Scar tree: What do they know?

It is Lent. The Revelation Lamb has been taken down, and a painting of a great scar tree is now hanging in the Sanctuary space. This moving image will be with us through Lent, Easter, and the fifty days to Pentecost as we journey through Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, and learn to recognize the Risen Christ once again by his scars.

The name of the painting comes from the lyrics of a Neil Murray song called Where My People Go:

“…….walking on Kirrae, walking on Tjapwurrong
Following a river, following a song
Scars on ancient red gums, secrets all their own
I wonder what they know?
In the deep of the night, I hear a Mopoke cry
where my people go.”

If you have Spotify, you will find the song on his Hindsight album.

For those who don’t live locally, the painting forms one of the slides during the Lenten Zoom service; indeed, many of the service slides feature images provided by Sanctuary folk. We are so lucky, and so grateful, that our worship life is enriched in this way.

So a big thank you to Rachel, for sharing her painting of a scar tree, and thanks to all of you who offer images, words, questions and stories of faith, whether for worship, the Lent Book, a Wednesday email, in conversation, or in other ways. It’s all testimony to a living, breathing faith, and it all helps build up the faith of others. As Joel preached on Sunday, we are becoming holy guides to one another — and what a wonderful vision to live into!

Shalom,
Alison

‘What do they know?’ by Rachel Peters, now hanging in the Sanctuary space. Emailed to Sanctuary 8 March 2023 © Sanctuary, 2023. Sanctuary is based on Peek Whurrong country. Acknowledgement of country here.