Monday, December 25, 2006

scratch 'n sniff Jesus

Some background info:

1.Once I spent a week in Chicago with a group learning about the the workings of a city. The trip isn't pertinent, but one of the trip leaders is. One morning he lined us up looking out the windows in a sixth-floor room. Then he prayed and asked us to join him, but with our eyes open. I like that best now -- praying with my eyes open, looking especially at textures, to sink in that this God I'm addressing was once of this dry, patterned flesh. If I close my eyes, it's easy to conjure up a film character instead.

2.A church in the suburbs did this "Christian haunted house" when I was in high school. It portrayed Hell, and you walked along from room to room and it was horrible. They'd have to move many people in the middle of a room out of the building because they couldn't handle it.

It would be neat to see a scratch 'n sniff Jesus ... well, display's not the word. Something where they're reading a story -- maybe even showing, maybe -- from one of the gospels, and instead of just seeing, it uses your other senses. (This is not for evangelical purposes according to this proposal.) For example, you're hearing (and maybe seeing) the story of the Last Supper and you stick your hand in something and feel/smell Jesus washing dirty feet. Then you hold the chalice and taste the bread and wine. Another spot, you might smell the alabaster jar's contents as it's broken. Feel nails in his hands (ick), mud on un-seeing eyes, feel the water Jesus walked on, a basket of loaves and fishes, hold the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, smell the stable, feel the rough hay of the manger. Feel his face. The crown of thorns. See his hairy arms. Smell his B.O.

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