We may be scattered, but we are not alone.<\/p>\n
Listen! A sower went out to sow.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Matthew 13:3b<\/p>\n
As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom . . .\u00a0 \u00a0 from The Didache<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I decided to plant radish and lettuce seeds this week. Nothing out of the ordinary about that for me. Sheila saved seeds from last year and \u2018tis the season. What makes this ordinary activity extraordinary this spring is the backdrop scenery of spiraling graphs and avalanching news reports and stumbling spirits as COVID-19 raids our individual, communal, and global lives.<\/p>\n
Often during crises, a sanctuary for troubled hearts is an actual church sanctuary. Many people in my Christian tradition as well as in other spiritual traditions find solace in gathering together in person to pray, worship, sing, laugh, and lament. We experience strength in numbers, hope in the embodied knowing that we are all in this together\u2014<\/p>\n
–except the embodied knowing\u2013meeting together in physical church buildings\u2013is not a safe option for everyone when a virus like COVID-19 is on the loose in our midst.<\/p>\n
Scattered<\/h3>\n
So we are scattered. Sunday sanctuaries are empty. Many preachers are preaching to empty pews or peering as they pray through digital looking glasses to connect with their communities.<\/p>\n
I celebrate the persistent creativity of so many pastoral leaders who sought on Sunday to offer a hopeful word through social media resources. I am also aware of how isolated and even afraid some people feel as public health leaders urge us to flatten the Covid-19 curve through social distancing. (Even these terms are novel to our everyday vocabularies.)<\/p>\n
We are scattered.<\/p>\n
Seeing this sentence on a friend\u2019s Facebook feed on Sunday sparked a memory for me. In 2011, then Dean Gail R. O\u2019Day spoke to graduating Wake Forest University Master of Divinity students about sowing seeds. She based her remarks on The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. The image she lifted out from this ancient story has stayed with me:<\/p>\n
A farmer, or an urban or suburban gardener, fills a bucket with seeds, reaches into the bucket and grabs a handful of seeds, and then scatters those seeds broadly and widely across the terrain.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That commencement day, Dr. O\u2019Day focused not on the soil in the parable (as so many interpreters do) but instead emphasized the radical generosity in the sower\u2019s actions of broadcast sowing.<\/p>\n
Jesus calls disciples to imagine the kingdom of God as a landscape planted by a lavish, generous sower\u2014who is unstinting in her broadcast sowing of seeds that may grow to new life. The kingdom of God is shaped first by the unrelenting determination to sow seeds of new life . . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cMinistry,\u201d Dr. O\u2019Day said, \u201cis the ultimate exercise in broadcast sowing.\u201d The ministry we all have to offer is \u201cto reach down into the store of gifts that we have received. . . and throw seeds of hope and possibility out into the world where they can grow to new life for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not alone<\/h3>\n
We are scattered because of an unexpected virus. But we are not alone. We are connected, interwoven as a human community in ways we perhaps never before realized or imagined. What if there are equally unexpected possibilities sown into these days. What if our lives\u2013our persistent faith and kindness during these days\u2013are God\u2019s seeds, God\u2019s hope and grace, being broadcast across diverse media throughout our towns and cities.<\/p>\n
I am praying during these uncertain days for those in our communities most vulnerable to the virus. Economic inequities and other vulnerabilities become even more accentuated in times like these. I pray, too, that God will give me the wisdom to look for and embody in my actions what Dr. O\u2019Day called \u201cthe joyous surprise of an unexpected glimpse of the kingdom of God\u201d during these days of scattered sacredness.<\/p>\n
Living by faith in such a time as this is perhaps more a radical exercise in lavish broadcast sowing than in precise and planned row by row planting. Maybe I will forego my usual radish and snow pea plumb lines and broadcast some seeds this spring. And as I do so, I will offer up to prayers for communal and global recovery and healing.<\/p>\n
Beneath Our Feet, In Our Hands<\/h4>\n
Jack Frost is curled up,
\nNapping in my bones.
\nBackyard grass crunches,
\nFrozen beneath my feet.
\nSummer sunflowers hibernate,
\nSilent in my heart.<\/p>\nCould it be\u2014
\nWhen I hold this dried out husk
\nSpringtime rests on wintertide fingertips?
\nInfinitesimal harbinger of arugula and radishes;
\nHolder of stories\u2013fields plowed,
\nDirt collected under ungloved fingernails.
\nDeath\u2014in autumn\u2013
\nBirth\u2013in spring\u2013
\nWhen tender-strong seedlings
\nUnfurl from soil-stained shells,
\nAnd push up through the earth
\nHungry for the sun\u2014<\/p>\nDirt weeps sometimes too,
\nAnd calls to us: We are stronger than we imagine.
