by The Rev. Karl Stevens “Why didn’t Jesus have sex?” One of my students asked me this some years ago. We were in the middle of cooking dinner for our weekly campus ministry meal, and my thoughts were on the onions simmering in a pan and on gathering the ingredients to make dessert. I was … Continue reading Under the Covers
Author: KPB Stevens
The Man with the Withered Hand
He was there, in the synagogue on a Sabbath, an observant Jew. His withered hand didn't limit his worship - he wasn't a Levite, he wasn't a priest. He couldn't work because of it, but this wasn't a day that required work. It was the one day when his hand didn't matter, the Sabbath, when … Continue reading The Man with the Withered Hand
The Fig Tree Canticle
Here's a painting, or actually two paintings, that I've been working on for the last few weeks. They're really meant to be an entry into prayer, a meditation on Luke 13 and Mark 11, on the apocalyptic imagery in Jesus's language and the call to redemption. Many of the visual ideas come from the Rothschild … Continue reading The Fig Tree Canticle
The Beatitudes
Here's a small watercolor sketch (with some photo effects) that I created as part of the Sur'mount'ing the Mount project at Summit UMC. My friend Meghan, who's a dancer, noted that "the physical representation [of the Beatitudes] is reaching, exploration of opposites." I read this after I'd created my painting, but was pleased by how … Continue reading The Beatitudes
Blessed are the Paintings
I move through the sanctuary very slowly, aware of the way my weight shifts to the balls of my feet. I’m meant to be moving like this. My friend Meghan has been leading us in a dance exercise, helping us to become aware of the kinesphere, that circle of energy that surrounds our bodies, the … Continue reading Blessed are the Paintings
KPB Stevens 