Monster’s Ball, either. This gripping slice of life is one that brings the story so close to reality that it moves “beyond the screen, as if the story were being witnessed rather than dramatized.”219

! 215 Lee Daniels, Behind the Scenes (Monster’s Ball, 2001).

216 Ibid.

217 Ibid.

218 Ibid.

219 Scott.

107 Monster’s Ball received not only powerful reviews, but also much recognition in the awards realm as well. Halle Berry received eight best acting awards (Phoenix Film

Critics Society Awards, National Board of Review, Jupiter Award, Black Reel Awards,

Berlin International Film Festival, Bambi Awards, Screen Actors’ Guild, and Academy

Awards), writers Rokos and Addica received the Satellite Award for Best Original

Screenplay and the Discover Screenwriting Award from the American Screenwriters

Association, and the film was awarded Best Foreign Film by the Awards of the Japanese

Academy. Additionally, eighteen other nominations for writing, acting, and film recognized Monster’s Ball.

The Film Itself

Hank is a corrections officer. He lives with his father, a retired corrections officer, and his son, a young corrections officer. The patriarch is a vicious racist, who seems to enjoy hurting others. He rules the family from his wheelchair, complete with oxygen tank, and speaks disrespectfully of his deceased wife, such as when he says to Hank,

“Your mother wasn’t shit. That woman failed me.”220 He judges men by their toughness, living by a “brutal code of masculine behavior that blocks all access to feeling.”221 It is an emotionally cold and dingy house. Hank follows suit, keeping his emotions closed, speaking badly of his deceased wife, who committed suicide. He spends much of his time trying to toughen up his son. Sonny, the youngest of the three men, is different, softer. He is friends with some neighbor boys who are African-American. He is visibly

! 220 Buck Grotowski, Monster’s Ball, 2001.

221 Scott.

108 uncomfortable with working on Death Row. He shows compassion for the condemned man. He is different from his father and grandfather. They are worried that he is soft.

In a parallel story line we find Leticia and Tyrell Musgrove visiting the prison where Lawrence Musgrove, their husband and father, is awaiting execution. This is their last visit before he dies. Tyrell and his father are close. The married couple is not. The father does his best to remain calm and say encouraging things to his son: that Tyrell is not like him, a bad man, but that Tyrell is only the best of who he is. The father and son share an artistic talent, the son has won a prize at school for his drawing, the father gives his drawings to his son. Lawrence tries to talk to Leticia about the car, which is broken down, the house, which she is losing, and how the family will be financially after he is gone. In a final embrace, the father and son say goodbye. Leticia remains distant, but cannot avert her gaze from the men in her family.

As this tense story unfolds, we find these two stories continuing in parallel for quite some time. More death occurs, with Sonny committing suicide after he has broken down while escorting Lawrence on his last walk and enduring his father’s wrath and humiliation. In a last show of independence, Sonny pulls a gun on his father, subduing him completely. He sits in a chair and asks his father, “You hate me? Answer me, you hate me, don’t you?” Hank responds, “Yeah, I hate you. Always did.” “Well,” Sonny says, “I always loved you.” And he shoots himself.

In the family burial plot, where the grandmother and mother are buried, we find

Hank and Buck in their corrections uniforms, a clergyman with a Bible, and two gravediggers, with Sonny’s casket above the grave that has been dug. The pastor says, “Is

109 there a passage you would like me to read?” “All I want is to hear that dirt hitting that box,” Hank replies. When Buck begins to make derogatory remarks about his grandson, such as “He was weak,” Hank shuts him down, saying, “You can say a little if you want after we’ve covered him up,” and commences shoveling dirt on the lowered casket.

Though Hank’s demeanor with his son is anything but loving, we soon find him looking at Sonny’s baby and childhood pictures, and padlocking the door to Sonny’s bedroom. He also cleans the chair Sonny was in when he shot himself, and removing the slug from the bullet hole in the chair, cleans it and keeps it in a glass jar. He feels something, but he cannot say what it is. And, he wouldn’t say anything in front of his father, who is unemotionally lying on the couch watching television.

At the same time, short scenes of Leticia and Tyrell are interspersed with those of

Hank and his family. We find Leticia taking a cab to work and finding out that she has been replaced. We see her drinking, and her overweight son eating candy bars. Both of these addictions are the way that this family copes, a large contrast from the controlled idea of masculinity we find in Hank’s home.

It is important to note at this point in the story that we have just now learned the names of some of the characters. Leticia’s name is first spoken when she speaks with her boss. Hank’s name is spoken at his son’s funeral. We hear Sonny’s name for the first time when a prostitute asks Hank about him, not knowing of Sonny’s suicide. We do not hear

Buck’s name until much later in the film. I do not think that we ever hear the condemned man’s name, until, perhaps, he is making his final walk. The choice of the writers to portray deeply emotional and difficult situations without speaking names is an important

110 one. First of all, it allows the audience to concentrate on the essence of each character, and to unpack the relationships that are being portrayed. It also helps to reflect the simplicity and honesty of the story.

The names do not matter as much as the story they are living; we could all be in their situation. And, keeping the names silent until the plot begins to unfold, adds to the impersonal, yet highly charged situations in which they find themselves. Leticia is a woman whose husband is on Death Row, raising her talented but overweight son alone, losing her home and without a car. Hank is caught between father and son, silence and expression. He is a sad man. His son is a sad man. His father is a sad man. This is who the characters are. We do not need their names to understand who they are and what they feel. When the names are added to what we already know, humanity, in a fuller way, begins to emerge.

By now the audience also notices the lack of dialogue, as well as the absence of smiling and laughter in this film. The dialogue is always direct and to the point, and its scarcity reflects the lack of depth in relationships as well as the inability of characters to express their feelings and the tight control they maintain in order to not fall apart. The control factor translates also into the lack of smiling and absence of laughter. If a conversation were to go far enough to allow for smiles or laughter, it might also allow for tears and anguish. That is where the characters find themselves. They are closed.

However, this self-protective demeanor does not mean that the characters are one dimensional. To the contrary, they are highly developed and faceted, which is shown

111 through their subtlety of expression and body language. Words are only a small part of who they are up to this point.

Soon after Sonny’s death, we find Hank quitting his job at the prison and Leticia in a new job, waitressing at the restaurant frequented by Hank. She waits on him, but is new and makes errors. He is polite but restrained, an important aspect of his character. He cares more about people, and how his words affect them, than his father does. We see

Leticia leaving work with her son, Tyrell, in the pouring rain. She steals an umbrella from the coat stand for their walk home. Hank soon leaves the restaurant and passes them on the road. Tyrell is lying, unresponsive, on the wet pavement and Leticia is screaming over and over, “Someone help me!” It takes a moment to understand what is happening, but while other vehicles pass Hank stops his car and backs up to where the mother and son are situated. Tyrell has been hit by a car, the two adults put the boy into the back seat, and

Hank drives them to the hospital, where Tyrell dies. Detectives question both Hank and

Leticia, and the detectives ask Hank to take Leticia home. He wipes the blood off of her purse, and she clings to Hank, repeatedly crying, “He gone!”

This is the scene that changes the stories from parallel to joined. It is where, Ebert says, that the stories “do not intersect but simply, inevitably, meet.”222 When Hank takes

Leticia to her home, the camera highlights the eviction notice on her door. The director is careful to show Hank’s gentleness in helping her in and out of the car, asking for her address, unlocking her door, turning on the light, not entering too far, and asking if she is all right. His demeanor is quiet, just as it was when preparing her husband for his death.

! 222 Ebert.

112 She tries to talk a little about the coroner, an autopsy, and whether or not they will even look for the hit and run driver, since “He’s a black kid.” Hank is reassuring and compassionate. “I’m real sorry,” he says before he leaves with a nod, “See you.” There is in this interaction a great deal of subtext. He relates to her because they have both lost a son. She openly grieves her loss, he holds his close. His sympathy shows in his willingness to stay and talk for a moment when he is so uncomfortable that he would really rather leave. She is lost in her grief and shock, and he was there for her. He helped her. He was a human being who made contact after the loneliness of having a husband on death row and the loss of her job. She is someone that he can help.

