There is a famous image in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which I had heard
about, but which I "experienced" while visiting my daughter in that city.
The large statue of Christ the Redeemer, better known as "Christo," looms
710 meters above the city. In Brazil, as in many Latin American countries,
there is a great distinction between the wealthy and the poor. Yet Christ
stands, with hands outstretched to embrace all people.
In preparing for my trip to Brazil, my daughter informed me that it was summertime. So I left my umbrella at home and brought two bathing suits instead! But, putting the blame on El Nino, it rained almost the whole time I was there. From my daughters apartment, I would look up at the hill toward Christo. Most of the time Christo was surrounded by clouds as the skies darkened with impending rain. But I knew Christo was there, and that when the darkness had passed, Christo would emerge in the sunlight as a symbol of hope, inclusivity and unconditional love.
Sometimes when we look up into the skies on a cloudy, overcast night, we cant see the stars. We know they are shining with the same intensity, only our vision of them has been obscured. In the same way, there are those dark times in our lives when we cannot feel the Creators love and outstretched arms. But just as Christo is always there ready to embrace and accept us just as we are, we live in faith that there will be signs of the Creators love breaking through our personal darkness.
It is ironic that my daughter and I took the tram up to see Christo during the one day when there were a few hours of sunlight. I was so awed by this image that I took a whole roll of film. I was looking forward to getting my prints back, but was devastated to find that I had inadvertently double-exposed the roll. And so, all my pictures of Christo are superposed with pictures I had taken of the countryside, a waterfall in the rain forest, the downtown Centro district and the favellas or slum areas.
While double-exposing those pictures was a mistake, I found that they only enhanced my own experience of Christ the Redeemer who watches over the wealthy, the poor, the city, the country and Brazils natural beauty. For me, that became an epiphany experience...a sign, a manifestation, a revelation of the Gods love and acceptance of the whole world.
Susan Gregg-Schroeder is minister of Pastoral Care and Spiritual Formation at 1st United Methodist Church of San Diego CA. Susan has just completed a study guide for her book In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace in the Midst of Depression.