Wall Flowers: Patrick Gordon Paintings Preview

Cabbage Roses and Peonies - Wall Flowers: Patrick Gordon Paintings

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Simple Gifts, Too - Wall Flowers: Patrick Gordon Paintings

Simple Gifts, Too Life is full of simple gifts. Some of the most profound gifts are intangible, like love, freedom and community. Nationally renowned artist PS Gordon was commissioned by All Souls in Tulsa to represent the simple gifts at the heart of Unitarian Universalism in this painting.The Table: An early American antique as the base represents Unitarian and Universalist roots in the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence and the founding of the USA.The Bible: Our historical and theological foundation.The Emerson Book: Set on the Bible represents how the 19th century Unitarian Minister Ralph Waldo Emerson explained that no one book can contain all of God's wisdom and revelation for all time. So, while the Bible remains at our foundation, we are open to a larger vision in which revelation is understood to be unending.The Untitled Book: Represents the ongoing development of our theology since Emerson and continuing today,The Antique Ballot Box: Represents our use of democracy to govern our religious organizationsThe Hearts: Represent love. Love is at the core of our religious lives. "Love is the Spirit of this Church."The Statue of Liberty: Represents our valuing of freedom in religion and freedom of belief. "We need not believe alike to love alike."The Scale: Represents justice. Our freedom is to be used responsibly, guided by justice and utilized in the pursuit of justice for all.The Flowers: Represent the people of the church. Each with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Each unique yet adding to the whole. There is a beautiful unity in our diversity.The Water: Each flower is different, yet is nourished by the same source. The water represents God (that which sustains and nourishes us). Like the Divine, water is formless, and is within us, around us and sustains us.The Glass Vase: Represents the church - the place where we come together to be nourished by the Sacred and by one another. The glass is clear showing how we look out on the world even in church - a reminder that religion is not inside one hour a week, but every hour of every day and is engaged with the world.The Blue and White Vase: From a Unitarian village in Transylvania where Unitarianism began as an organized religion in 1568 during the Protestant Reformation. Our roots are deep.The Single Flower (in the blue and white vase): Represents the individual. We respect and encourage each individual's unique spiritual journey. But we feel it is not enough to be religious on our own. We are individuals held together by a covenant (a sacred promise) rather than a creed (a unified belief).The Dead Oak Leaf: Represents all those who have been members of our church community who have died. The leaf reminds us that they are never fully gone and they always remain a part of who we are and what we will become.The Falling Oak Leaf: Represents life. It is falling to remind us of our mortality. We live for a short time and hopefully we spend it bringing love, freedom, justice, unity and all our highest aspirations into being.