We see him at the restaurant with a newspaper many times after this, interacting with Leticia. He is looking for a job. She is getting better at hers. The first time she serves him, as a tip, he leaves her his change from his bill, which is eight cents. After time passes, he leaves her a real tip. And when he does, for the first time in the film, we see a smile, a brightness in the midst of this darkness and pain. Leticia is opening up.

After a time we see Hank open up as well. He buys a gas station and is happy, free for the first time from the family profession. His father is not pleased. Showing the keys to his father, Hank tells the elder that he has purchased a gas station, that is it all bought and paid for. “We own it!” His father responds with, “Don’t say we, you own it. I didn’t buy it. I wouldn’t have bought no gas station.” “Is that right?” Hank replies. “I would have stuck to what I know best,” says his father. “What’s that?” asks Hank. With pride and arrogance in his tone, Buck answers, “Corrections officer.” Hank says, “Right. Well,

I ain’t a corrections officer no more. I’m a gas station owner.” Hank smiles. “I already

113 made the deal. It’s too late, Pop.” Light has now entered Hank’s world, too. A lightness appears in his tone, his clothing, his expression.

Hank and Leticia continue to speak to each other at the restaurant, each time more easily, more friendly. He offers her a ride home, and she finally accepts. We hear Leticia lightly laugh, the first laugh in the film. The shot moves to the interior of the car. She asks Hank why he helped her. He answers as best he can, though he has difficulty looking at her when he does. She goes to leave the car and he tells her about Sonny’s death. She looks back and he continues to speak, relating her loss and his. They have shared a feeling. “You know when you feel like you can’t breathe?” Hank asks, and Leticia nods.

“And,” he continues, “you can’t get out from inside yourself.” Leticia invites him inside.

Together they drink and she talks and talks about Tyrell, his wonderful qualities and his shortcomings, how she tried to keep him from obesity, but how his love for food won out. And, she tells Hank about her husband who was executed on death row. He sees the drawing and knows who Leticia is in relationship to who he is. Leticia is feeling the alcohol and becomes physically familiar with Hank, letting her gesturing hands fall on his thighs. She is alternately laughing and crying, letting it all out. Hank is uncomfortable, and says that he does not know what to do. Leticia sobs and says, “I want you to make me feel better. Can you make me feel good? Just make me feel good. I want to feel good.” The two are physically intimate. It is an act that is the culmination of the pain they have endured, the closeness and trust they have built from sharing a traumatic event. It is an act that is all about need, not about sex. The craving for intimate human contact and

114 healing is such that the sex is “defined not by desire, but by need.”223 It is about what is at the core of their humanity, a way to move past the pain that fills their souls. It is the first step from brokenness to wholeness.

The two form a relationship. They become familiar, comfortable, happy with one another. Then Leticia meets Buck. This is the first time in the film that we hear his name.

He says it with pride to her, as he spews racist sexual comments her way, saying that his son is just like he is. Leticia drives away, not speaking to Hank who is trying to explain.

Hank puts his father into a nursing home, and works to repair the broken trust that has come between him and Leticia. When Leticia loses her home, Hank brings her home with him. The house is transformed, a direct reflection of Hank’s life. He has painted and cleaned. He has unlocked his son’s bedroom. The house is now his home and he takes care of her. She trusts again.

But, what of the fact that Hank knows that he was the executioner of Leticia’s husband? Does this ever come up? It does, and it is crucial to the ending of Monster’s

Ball.

Hank goes off to get chocolate ice cream. He is always eating chocolate ice cream. Perhaps that is his comfort as was candy for Tyrell and alcohol for Leticia. While he is gone, Leticia looks at Sonny’s photographs once more. Among them she finds the sketches that her husband drew in his last hours of freedom, the sketches of Sonny and

Hank. Letitia knows. She cries, is angry. She hits a pillow and cries more. When Hank arrives home he asks if she is okay. Leticia’s face is in a blank stare. He says that she

! 223 Ebert.

115 looks pretty, and invites her to sit on the front steps and eat ice cream. He smiles at her and they sit together. Hank is gentle and tender with her, loving. Leticia looks over at the three graves in the side yard - Hank’s mother, wife and son. Does she remember his suffering in that moment? Leticia is not eating, and so Hank feeds her a spoonful of ice cream. She looks him in the eye. The music changes. It is softer, less tense. Hank tells

Leticia about the gas station, saying he thinks they will be all right. Leticia’s expression softens and she looks up at the sky. The camera moves to behind the two and shows them both looking out into the dark night, into the future. She joins Hank in choosing hope and forgiveness. There is life after pain.

Why is Monster’s Ball Beautiful

Monster’s Ball is a transformative work, reflects God’s beauty of truth and goodness, and is abundant in hope. What happens to the two main characters in Monster’s

Ball is a beautiful and profound thing. They have walked through the darkest valley and come out on the other side. They have been transformed from people who lived by fear, control and misery, to those who are able to love and be kind. They have entered into healing, and are able to see hope, light, and a future that is bright.

Ebert says of Hank’s character that it is not about “how Hank overcomes his attitudes, but about how they fall away from him like a dead skin, because his other feelings are so much more urgent. The movie is not about overcoming prejudice, but sidestepping it because it comes to seem monstrously irrelevant.”224 It is painfully clear

! 224 Ebert.

116 that when Hank first meets Leticia he sees her as a black woman who is not a very good waitress and who has a grossly overweight son. As the story grows, he allows himself to see her humanity and race goes away. The same is true of Leticia, who worries about her son’s weight, saying that Tyrell “can’t be like that, a black man in America.” She has preconceptions about race when she looks at her son’s future, and when considering if the police will even look for the person who killed him. And she is leery of accepting a ride with Hank, even though he is the one who helped her the night of her child’s death.

Racism is her experience, her reality.

It is a beautiful thing then, that these two broken human beings are able to move beyond life-long stereotypes and paralyzing pain to find their humanity in one another.

When the film begins, it is painful to watch the characters who are a mere shell of who they might be. The walls that have helped them to survive are not serving them well. The film portrays honestly, if not easily, who these people are. It allows them to be “weak, flawed, needful, with good hearts tested by lifetimes of compromise.”225 This beautiful transformative healing happens in “incremental steps” in which the two “emerge as human beings with an optimistic future.”226

The intentional movement from a life half-lived, dominated by pain, toward one in which there is light and hope and love, is not an easy one. The “incremental steps” are carefully, perhaps hesitatingly, taken. They are not without complications on the way. The ending of the film is, perhaps, risky. Scott calls it “an enormous gamble for the

! 225 Ebert.

226 Karten.

117 filmmakers.”227 But its complexity and transparency, along with the journey taken by

Leticia and Hank, are authentic. Her choices are to stay or to leave. She knows it is complicated. She knows that the truth hurts. And yet, she also knows that this man is kind and loving, that he treats her with respect and caring, that they have a shared emotional past of great suffering. Leticia knows that neither of them is the same as they were when they first met. And so, she stays. That is beautiful, a “flower standing above the mud.”

The hope seen in Monster’s Ball is God’s hope, for it is God’s steadfast love alone that makes such hope possible.

Use in Worship

The themes of dealing with pain and suffering, of hope’s light shining through the darkness, the fullness of human life and of transformation, are filled with possibilities for the worship experience. Sermons often deal with these themes, as do discussion groups,

Bible studies, and other small groups within the church.

Unless the film is viewed as a whole, it may be challenging to express the fullness of the story, with its emotional complexity and multifaceted pain, without having to explain the plot and characters in detail. It will be up to the teacher, leader, or preacher then, to be concise when defining the points of the story to be illustrated to make a point.

Trusting the integrity of the story itself is a good place to begin when choosing which parts to use for theological illustrations.

! 227 Scott.

