Welcome to our first week Artisan Soul Worship Service. Since we cannot be together, I am inviting you to gather up your won art supplies. You can paint with acrylics on canvas, water colors, play with clay, sketch, color, doodle on an tablet, create a collage or even make a found object art piece, whatever you are feeling. This week have painted on canvas and shared my artful prayer journey with you, and am sharing pictures of clay creations I made with air dry clay. I invite you to do the Prayer service first, it has the scripture and reflections that will help you create art based on the week's scripture focus. 
 So, light a candle, put on your art clothes, and let's get started. 
 Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 12-19 Some things to think about before you get started: The Isaiah passage and Psalm reading from the Scripture and Prayer Service is full of images: Tear open the heavens Fade like a leaf Wind takes us away You are the potter We are clay Fire Boiling Shepherd Winged Creatures Tears for food, drinking a bowlful of tears Reflect on these images. Their color. Their shape. Their connection to how you might be feeling. (Find a Christmas play list you like, with or without words, and let the music help you focus on the scripture and your expression. For copyright reasons, I will not add too much here.) 
 Paint, sculpt, sketch, draw, design- let the scripture become your artful expression. 
 Here is a short video of my painting process, and some of the prayers and design that went into being a Artisan Soul for me this week: Here is a picture of the air dry clay pieces I made. I imagined God molding me, as I softened the clay, and rolled it out. The heart shape reminds me of the love that came down at Christmas. The stamps of Faith and Hope came to mind as I reflected on the Psalm, that this is a confession of our faith in God and the hope that is offered. Two are curved over a bowl as they dried to make a little jewelry bowl, (or something) and two, I went ahead and put a whole in with a straw before it dried, so they could be ornaments. These could be used for Christmas presents. (I will spray them with a clear polyurethane so that the ink is permanent.) 
 You can share your creations in the comments on this page, I'd love to see what you make. 
 I hope you are able to connect with God while you are being an Artisan Soul this week. 
 Blessings- Pastor Lori
