By Steven Homestead
As this time of quarantine has collided with Passover, Holy Week, Easter, and Pascha, thoughts around holding space resonate with me while we stay contained to contain the virus. Within this, I think of a cup, a vessel that is a container for liquid. I’m reminded of Jesus, praying in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39b, NASB). Jesus prays through the image of a cup, a cup that he is ultimately willing to hold, even though it contains pain and sorrow.
In the midst of the crisis we face right now, many are praying for this cup to pass, even as we pray over what the cup can also contain. The world is seeing cleaner air even as it faces economic loss, forming family togetherness amid isolation, and creating displays of beautiful humanity in the presence of death.
I’ve heard from creative peers (and thought this myself when it comes to creating) that we are vessels, containers that steward our gifts. Likewise, Jesus chose to steward pain, to be the vessel for sacrifice, and did so, “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2a, NIV). Pain and practice, joy and inspiration, we hold and pour out life-giving liquid as our creative offering for others. As vessels that contain our gifts, we each have different mediums, various other vessels that contain what we pour out.
God called Christ to steward the cup of suffering so that all people might be reconciled. And in ways large and small, God calls each of us to steward our own cups through our own mediums. Having a medium to contain the creative message is important as it defines the limits and scope of a creative project. If God is calling my friend Marlita to speak about human agency and humility, as a dancer and choreographer, the stage can be her vessel into which she pours her cup of movement to express that message. And I might be called to express a message of beauty and value, rendered on a canvas. So then, the stage, the canvas, these set the limits on aspects of our expressions even while they provide the space for them.
And what is a vessel other than an empty space that has certain limits. A cup
is an empty space and it can be limited in its boundaries to eight ounces.
A drinking cup has more freedom to it. The amount that it holds and the shape
that it takes can vary more, but still, it contains within its glass, plastic,
or ceramic walls what is necessary to keep liquid inside.
The mindset to approach who we are, what we do, and how we share as vessels can
be a powerful approach to ministry. It means that we are creating both empty
space and setting limits.
During his ministry, Jesus created space within himself for so much. He created
the space for humanity, for compassion, for freedom… And he also set limits
on what he would do. He would sometimes move on from a town; he would sometimes
limit himself to just his close friends; and he asked for the cup to be taken
away, ultimately choosing his own limit, through humility, to be the ultimate
stopping point for death’s hold over us. He was willing to hold all death for
our salvation.
So, in what ways can we use the talents and resources God has given us, not
only to serve through action and creation, but to serve through space-making?
Where am I forming an empty vessel for the people in my community to fill?
Where too am I setting my personal limits? What is healthy for me to contain so
that I am holding what God is calling me to while reducing unnecessary
spills?
In this season of being contained in our homes, in this season of looking to
Christ for the joy and sorrow he held for us, let us not lose sight of the cup
we each can hold, of where we can choose our limits, of what spaces we can
make, and of what we can pour out.
And let us not lose sight of the grave that ultimately will hold nothing when
all is said and done.
Steven Homestead brings genre-spanning creativity to life, whether composing music, incarnating large-scale art projects, writing on creativity and faith, or leading generative events. Steven’s creative work seeks to promote honor, give voice, share wonder, and develop unity.