118 A sermon about what God desires for human life can take us to topics such as what it means to be fully human, how God provides, the mystery and hope of transformation, or life abundant. This is God’s desire for humanity. It is God’s hope for humanity. God wants created humanity to trust in these aspects of God’s being, and live with the hope of a future. The sermon found below, based on Jeremiah’s prophecy of hope to the Babylonian exiles, will speak of what it means to be fully human and live the life that has been set before us.

Many churches have a film group. Monster’s Ball would be a wonderful choice for such a group. Discussion points may include how capital punishment or racism affect our humanity, the complexity of emotions when life is steeped in suffering, or how transformation begins and progresses. Thorough preparation for this discussion, exploring the characters presented, the writing, and the filming of the movie will prove to be fruitful.

Lastly, any time spent with Monster’s Ball in a small group to talk about the human condition, the identity of humanity as created in God’s image, and the nature of the relationship between Creator and created would be time well spent. What is it about the characters that makes them less whole, and how does that change over time? What assumptions do the characters have that prevent them from moving forward in life? How do familial relationships help or hinder the characters’ abilities to function?

119 Sermon to used with Monster’s Ball

Hope for a Future

Jeremiah 29:10-14

For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with a hope. This is God speaking to the exiled Hebrews in

Babylon. They are without home or hope. They are mocked and without freedom. They are not the people they used to be. Only half alive, they cannot see light through the darkness in which they are living. Do we know of people or situations like this, where humanity is only half alive?

Humanity suffers. We know that. From the news, what we see of violence, hatred, ethnic cleansing, starvation, disease, poverty, and injustice, we know that humanity suffers. We also see it face to face when we are confronted with grief or divorce or domestic violence or terminal illness or any number of other situations that cut us to the quick. These things cause us pain, right to the center of our beings, right to our hearts.

And yet, since we are people of faith, we believe that there is hope, that suffering is

120 temporary, that God wants more for us, that we were created to live life fully, abundantly.

We are meant to be fully human.

What does that mean, to be fully human? I believe that being fully human implies that we are to live as beloved children of God, created in God’s image, for the purpose of loving God, neighbor, and self. But human suffering, a natural part of the human condition, can consume us to the point that we are not able to find that place of fullness.

The same can happen when we are consumed with anything other than the beauty and wonder of life and the one who gave it. If we are consumed with money, we are not living as fully human. If we are driven by the desire for success or power, it is the same.

Whatever need, be it real or perceived, that keeps us from who we were created to be and experiencing that fully, is that which keeps us from our humanity.

This morning’s message is about how emotional suffering keeps us from being fully ourselves. And, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite films, Monster’s Ball, to do just that. Released in 2001, Monster’s Ball is not an easy film. The characters are not on the surface likable, and there is much pain experienced during the course of the movie. And yet, there is a depth and a beauty to be found in this story of human suffering and the transformation that comes with time.

Leticia, a black woman, has a husband who is on death row. She is raising their son, Tyrell, alone. She works as a waitress in a diner, but the car has broken down and they are being evicted from their home. She is doing her best, but it is not enough. Hank, a white man, is a second generation correctional office serving on Death Row. He, his retired father and his son, who is a green correctional officer, live together in the family

121 home. Their relationship is not harmonious. Feelings are kept inside, value is placed on toughness, and the women who were in the family are dead and buried in the family plot off to the side of the house. Racism is present in the two older men. The young son, about

20 years of age, is gentle and friendly. These families are presented to us in two parallel story lines, which do not meet until later in the film.

Not far into the story we experience, along with the two families, death and pain.

Leticia’s husband and Tyrell’s father is executed by electric chair. Sonny, Hank’s son, commits suicide. And Tyrell is hit by a car and dies. This is when Hank and Leticia meet, by the side of the road with her dying child. Hank takes them to the hospital. After Tyrell dies, Hank takes Leticia home.

Their meeting is one of chance, and yet their lives are intertwined, not only by the events of Death Row, but also a shared suffering of the loss of a child. Hank and Leticia meet each other at their most vulnerable, and as they get to know each other begin to come to life. For the first time in the film we see smiles. We hear laughter. We find open and shared expression of emotions. Because they come to know one another, Hank and

Leticia begin to heal, to trust, to live, to become the people that God created them to be.

They are making their way to becoming fully human.

Hank has quit the Department of Corrections, but as he and Leticia become close, he has discovered her very personal connection to his former occupation. Leticia does not know of his link to her history until she has moved into his home and finds something of her husband’s, a gift of portraits of Hank and Sonny drawn in his last few hours of life.

Leticia gasps and cries. She hits a pillow over and over. And then, she and Hank meet. He

122 is gentle and tender, having no idea what she is experiencing. He is happy. She is in shock. But, as the last scene unfolds we find Leticia accepting Hank’s kindness, his care, his love. We see her remember his suffering as well as her own. And we see her stay. At the end, we see two human beings who choose to live fully, with forgiveness and hope, two people who are healing and on their way to living life abundant, life as fully human.

This is what God wants for us. This is what God promises us. That no matter the suffering, no matter the feeling of exile, there will come a time when healing and fullness of life emerge, a time to look forward to the future. Just as the Israelites were in exile because of war, Leticia and Hank, many of our friends and neighbors, and maybe even ourselves, are in exile. We are separated from who we were created to be. We are not ourselves, not fully human. We have been beaten down by life, or have wanted to see the light, but the darkness is too dark.

But the film teaches us that when we are able to make a connection with another, we can begin to find our way to the light. God has created us to live in relationship, with

God’s self and with one another. We are not meant to live with walls surrounding us, our feelings, our frailties. Instead, we are created to share all of who we are, to trust, to love, to live. This is what gives us life. This is where we can begin to realize God’s plans for us and where we are able to be open to the divine image that is within us. This is where we are able to feel gratitude for the gift of life. This is where we find life and know, without reservation, that there is a future waiting for us, created by God’s hand. Amen.

123 Study guide for a church film club to use with Monster’s Ball

Before watching the film: • Tell a little of the history the film, director, writers, producer, actors, awards, etc.

• Talk about the difficulties to be found in viewing the film - execution, nudity and sex, suicide, racism, and the death of a child.

• Speak of writing and filming aspects - when do we learn the characters’ names, how long is it until we see someone smile or hear a laugh, notice the darkness, and when it begins to turn to light.

Watch Monster’s Ball without interruption

Take a break

Enter into discussion around these questions and talking points: • Discuss the characters. Do we like them? What are their main qualities? What do we see in the familial relationships? How do family members relate and feel about one another?

• How does the film portray life in general, is it dark or light, happy or sad, limited or fulfilling? When does it begin to change?

• Did we notice that the condemned man was always shown in the center of the screen, but all other people were at the fringes? Why would the director and cinematographer make this choice?

• How would we describe the relationship between Leticia and Hank? What do you think is the most important thing about it?

• Talk about the ending of the film. Are you afraid of what will happen? Did you think their relationship was over when Leticia found the portraits? Watch the scene again and see what you notice in the second viewing that you may not have in the first.

• What do you think the main message is of Monster’s Ball? Share Director Marc Forster’s statements from the interviews on the DVD about leaving the audience “with a piece of awareness, a piece of hope...through whatever tragedy there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, always a path to light and love, we can walk above the mud and stand as a flower above the mud.” Do we think that Forster, the writers, and the actors accomplished this goal?

124 Chapter 7

Our Town: Eternity Now and Then

Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) wrote plays, novels, a movie script, and essays, as well as being a teacher and much sought-after lecturer. The winner of three Pulitzer

Prizes and a National Book Award, he will be most remembered as the author of Our

Town, often called “the great American play.”228

Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin, to Amos and Isabella Wilder. His father was a newspaper editor and publisher, a faithful Congregationalist, and his mother the daughter of a Presbyterian minister.229 The family did not stay in Madison for long, and the remainder of Wilder’s childhood was spent in Hong Kong, Berkeley, Chef, and Ojai.

As a diplomat to China, Amos Wilder moved the family a great deal, which meant that the Wilder children changed schools with each move, from California to China and back.

