Friday, January 28, 2022

May We Be Vessels of Your Light

Coptic Annunciation icon
Annunciation: 17th-century Coptic illuminated manuscript, Gondarine sensul, Annunciation, Walters Manuscript 36.10, fol. 1v.

A dozen of us spent a restorative 90 minutes last Sunday at our online Craft ‘n’ Sip. Thank you to all who attended, and to Kristina Baktis, who not only volunteered to lead the event, but also gave us this beautiful prayer:

“O Christ our God, You gave the light of Your resurrection to the women who came early in the morning to Your tomb and told them to proclaim You have risen to those who sat in darkness and fear. Allow us who have gathered today to be this radiant light for those whom You bring into our lives. Allow us to shine brightly with the gifts of forgiveness, healing, and compassion. May we grow together as a community of faith that continues in the tradition of those who came before us and proclaimed, ‘With God all is possible.’ May we be the vessels of Your light, and to hear Your voice proclaim Axia!”

Save the date for our next event on February 27, 8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central: a panel discussion on “What Does a Vibrant Life in the Church Look Like?” moderated by Dr. Carrie Frederick Frost, with Miho Ochiai Ealy, Meli Papayiannis, and Dr. Sherry Shenoda.

The icon here shows the Theotokos spinning thread in a 17th-century Coptic illuminated manuscript in the Walters Collection.

Patricia at Orchard House
Patricia Fann Bouteneff, by permission.  Photo shows Patricia in front of a teal-colored door set into a gray clapboard house, the historic home of the Alcott family in Concord, MA. She is smiling and wearing dark glasses, a maroon shirt with a white p

Patricia Fann Bouteneff is president of Axia Women.