A few years ago we built the Courtyard Room so that Calvary Lutheran Church would have a visible and welcoming entrance point and a space where all who entered would know their God-given value and feel the kind of welcome and deep respect that Jesus showed to those he encountered in his ministry.  We wanted a place where people could meet before or after worship, share a cup of coffee or juice and get to know each other.  From there, they would be invited into a deeper relationship with God and the community of Christ.

The Story of Jesus and the woman at the well was the guiding story in my mind when we met with the architect to design that room.  Jesus and the woman began with a simple request for a drink of water, and then, in a spirit of playfulness, respect and trust, Jesus and the woman revealed their true selves to each other.  Jesus revealed to her that he was the Messiah of God.  We want everyone to know Jesus and to know the life-giving love that God offers to al through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

From the beginnings of the Christian Church, people of faith have found creative ways to share the good news of God's love for all people through Jesus Christ.  Christians have told the story of Jesus through sermons, stories, writing, drama, music, dance, architecture and art.  Christian art ranged from the very early fish symbol painted on doors and carved in caves, to the Stations of the Cross and stained glass windows depicting scenes from Christ's life, to the great works of Michelangelo, Durer, Botticelli, El Greco, Rembrandt and so many others.  Modern works such as Dali's Last Supper and Crucifixion revealed a profound understanding of the risen Christ to modern viewers.  Often drama, music architecture and art communicated the Gospel message so that the largely illiterate population could lear and grasp the meaning of God's grace.  Post-modern culture is also less literary and more visual.  Fine art and even TV commercials bring meaning to our lives in primarily visual ways.

The design of the Courtyard Room communicates Christ's welcome.  Soon, we will grace the walls of that room with some artwork by local artist Christy Perrine that will communicate God's love and welcome to people of our time in this Pacific Northwest culture, a simple scene of a stream that reminds us of Psalm 23, "He leads us beside the quiet waters," and a commissioned work based on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. (John 4) This latter piece was a challenging project, but Christy Perrine produced a piece of art that communicates that story in a way that will be pleasing and accessible to the viewer.  Christy Perrine's art is subtle and natural, but also deeply spiritual.  We hope to unveil and dedicate these works before Holy Week.

The third display of artwork in the Courtyard Room will be a quilt-rack upon which Calvary's quilters can display the work of their hands to the glory of God.  I don't know if they consider their quilts to be works of art, but all of us who have admired them on quilt Sundays know their beauty and the love of God that is communicated through them.

Through preaching, teaching, worship, music, drama (the recent "Bucket" skit by the youth), food, conversation, architecture and art, and in so many other ways, Calvary tells the story of God's welcome and saving love for all through Jesus Christ.