Originally there were six Wilder children, however, Thornton’s twin brother died at birth.230 The remaining siblings included an older brother and three younger sisters, all of whom were intellectually inclined and highly educated, as was Thornton. All were writers in one form or another.

! 228 Donald Margulies, Our Town: A Play in Three Acts, Forward (Harper Collins, 2003), p. xi.

229 Bernard Grebanier, Thornton Wilder (University of Minnesota Press, 1964), p. 6.

230 The Thornton Wilder Society: Life and Family.

125 Wilder’s secondary education began at Oberlin College, where for two years he was a writer in the Oberlin Literary Magazine. He then transferred to Yale, his father’s alma mater, and reunited with his family in New Haven, Connecticut. Wilder’s writing attention then turned to the Yale Literary Magazine, which published many of his works.

After Yale, the American Academy at Rome found Wilder studying and writing his first novel. Upon return to the United States, Wilder taught French at a high school in New

Jersey while doing graduate work at Princeton.231

Wilder, who had begun writing at a very young age, had, by 1927, published two books and a play. It was his second novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, which launched him into overnight recognition. The book was a best seller and won the 1928 Pulitzer

Prize. Wilder continued to write novels, but at the same time felt drawn toward the theatre, writing many one-act plays from 1931 forward. During this time of prolific authorship, Wilder continued to teach. He taught for seven years at the University of

Chicago and one semester at the University of Hawaii. During that time, Wilder translated Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece, A Doll’s House, for the 1937 Broadway production.

Wilder’s first full length play, Our Town, was published in 1938, and also won the

Pulitzer. With the play’s broad and immediate success, Wilder left teaching permanently and spent the remainder of his life writing and lecturing. One of his sisters, Isabel, became his constant companion and helper. With the success of Our Town, Isabel traveled

Europe, overseeing its production and reception. The two made New Haven their

231 Grebanier, 7.

126 permanent home, along with their parents. The two remained there for the reminder of their lives. Isabel was a gifted novelist in her own right.

Wilder’s lecturing took him to the State Department in South America, and

Harvard. He was often to be found on the campus of Yale, speaking with students and encouraging them to learn as much as they could about as many things as they could.

Wilder participated in World War II, on duty in Africa, Italy, and the United States. He had previously been eliminated from the pool of enlistees during the first World War because of his poor eyesight, but was eventually accepted by the Coast Artillery.232 In

1943, Wilder won his third Pulitzer for his play, The Skin of Our Teeth, which was an enormous success in New York. In 1948, Wilder resurrected a play that had failed, The

Merchant of Yonkers, renaming it The Matchmaker. The renewed play was very popular in England as well as in New York, and in 1964, the play became the musical, Hello

Dolly!

Wilder’s writing habits were interesting. He believed in taking long walks each day: “At a rough guess, one day’s walk is productive of one fifteen-minute scene.

Everything I’ve ever done has come into being that way and I don’t think I could work out an entire play or novel at a desk now if I tried.”233 Wilder also did not enjoy writing in

“familiar settings.”234 Our Town was written on the ocean, in hotels, on a Caribbean island, and in Switzerland. Wilder also spent a great deal of time at the MacDowell

Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, while writing the play. In all, Wilder visited

! 232 Grebanier, 7-9.

233 Tappan Wilder, quoting his uncle Thornton, Our Town: Afterward (Harper Collins, 2003), p. 117.

234 Wilder, 116.

127 the Colony nine times between 1924 and 1953.235 The site is a retreat center for artists of all stripes, painters, writers, musicians and the like, that was begun in the late 1800s by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, Marian. The farm contains thirty-two cabins in which artists can reside and work for periods of time.

Another aspect of Wilder’s writing was that of multiple projects in a single time frame. It appears that during the genesis of Our Town, Wilder was working on other plays as well. And, of his projects, Wilder always asked, “First of all, do I believe it?’236 This was the measure by which Wilder judged his writing, its believability. Nothing was more important. He was known for his opinion that, “imaginative story telling consists of telling a number of lies in order to convey a truth; it is a rearrangement of falsehoods which, if it is done honestly, results in verity.”237

Wilder knew that theatre was make-believe; yet he understood profoundly the importance theatre had on the truths portrayed therein. Wilder believed that the response of the audience depends on said truth. Donald Margulies quotes Wilder himself when he states: “The response we make when we ‘believe’ a work of the imagination is that of saying: ‘This is the way things are. I have always known it without being fully aware that

I knew it. Now in the presence of this play or novel or poem (or picture or piece of music) I know that I know it.’ ”238 When in the presence of Wilder’s work, the truth is known of what it means to be human, to be alive. Our Town gives us such a truth.

! 235 Wilder, 145.

236 Wilder, quoting his uncle’s letter, 119.

237 Thornton Wilder, from a 1937 interview in the New York World Telegram, p. 150.

238 Margulies, xii-xiii.

128 The Play

After pre-Broadway tryouts in Princeton and Boston, with mixed reviews but thunderous applause, Our Town opened at the Henry Miller Theatre in New York City on

February 4, 1938. Again, reviews were mixed. Some did not understand the style of the play, with no scenery and such matter of fact dialogue about the death of various characters, but the ones who thought it was brilliant, believed it to be a classic from the moment it premiered. Robert Colman, in The Mirror, proclaimed that Our Town was

“worthy of an honored place in any anthology of American drama.”239 By 1940, the play was included in anthologies and being taught in schools. By the end of December in

1940, a year and a half after the rights became available through Samuel French, Our

Town had been produced in 795 towns and in each state, with the exception of Rhode

Island, “as well as in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and four Canadian provinces.”240

According to the Thornton Wilder Society, of whom Tappan Wilder, Thornton’s nephew, is Honorary Chair, the play has been translated into thirty languages, and currently is performed at least once every day of the week.241

The immediate success in other parts of the world is astounding as well. Isabel,

Wilder’s sister, relayed knowledge of productions in Germany, Japan, England, Rome, and the Soviet Union. The Red Cross and the U.S.O. produced the play for Armed

Services only.242 When the play was being produced in Rome, the performance was

! 239 Wilder, 115.

240 Ibid., 125.

241 Thornton Wilder Society, film.

242 Wilder, quoting his sister, Isabel, 168.

129 almost stopped by a leading Fascist politico, who thought that Our Town was anti-Fascist.

The attempt was unsuccessful when the audience threw the rebels out.243 The play was later produced in Sweden, Buenos Aires, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Turkey, and

Holland. The play was most popular in Germany, but during the Russian Occupation was halted after three days of performances because it was considered “Unsuitable for the

Germans so soon,-too democratic.”244

Other mediums have taken a liking to Our Town as well. The play was heard on radio as early as March 1938. In the 1950s, it was produced on television. In 1940, the play was converted into a film, with one major plot change, that of Emily’s death. In the film, her death was in her dream and not a reality. Wilder was heavily involved in the writing of the film, and approved of this change, owing to the closeness and concreteness of film as opposed to the “half-way abstractions in an allegory.”245 The music for the film was composed by another quintessentially American artist, Aaron Copland. The music that set the mood for the film is now often used for an introduction to each act in the play.

In 2006, the play became an opera set to the music of another American composer, Ned

Rorem. With simple melodies and a “just-folks serenity,”246 the opera has graced the stages of Julliard, Indiana University, Central City, and Lake George.

Tappan Wilder, nephew of Thornton Wilder, literary executor and manager of his uncle’s literary and dramatic properties, states that, “the play is an attempt to find a value

! 243 Wilder, 169.