\nJustice\u2014in wilderness places\u2014
\nFreedom\u2014in a kernel\u2014
\nAn orchard redeemed\u2014blossoming
\nSweet succulent promises of life overflowing.<\/p>\nSo we take our shoes off to
\nAbsorb holy ground nutrients
\nBeneath our feet.
\nAnd we water with salt-seasoned tears
\nThis garden we hold in our hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We may be scattered, but we are not alone. Listen! A sower went out to sow.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Matthew 13:3b As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom . . .\u00a0 \u00a0 from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":51197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[3119,3405],"tags":[3393,78,3057],"class_list":["post-51202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-plaza-new-ws","category-theology","tag-covid-19","tag-lent","tag-liturgical-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\n
Sacred Scatteredness - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sacred Scatteredness - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jill Crainshaw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jill Crainshaw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jill Crainshaw\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb76e7f3aae392467ccbff63942076c6\"},\"headline\":\"Sacred Scatteredness\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":873,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"COVID-19\",\"Lent\",\"Liturgical Spirituality\"],\"articleSection\":[\"4_THE PLAZA\",\"c_THEOLOGY\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sacred Scatteredness - Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/17\\\/sacred-scatteredness\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sacred Scatteredness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"description\":\"Worship, Wit & Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"width\":1340,\"height\":209,\"caption\":\"Home\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb76e7f3aae392467ccbff63942076c6\",\"name\":\"Jill Crainshaw\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1\",\"caption\":\"Jill Crainshaw\"},\"description\":\"Jill Y. Crainshaw is a poetic theologian, liturgical scholar, and institutional leader whose work explores the intersections of silence, justice, embodiment, and theological formation. Crainshaw is the author of seven books on liturgy, leadership, and theological education. In recent years, her scholarship has shifted toward what she calls poetic theology\u2014a creative, embodied, and justice-rooted form of liturgical theological reflection that centers silence, metaphor, and spiritual accompaniment. Her poetry collections, including When the Sun Was a Poet: A Lyrical Almanac of Life\u2019s Seasons and Seasonings (Kelsay Books, 2025), Cedars in Snowy Places (WFU Library Partners Press, 2019) and Hip-Gnosis: A Skeletal Tale of Healing (Kelsay books, forthcoming), engage the textures of grief, hope, and memory from an intersectional, contemplative perspective.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/jcrainshaw\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sacred Scatteredness - Home","description":"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sacred Scatteredness - Home","og_description":"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?","og_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/","og_site_name":"Home","article_published_time":"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jill Crainshaw","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jill Crainshaw","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/"},"author":{"name":"Jill Crainshaw","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb76e7f3aae392467ccbff63942076c6"},"headline":"Sacred Scatteredness","datePublished":"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/"},"wordCount":873,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","keywords":["COVID-19","Lent","Liturgical Spirituality"],"articleSection":["4_THE PLAZA","c_THEOLOGY"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/","name":"Sacred Scatteredness - Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","datePublished":"2020-03-17T20:21:04+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-01T16:51:04+00:00","description":"What do we do when chaos and crisis disrupt some of our most familiar and stress-settling life rituals?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","width":960,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/sacred-scatteredness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sacred Scatteredness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","name":"Home","description":"Worship, Wit & Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization","name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","width":1340,"height":209,"caption":"Home"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb76e7f3aae392467ccbff63942076c6","name":"Jill Crainshaw","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/JillCrainshaw-1-2048x2048-1-96x96.jpeg?crop=1","caption":"Jill Crainshaw"},"description":"Jill Y. Crainshaw is a poetic theologian, liturgical scholar, and institutional leader whose work explores the intersections of silence, justice, embodiment, and theological formation. Crainshaw is the author of seven books on liturgy, leadership, and theological education. In recent years, her scholarship has shifted toward what she calls poetic theology\u2014a creative, embodied, and justice-rooted form of liturgical theological reflection that centers silence, metaphor, and spiritual accompaniment. Her poetry collections, including When the Sun Was a Poet: A Lyrical Almanac of Life\u2019s Seasons and Seasonings (Kelsay Books, 2025), Cedars in Snowy Places (WFU Library Partners Press, 2019) and Hip-Gnosis: A Skeletal Tale of Healing (Kelsay books, forthcoming), engage the textures of grief, hope, and memory from an intersectional, contemplative perspective.","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/author\/jcrainshaw\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/90257822_10218626340344420_8704853941017378816_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51202"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51207,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51202\/revisions\/51207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}