Janet Strickler

Proposal

Once upon a time there was an ordinary girl.
She was not a princess,
nobody famous or special;
just a girl.

God said to her,
"May I dwell inside you?"
And she said
YES.

And she made a space
within her Self
for the Infinite to dwell,
and the world was changed.

Today there is only you;
nobody famous or special,
but God is asking
"May I dwell inside you?"

And the world will be changed.

I grew up in a family that observed Advent in our home as well as at church, and I came to love the season and its sense of anticipation and preparation. As unofficial artist-in-residence at St. Stephen’s, I make a piece for each liturgical season that hangs in our narthex and coffee hour area, stimulating discussion and reminding people of the meanings that underlie the cycle of our church year.

The hollow in the center of this figure is completely coated with black pigment, (an idea that I borrowed from English artist Anish Kapoor) so that you cannot SEE anything when you look at it; even though you know there is something there, your senses cannot perceive the surface. I found this to be a good visual metaphor for God, whose existence we can believe in, but who cannot be perceived directly by our senses.

Janet Strickler

Email: janet.strickler@colorado.edu
Parish: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Longmont, Colorado