244 Ibid., 170.

245 Wilder, quoting his uncle Thornton, 128.

246 Bernard Holland, Leaving High Drama Behind for a Trip to Grover’s Corners (New York Times, 2008).

130 above all price for the smallest events in our daily life.”247 When one thinks of Our Town, this statement of Wilder’s is the perfect description. The play is organized into three acts,

Daily Life, Love and Marriage, and I reckon you can guess what that’s about. In the first act we are introduced to the town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and to its inhabitants, by the character of the Stage Manager. The dialogue is not in chronological order, but contains asides sharing the future or past of certain characters: “The simultaneity of life and death, past, present, and future pervades Our Town. As soon as we are introduced to Doc and Mrs. Gibbs, the Stage Manager informs us of their deaths.”248 When we are introduced to the paper boy, Joe Crowell, he and Doc Gibbs chat, and then the Stage Manager “casually fills us in on young Joe’s future, his scholarship to MIT, his graduating at the top of his class,”249 immediately followed by news of his death in the war in France. On stage we see a young boy delivering papers, but in a few short lines we know the remainder of his life. Though the acts are divided into distinct sections of time and space, there is always that ethereal quality of time that lives throughout the play.

The play begins with Daily Life. The Stage Manager introduces the play by showing the audience around the town, sharing the latitude and longitude, the date (May

1901) and the view of the sky. He or she walks around the stage pointing out imaginary buildings and landmarks, the churches and municipal buildings, the stores, and the schools. He then moves to the homes and introduces the characters and their gardens,

! 247 Wilder, quoting his uncle Thornton, 171.

248 Margulies, xvii.

249 Ibid.

131 stating that the town is nice, but that it is not remarkable. Wilder establishes from the beginning that this play is about ordinary people in an ordinary town. We meet the people of the town one by one, and learn about their past, present, and future. The Stage

Manager gets some anthropological data from the local professor, then resumes storytelling.

The introduction continues by asking people in the audience if they have any questions about the town and its governance. The questions come from cast members, who ask about social ills, such as alcoholism and industrial inequality. Just like any other town, Mr. Webb, the editor of the newspaper replies,”hunting like everybody else for a way the diligent and sensible can rise to the top and the lazy and quarrelsome can sink to the bottom. But it ain’t easy to find. Meanwhile, we do all we can to help those that can’t help themselves and those that can we leave alone.”250 A typical town, with difficulties like everyone else.

As he continues to interview the residents of Grover’s Corners, the Stage Manager explores the town a little more with the audience. There is a church choir rehearsal, a late night talk between George and Emily, teenagers who are falling in love, plus a difficult conversation about the drinking problem of Simon Stimson, the choir director. Daily life.

End of Act I. The Stage Manager dismisses the audience.

Love and Marriage, Act II, begins three years later. The Stage Manager talks about sunrises, seasons, and the growth of children. The action commences with the day of George and Emily’s wedding, the Gibbs and the Webb families getting ready for the

! 250 Thornton Wilder, 26.

132 big event, and a lot of talk about the rain that has drenched their gardens. The daily routine of a mother is emphasized in this way: “And there’s Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb come down to make breakfast, just as though it were an ordinary day. I don’t have to point out to the women in my audience that those ladies they see before them, both of those ladies cooked three meals a day - one of ‘em for twenty years, the other for forty - and no summer vacation. They brought up two children apiece, washed, cleaned the house, - and never a nervous breakdown. It’s like what one of those Middle West poets said: You’ve got to love life to have life, and you’ve got to have life to live life..its what they call a vicious circle.”251

Again, Wilder emphasizes the importance of the little things in life that really matter, and by adding up the time and the meals spent by these two wives and mothers, the ordinary becomes remarkable. Visits are shared between neighbors, but the bride and groom are not allowed to see one another, so the focus of the action changes and the

Stage Manager introduces another change in time. We go back to the time when Emily and George first fell in love. They are at the soda shop in town and have a very honest and revealing conversation about who they are, how they feel about one another, and what matters to them in life. “Well,” the Stage Manager says, “Now we’re ready to get on with the wedding.”

Waxing poetic about the meaning of marriage, and what a wedding is about, the

Stage Manager talks about marriage as a sacrament, that people were created to live together, and also the confusion way down deep about getting married. This will be

251 Thornton Wilder, 49.

133 exemplified soon enough when Emily is afraid to get married. The sermon continues with nature being brought into the conversation, and the witnesses at the wedding that are not visible, the ancestors, millions of them. Emily goes through a moment of uncertainty and fear, but is reassured after talking to George. Here is the dialogue: “I’m giving away my daughter, George. Do you think you can take care of her?” begins Mr. Webb. George replies, “Mr. Webb, I want to...I want to try. Emily, I’m going to do my best. I love you,

Emily. I need you.” Emily responds, “Well, if you love me, help me. All I want is someone to love me.” George says, “I will, Emily. Emily, I’ll try.” And Emily gets the last word, speaking once more of eternity, “And I mean for ever. Do you hear? For ever and ever.”252 The wedding begins.

Eternity and the universality of life are the themes that are emphasized in this act.

The Stage Manager finishes with this, “I’ve married over two hundred couples in my day.

Do I believe in it? I don’t know. M…marries N…millions of them. The cottage, the go- cart, the Sunday-afternoon drives in the Ford, the first rheumatism, the grandchildren, the second rheumatism, the deathbed, the reading of the will,-” The Stage Manager looks at the audience, with a sincere smile, “Once in a thousand times it’s interesting. Well, let’s have Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March”!”253 The audience is excused once again to enjoy a ten minute intermission.

The New York Times review of the play in 1938 stated that the play “contained nothing less than a fragment of the immortal truth.”254 That is the essence of this play. It

! 252 Thornton Wilder, 80.

253 Ibid., 82.

254 Wilder, 115.

134 portrays human life, simple yet complex, birth and death, happiness and grief, the general and the specific. It tells us that life, in each ordinary occurrence, is both commonplace and extraordinary. It was Wilder’s desire to write a play that contained all of these everyday occurrences in “One long flowing musical curve.”255

The emphasis on story and characterization was highlighted by Wilder through the absence of scenery: “I tried to restore significance to the small details of life by removing scenery. The spectator through lending his imagination to the action restages it inside his own head.”256 Details mattered to Wilder, and scenery would only be a distraction, not allowing the audience member to engage fully with the play and its characters.

Another aspect of Our Town is that it expands the concept of time and space in its glimpse into eternity. Wilder had studied archeology when in Rome, and was moved by the viewing of things that were thousands of years old. He wanted that same feeling for his play: “The Stage Manager has been talking about the material that is being placed in the cornerstone of the new bank at Grover’s Corners, material that has been chemically treated so that it will last a thousand or two thousand years. He suggests that this play has been placed there so that future ages will know more about the life of the average person; more than just the Treaty of Versailles and the Lindbergh Flight--see what I mean?”257

Eternity is expressed in the play itself when the Stage Manager says, “We all know that something is eternal. And what is eternal has something to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years

! 255 Wilder, quoting his uncle, Thornton, 118.

256 Ibid., 155.

257 Wilder, quoting Preface to Our Town by Thornton Wilder, New York Times, 1938.

135 and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”258 These words are spoken at the beginning of Act III, entitled I reckon you can guess what that’s about, and is about

Emily’s death, her desire to go home just one more time, what she discovers when she is there that she did not understand previously, the beauty and wonder of life when she lived it, and the miracle of each and every moment of life. Until she is dead, she has no knowledge of her part in eternity.

We have spent time with Emily as a daughter, a girlfriend, a young bride. Now she is a mother who is no longer living with her family on earth. She longs to go back for one day, a happy day. Those who are with her, those who are also dead, warn Emily about the pain of going back. They have experienced what she is now living, a new resident in this other place. Emily chooses to go back to the day of her twelfth birthday, and when she does, the experience is overwhelming. Emily views herself with her mother at breakfast. She cannot speak to her, but the need to speak becomes more and more urgent.

She has already experienced the joy of seeing familiar faces in the town, but her great longing is to be able to speak with her mother as she is now. She feels love as she never has before and says to herself, “I can’t look at everything hard enough.”259 Emily desperately wants her mother to see her, to look at her, for the two of them to look at one another, but it is not possible. She realizes the fleeting nature of life and says, “I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another.”260 Emily sobs,

! 258 Thornton Wilder, Our Town (Harper Collins, 2003), p. 88.

259 Ibid., 105.

260 Ibid., 108.

136 and when she finds herself back in her new reality she says to the Stage Manager, “I didn’t realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed. Take me back-up the hill-to my grave. But first: Wait! One more look. Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s

Corners...Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking...and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths...and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.” There is a pause. Emily then asks the Stage Manager, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?-- every, every minute?”261 “No. The saints and poets, maybe--they do some,”262 is the

Stage Manager’s reply.

The play ends as it begins, with the Stage Manager narrating life in Grover’s

Corners and then, unceremoniously, saying goodnight to the audience.

What Makes Our Town Beautiful

Our Town embodies Beauty because it expresses the eternal, is abundant in its praise of life, is universal in its approach, and is both good and true. Without ever saying the word, Wilder makes it clear in Our Town that the gift of life is precious and indeed, beautiful. Life is to be appreciated, savored and nurtured. Life, in the everyday things that are both large and small and everything in between, is remarkable and of value. Human beings were created to see the eternal in the everyday, “What is the relation between the

! 261 Thornton Wilder, Our Town, 108.

262 Ibid.

137 countless “unimportant” details of our daily life, on the one hand, and the great perspectives of time, social history, and current religious ideas, on the other?”263

Life, with its details and commonalities, yet mundane and common, is part of the larger picture of the whole: “I wanted to pile up a million details of daily living, with some sense of the whole in living and dying...I think it is the business of writing to restore that sense of the whole.”264 Wilder has created a sense of the whole in this divine enigma called life, and that is beautiful.

The massiveness of time and space, the mystery of life and death, eternity itself are difficult to describe, articulate, or put into words and action. Yet, I argue that is exactly what Wilder has accomplished. Our Town is timeless because it is able to articulate timelessness. It is beautiful because like God, it values each and every human life in each and every moment. It is a description of a whole, because it is able to weave together the eternal and temporary, the small and the large, into one work of art, just as

God sees all of history as one time. Our Town is beautiful because it allows a glimpse into that which belongs to God, the beauty of life.

Use in Worship

The divine themes to be found in Our Town are perfectly suited to enhance biblical truths in sermon or study. In each scene or monologue, there is some truth revealed that seems to come from God’s very essence. Whether quoted in a sermon, illustrated in a Bible Study, or used to reveal God’s truth in a church drama group, Our

! 263 Thornton Wilder, A Preface for Our Town, 154.

264 Ibid., 153.

138 Town has much to offer in the way of leading humanity into connection with God’s beauty through art. Scenes from Our Town may be used in worship for a sermon series. In such a series, a scene could be presented each week by the church drama group as a means of introducing a theological concept. In this way, the concept would be seen and heard, giving a visible and aural invitation for the imagination to engage with this concept and God before the sermon or message begins.

Outline for a Sermon Series using Scenes from Our Town

Week 1-Speaking the Truth in Love

Scripture Passage-Ephesians 4:14-16

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Scene -Act II, p. 64-66

George and Emily are walking home after school, each with their own group of friends. George has just been elected President of the Junior Class, and Emily has been elected Secretary and Treasurer.

George: Can I carry your books home for you, Emily?

Emily: Coolly. Why...uh...Thank you. It isn’t far. She gives them to him.

George: Excuse me a minute, Emily.-Say, Bob, if I’m a little late, start practice anyway. And give Herb some long high ones.

139 Emily: Good-by, Lizzy.

George: Good-by, Lizzy-I’m awfully glad you were elected, too, Emily.

Emily: Thank you.

They have been standing on Main Street, almost against the back wall. They take the first steps toward the audience when George stops and says:

George: Emily, why are you mad at me?

Emily: I’m not mad at you.

George: You’ve been treating me so funny lately.

Emily: Well, since you ask me, I might as well say it right out, George,-She catches sight of a teacher passing. Good-by Miss Corcoran.

George: Good-by, Miss Corcoran.-Wha-what is it?

Emily: Not scoldingly; finding it difficult to say. I don’t like the whole change that’s come over you in the last year. I’m sorry if that hurts your feeling, but I’ve got to-tell the truth and shame the devil.

George: A change?-Wha-what to you mean?

Emily: Well, up to a year ago I used to like you a lot. And I used to watch you as you did everything...because we’d been friends so long...and then you began spending all your time at baseball...and you never stopped to speak to anybody any more. Not even to your own family you didn’t...and, George, it’s a fact, you’ve got awful conceited and stuck-up, and all the girls say so. They may not say so to your face, but that’s what they say about you behind your back, and it hurts me to hear them say it, but I’ve got to agree with them a little. I’m sorry if it hurts your feelings...but I can’t be sorry I said it.

George: I...I’m glad you said it, Emily. I never thought that such a thing was happening to me. I guess it’s hard for a fella to to have faults creep into his character.

They take a step or two in silence, then stand still in misery.

140 Emily: I always expect a man to be perfect and I think he should be.

George: Oh...I don’t think it’s possible to be perfect, Emily.

Emily: Well, my father is, and as far as I can see your father is. There’s no reason on earth why you shouldn’t be, too.

George: Well, I feel it’s the other way round. That men aren’t naturally good; but girls are.

Emily: Well, you might as well know right now that I’m not perfect. It’s not as easy for a girl to be perfect as a man, because we girls are more-more- nervous.-Now I’m sorry I said all that about you. I don’t know what made me say it.

George: Emily, -

Emily: Now I can see it’s not the truth at all. And I suddenly feel that it isn’t important, anyway.

George: Emily, would you like an ice-cream soda, or something, before you go home?

Emily: Well, thank you...I would.

Sermon-Speaking The Truth in Love

This sermon would speak of the illustration of speaking the truth in love found in the scene. Emily speaks the truth to George, with love and friendship. George then does the same with Emily. With life-long friendship and trust they are able to say difficult things to one another, to speak the truth in love. They are two young people who are trying to grow up, trying to find their way. This is how we are as Christians, striving to find our way, to model our lives after Christ, to find the courage to speak the truth in life.

141 Hymn-Wonderful Words of Life by Philip Bliss Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life; let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life; words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessed one, gives to all wonderful words of life; sinner, list to the loving call, wonderful words of life; all so freely given, wooing us to heaven. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life; offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life; Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.

Week 2-How do we want to be remembered?

Scripture-Colossians 3:12-17

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Scene-Act I, p. 32-33

He comes to the center of the stage. During the following speech the lights gradually dim to darkness, leaving only a spot on him.

142 Stage Manager: I think this is a good time to tell you that the Cartwright interests have just begun building a new bank in Grover’s Corners-had to go to Vermont for the marble, sorry to say. And they’ve asked a friend of mine what they should put in the cornerstone for people to dig up...a thousand years from now...Of course, they’ve put in a copy of the New Yoke Times and a copy of Mr. Webb’s Sentinel...We’re kind of interested in this because some scientific fellas have found a way of painting all that reading matter with a glue-a silicate glue- that’ll make it keep a thousand-two thousand years.

We’re putting in a Bible...and the Constitution of the United States-and a copy of William Shakespeare’s plays. What do you say, folks? What do you think?

Y’know-Babylon once had two million people in it, and all we know about ‘em is the names of the kings and some copies of wheat contracts...and contracts for the sale of slaves. Yet every night all those families sat down to supper, and the father came home from his work, and the smoke went up the chimney, -same as here. And even in Greece and Rome, all we know about the real life of the people is what we can piece together out of the joking poems and the comedies they wrote for the theatre back then.

So I’m going to have a copy of this play put in the cornerstone and the people a thousand years from now’ll know a few simple facts about us- more than the Treaty of Versailles and the Lindbergh flight.

See what I mean?

So-people a thousand years from now-this is the way we were in the provinces north of New York at the beginning of the twentieth century.- This is the way we were: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying.

Sermon-Being Remembered

In this sermon, the ideas about what is important for us to leave behind will be offered. Using the monologue as an example, it will be pointed out what was important to

Grover’s Corners, to the Babylonians, etc. As a Christian, then, what is important for us

143 to leave behind. We are followers of Christ, imitators of Christ. What we leave will reflect the faith and influence Christians for years to come.

Hymn-They’ll Know We Are Christians by Peter Scholtes

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other, we will work side by side, We will work with each other, we will work side by side, And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

All praise to the Father, from whom all things come, And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only Son, And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Week 3-Turning away from suffering

Scripture-Matthew 25:31-46

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison

144 and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Scene-Act I, p. 38-40

Laughter and good nights can be heard on stage left and presently Mrs. Gibbs, Mrs. Soames and Mrs. Webb come down Main Street. When they arrive at the corner of the stage they stop.

Mrs. Soames: Good night, Martha. Good night, Mr. Foster.

Mrs. Webb: I’ll tell Mr. Webb; I know he’ll want to put it in the paper.

Mrs. Gibbs: My, it’s late!

Mrs. Soames: Good night, Irma.

Mrs. Gibbs: Real nice choir practice, wa’n’t it? Myrtle Webb! Look at that moon, will you! Tsk-tsk-tsk. Potato weather, for sure.

They are silent for a moment, gazing up at the moon.

Mrs. Soames: Naturally I didn’t want to say a word about it in front of those others, but now we’re alone-really, it’s the worst scandal that ever was in this town!

Mrs. Gibbs: What?

Mrs. Soames: Simon Stimson!

Mrs. Gibbs: Now, Louella!

145 Mrs. Soames: But, Julia! To have the organist of a church drink and drunk year after year. You know he was drunk tonight. Mrs. Gibbs: Now, Louella! We all know about Mr. Stimson, and we all know about the troubles he’s been through, and Dr. Ferguson knows too, and if Dr. Ferguson keeps him on here in his job the only thing the rest of us can do is just not to notice it.

Mrs. Soames: Not to notice it! But it’s getting worse.

Mrs. Webb: No, it isn’t Louella. It’s getting better. I’ve been in that choir twice as long as you have. It doesn’t happen anywhere near so often...My, I hate to go to bed on a night like this.-I better hurry. Those children’ll be sitting up till all hours. Good night, Louella.

Sermon-Not Noticing

In this sermon, the problem of when to intervene or not will be discussed. Is it more respectful to let a destructive problem continue, or to lovingly confront it? Which is better? How does the parable of the sheep and goats speak of helping those who are sick?

What else could the women, the choir, or the town have done for the Simon Stimpson?

Hymn-Let Your Heart Be Broken by Brian Jeffery Leech

Let your heart be broken for a world in need: Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed, Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread Be the hands of Jesus, serving in His stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love, Visible expression God still rules above Living illustration of the Living Word To the minds of all who’ve Never seen or heard.

Blest to be a blessing privileged to care, Challenged by the need apparent everywhere. Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place. Be the means through which the Lord reveals His grace.

146 Add to your believing deeds that prove it true, Knowing Christ as Savior, make Him Master, too. Follow in His footsteps, go where He has trod; In the worlds great trouble risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear; See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near. Let your heart be broken by a brothers pain; Share your rich resources, give and give again.

Week 4-Eternity

Scripture-John 14:1-4

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’

Scene-Act III, p. 85-88

During the intermission the audience has seen the stagehands arranging the stage. On the right-hand side, a little right of the center, ten or twelve ordinary chairs have been places in three openly spaced rows facing the audience. These are graves int he cemetery. Toward the end of the intermission the actors enter and take their places. The front row contains: toward the center of the stage, an empty chair; then Mrs. Gibbs; Simon Stimson. The second row contains, among others, Mrs. Soames. The third row has Wally Webb. The dead do not turn their heads or their eyes to right or left, but they sit in a quiet without stiffness. When they speak their tone is matter-of-fact, without sentimentality and, above all, without lugubriousness. The Stage Manager takes his accustomed place and waits for the house light to go down.

Stage Manager: This time nine years have gone by, friends-summer, 1913.

Gradual changes in Grover’s Corners. Horses are getting rarer.

147 Farmers coming into town in Fords.

Everybody locks their house doors now at night. Ain’t been any burglars in town yet, but everybody’s heard about ‘em.

You’d be surprised, though-on the whole, things don’t change much around here.

This is certainly an important part of Grover’s Corners. It’s on a hilltop- a windy hilltop-lots of sky, lots of clouds,-often lots of sun and moon and stars.

You come up here, on a fine afternoon and you can see range on range of hills-awful blue they are-up there by Lake Sunapee and Lake Winnipesaukee...and way up, if you’ve got a glass, you can see the White Mountains and Mt .Washington-where North Conway and Conway is. And, of course, our favorite mountain, Mt. Monadnock, ‘sright here---and all these town that lie around it: Jaffrey, ‘n East Jaffrey, ‘n Peterborough, ‘n Dublin; and

Then pointing down in the audience.

there, quite a ways down, is Grover’s Corners.

Yes, beautiful spot up here. Mountain laurel and li-lacks. I often wonder why people like to be buried in Woodlawn and Brooklyn when they might pass the same time up here in New Hampshire.

Over there-

Pointing to stage left.

are the old stones,-1670, 1680. Strong-minded people that come a long way to be independent. Summer people walk around there laughing at the funny words on the tombstones...it don’t do any harm. And genealogists come up from Boston--get paid by city people for looking up their ancestors. They want to make sure they’re Daughters of the American Revolution and of the Mayflower...Well, I guess that don’t do any harm, either. Wherever you come near the human race, there’s layers and layers of nonsense….

148 Over there are some Civil War veterans. Iron flags on their graves...New Hampshire boys...had a notion that the Union ought to be kept together, though they’d never seen more than fifty miles of it themselves. All they knew was the name, friends-the United States of America. The United States of America. And they went and died about it.

This here is the new part of the cemetery. Here’s your friend Mrs. Gibbs. ‘N let me see--Here’s Mr. Stimson, organist at the Congregational Church. And Mrs. Soames who enjoyed the wedding so-you remember? Oh, and a lot of others. And Editor Webb’s boy, Wallace, whose appendix burst while he was on a Boy Scout trip to Crawford Notch.

Yes, an awful lot of sorrow has sort of quieted down up here.

People just wild with grief have brought their relatives up to this hill. We all know how it is...and then time...and sunny days...and rainy days…’n snow...We’re all glad they’re in a beautiful place and we’re coming up here ourselves when our fit’s over.

Now, there are some things we all know, but we don’t take’m out and look at’m very often. We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars...everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how many people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.

Pause.

You know as well as I do that the dead don’t stay interested in us living people for very long. Gradually, gradually, they lose hold of the earth...and the ambitions they had...and the pleasures they had...and the things they suffered...and the people they loved.

They get weaned away from earth-that’s the way I put it,-weaned away.

And they stay here while the earth part of ‘em burns away, burns out; and all that time they slowly get indifferent to what’s goin’ on in Grover’s Corners.

149 They’re waiting’. They’re waitin’ for something that they feel is comin’. Something important, and great. Aren’t they waitin’ for the eternal part in them to come out clear?

Some of the things they’re going to say maybe’ll hurt your feelings--but that’s the way it is: mother ‘n daughter...husband ‘n wife...enemy ‘n enemy...money ‘n miser...all those terribly important things kind of grow pale around here. And what’s left when memory’s gone, and your identity, Mrs. Smith?

Sermon-What’s Left?

In this sermon, the preacher will explore the idea of eternity, the place God has prepared for us, to what Wilder describes in the play. Talk about letting go of the earthly and taking on the eternal. Confront the common beliefs about how important it will be for us to meet our relatives and friends when we go to live with God for eternity. Speak about being free of the earthly so that we can live completely in the presence of God, the distractions of the earth absent, freeing us to be complete in our created selves as made in

God’s image.

Hymn-Hymn of Promise by Natalie Sleeth

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody; There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity, In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

150 Guidelines for Church Group Discussions Before and After a Performance of Our Town

Another way to utilize Our Town and its eternal truths are by a group going to see the play together. Both prior to and following the performance, discussions, observations and questions may be shared. Make plans to see a production of Our Town as a group.

Before the play you may choose from the following: • Read the play as a group, in readers’ theatre style, followed by a discussion of characters, plot and style. • See a film of a stage production, of which three very good choices are available, 1977 NBC production, starring Hal Holbrook; 2003 PBS production starring Paul Newman; or the 1989 Great Performances production staring Spaulding Gray. Follow the viewing with a discussion. • Meet the week prior to the performance and share your memories of the play, if you have read it before, seen it before, studied it before. What do you remember most? What are you looking forward to the most? This activity may also be done just prior to the theatrical performance, perhaps at a restaurant while enjoying dinner.

See the play.

Following the play you may choose from the following: • Go out after the play to discuss it. • Assign participants a writing exercise, wherein they reflect upon Our Town, what it is about, how it speaks of daily life, and how it describes eternity. Get together in a week’s time or less to share observations, discoveries and questions.

151 Conclusion

Discovering Beauty, Discovering God

In this project we have explored beauty and how its various artistic forms can serve as an entryway into the presence of the Divine. Beauty is that which reflects the essence of God’s being, and thus, works of beauty can be creatively integrated into worship. The use of the specific works of art in worship exemplify that integration through music, painting, novel, film, and drama. Because “faith informs art, and art enhances faith...they both, for each other, are breath for the bones...both artist and believer must occupy themselves with seeing what is virtually unseeable, what the earthbound miss.”265

The role of the imagination is essential in this endeavor, the work of art enlightening the imagination which is then baptized as it enters into awareness of God’s presence through the beauty of the work of art. The purpose of this awareness is transformation of the human being, that the worshiper may become desirous of fulfilling

God’s mission in the world, for which they were created. The arguments of experts in the field: von Balthasar, Begbie, Ryken, Trier, Shaw, Wilken, and others have been essential in this project. Von Balthasar begins with form, if the form is consistent the essence of the

Divine, then a thing is beautiful. If a thing is truly beautiful, it is able to work with God through the imagination. The beautiful then joins with God for the purpose of bringing the humanity closer to the Divine, working for the missio Dei to be lived in the world.

! 265 Shaw, xvi.

152 Trier argues that beauty is attractive to humanity. There is a desire for beauty that is implicit in the human being, part of who humanity is as created in God’s image. The created longs for beauty because it is reflective of the Creator. Wilken’s argument adds to

Trier’s by stating that this longing for beauty is the means by which the Divine draws the other into relationship. The beautiful exists for that very purpose. It also inspires humanity to become a creator, sharing expression of thought, feeling, and faith in the creative process.

The measure of beauty is defined as that which is consistent with the essence of

God’s being. Trier, von Balthasar, and Begbie all argue that Jesus Christ is the ultimate measure of beauty, as his form is true to the form of God. Other characteristics of God’s being are established as criteria for measuring beauty: it reflects eternity; is universal, appealing in its uniqueness; is abundant; reflects truth and goodness; and carries with it the power to join with God in the work of transformation. These standards define beauty.

Beauty is essential in the life of faith, for it helps us to think theologically.

Leading us into God’s presence, beauty is experienced and invites us to participate through response. Beauty belongs to God. God is beauty.

Next, the project explored the use of arts in worship. The arts function in worship as a way to capture the imagination, inviting the worshiper into its essence which reflects the essence of God. C.S. Lewis speaks of the baptized imagination, the encounter with

God through the imagination which allows the believer to enter into a deeper connection with the mystery of the Creator. Within this mystery, the worshiper encounters God’s being in a new and more profound way. A work of art acts as a catalyst for such a

153 meeting. Art itself is an entryway for the worshiper to discover the essence of God. Use of the arts in worship broadens perception, changing thinking, then changing actions, and leads to transformation.

Poet Luci Shaw argues that art and faith share a remarkable connection, informing and enhancing one another.266 What art brings to worship is unique and indispensable, for it acts as an invitation into God’s presence, working in harmony with the created self through the imagination.

The third part of the project explored five works of art and how they could be used in worship. Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is a classic of American musical literature. Both popular and critically acclaimed, the piece offers the feeling of movement, of a definite direction. The music invites the listener into its being and baptizes the imagination. The listener walks as the music makes its way to a place that is beyond human experience, toward the heavens. It is beautiful because of the abundance, goodness, and truth that reflects God’s self. Adagio may be used in worship through sermon or guided meditation, reflecting the theological concepts of pilgrimage, light. or

Jesus’ Passion.

John Singer Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer is a portrait of profound implications.

The complexity of the subject’s personality and emotions combined with the techniques of the artist create a piece of art that defies reality. When one views the portrait it is like meeting the person portrayed. Elsie’s eyes invite us into her soul, into the depth of her created self made in God’s image. Her uniqueness is reflective of the universality of

! 266 Shaw, xvi.

154 God’s essence. The truth and goodness of her stare is honest and in harmony with who she is in relationship with God. That is why Miss Elsie Palmer is beautiful. In worship, the portrait may be used as the subject of a sermon where we consider what we see of

God when we look into the eyes of others or ourselves. A spiritual exercise is offered to explore the idea of intentionally looking for God’s essence in the eyes of humanity.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton was her first novel. The wife of a clergyman,

Gaskell lived with those whose needs were met in society, but her neighborhood is close in location to those who were impoverished. These two worlds meet in Mary Barton.

Gaskell explores the relationship between the two disparate groups, the assumptions made, decisions reached, and actions taken or not taken. In great detail and with depth of character, the novel illustrates what can happen when human beings do not see one another as brothers and sisters, one created humanity. When poverty and death are ignored, hopelessness pervades, violence follows, and humanity is lost. Mary Barton is beautiful because it speaks the truth in love, challenging the reader to the transformation of society. The novel may be used as the subject of a sermon to illustrate God’s desire for humanity to serve one another. A discussion group also may read the book in its entirety and discuss the specifics of Gaskell’s characters and purpose.

Director Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball speaks boldly about the interaction of hopeless human beings. Layer upon layer of hurt, pain, and violence have ruled their lives. Brutally honest, authentic, and direct in its approach, the film engages the audience by inviting them to become a part of the story. In a restrained and intentional manner,

Forster leads the audience along with the characters from darkness to light. The pathway

155 of love is the guiding force in this film. Monster’s Ball is beautiful because it demonstrates God’s transforming work. From hopelessness, hope emerges victorious.

In worship, the film may be used in a sermon to illustrate the hope God has for humanity to live fully and embrace the future. The film is also offered as the subject of a church film group, with both introductory work and discussion questions following a showing of the film.

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is the quintessential American play. It depicts the wonder and beauty of the everyday, of the every moment, of the everyman, in this play that could be anywhere or at any time. The simplest actions and words of everyday life make up the plot. The scenery is minimal. The emphasis is on the relationships between human beings and the preciousness of life. Seeing this life in relationship to the eternal and seeing the eternal in the everyday is the focus. Our Town is beautiful because it leads us into God’s presence through the truth and goodness of created life which point to the eternal. A four week sermon series is offered which utilizes scenes from Our Town. An accompanying hymn completes each week’s offering. In addition, a discussion group is outlined for use when seeing the play.

My experience at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is one I hope for all worshipers - to feel a sense of the sacred, of seeing and being seen, of being taken into

God’s reality and allowed to rest there for a moment. This is the purpose of worship.

Beauty is an entryway into the presence of the Divine. Beauty through the arts has the ability to transform, for it works in harmony with God’s being, bringing together Creator

156 and created. One way to make an encounter with Divine Beauty a possibility is by intentionally and reflectively using the arts in worship.

157 Bibliography

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158 MacDonald Daly, Mary Barton (Penguin Classics, 1996)

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159 Leland Ryken, ed., The Christian Imagination (Colorado Springs, CO: Shaw Books, 2005)

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160