Welcome to the Good Friday Project

I wrote this for a youth conference in 2001. It is what I imagined the people who witnessed the crucifixion were thinking during the ordeal.

My Good Friday offering is a poem I wrote last year trying to express different perspectives on Good Friday. My inspiration came from a painting by James Tissot called “View from the Cross” as well as my own profound experience on a Good Friday in 2007. C. S. Lewis factors in as well. Good Friday is for me a day set outside of time, or maybe very much within it, part of the already/not yet of Kairos time. We hold our breaths, waiting for the Resurrection and take time to reflect upon the idea that we are imago dei–made in God’s image.

www.ripplesinthefont.com

Just as Jesus hung on the cross and his disciples waited to see how the Kingdom of God would be realized, we all wait in confusing times, and long for comfort.  This song is a cry for mercy for divine help.

www.kategarrison.com; Facebook: @ Kate Garrison Soprano

I wrote this song two decades ago.  It seems appropriate for Good Friday in the sense that Jesus’ thoroughgoing empathy and compassion is what got him killed.  His prophetic zeal compelled him to speak out against the way the occupying empire and its collaborators impoverished and bullied the majority of his people.  The woman in the song gets that, and the ways it remains true, and emulates the militant, nonviolent Jesus. P.S. I thought of playing “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get you Into Heaven Anymore” as we pray for John Prine’s recovery from Covid-19 — but listen to him do it instead — many recordings, studio and live, on Youtube!

Facebook: Jim Crosby

 www.carriefountain.com; Facebook: @carrie.fountain; Instagram: @carrie.fountain

All of our ecclesiastical, theological and christological explanations aside, the death of Jesus affects me as profoundly brutal and sad. Are the words attributed to him as he hung from the cross authentic? Whether true or not, the emotion generated by these spoken and unspoken sentiments remain dramatically real. The grace, generosity of spirit, desperation, commitment and courage captured in the tableau of this incredible being’s final hours still compels response.

“The World’s On Fire (and We Still Fall In Love)” is a thesis statement song about how even in times of deep pain, struggle, and even death, there is still great love, joy, and connection. In times of despair, we have hope in spite of ourselves. We still fall in love. In our live shows prior to “shelter in place,” we would invite our friends and fellow musicians onstage to dance and sing the chorus with us. During these times of COVID-19, Parker Woodland sends love to all who are suffering and struggling. We know that art and music are a part of the universal love that will sustain us all. — Erin Walter, lead singer/songwriter/bassist for Parker Woodland

 https://parkerwoodland.bandcamp.com/

This poem began in different form and eventually found its way to the shape of the cross, as all followers of Jesus must sooner or later, again and again, find their way to Christ crucified. It is an exploration of the way words attempt to and cannot name what we experience, the physicality and spirituality of suffering, death, loss.

www.jason-myers.com; Instagram @jasonphillipmyers; Twitter @jasonpmyers

This work, Bach’s Sarabande, plays at light and shadow and the nuances that negotiate the two, which are truly one. At once, the music is the response of the pain of separation and of death, the loss of love, and that of redemption. Listening carefully and closely, in the harmonic movements that Bach utilizes, we detect in instances, sunlight; though it is fleeting, it is enough of a reminder that love is eternal, and that death (night) ends things as we know them, but that all, ultimately returns to the light.

Facebook: Shawn LeSure; Instagram: iamshawnlesure

I’d like the listener to hear this piece as a prayer. There are some themes that the saxophone plays that are a call for help. This piece was written at a time of struggle, and for me expresses both the pain and hope that are the Good Friday message.

The Good Friday Project is a time for contemplation. Every year, since 1992, artists from the St James’ Episcopal Church community and artists from communities in Central Texas are invited to reflect on the themes found in the crucifixion experience, such as unconditional love, forgiveness, reconciliation, betrayal, abandonment, hope, and more. This sacred and somber event is a collection of their artistic responses. Silence is kept during the project, with no talking or applause. Each artist and each audience member gets to experience their own thoughts and reactions to the performance offerings and the experience, in solitude, in quiet, and in their own time.

Traditionally, The Project is a live, improvised experience. In response to the current pandemic crisis, performance offerings were pre-recorded at each artist’s home and publicly shared on the web and social media. This is the first time that The Good Friday Project has been video recorded and shared in its twenty-nine year history.

Rosey Armstrong is a tenor saxophonist for two wild bands, Los Kurados and Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, touring frequently with one and playing local shows with both. To feed herself and pay the bills though, she also works gig construction and construction management jobs, primarily through Inhabitation Inc. She grew up near the Zuni / A:shiwi and Navajo / Dinè people in New Mexico so has a special place in her heart for those peoples as well as many indigenous groups around the world. In her spare time she loves to garden, sing, and be the coolest aunt she can to her 7 nieces/nephews.

Jim Crosby is Lay Chaplain and 12th Grade Theology Teacher at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. Founder of Nonviolent Austin, the nonviolence of Jesus is central to his faith. Pre-electric country blues guitar, especially as practiced by Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis, is his great musical love. Jim is thankful for the birth yesterday (4-9-20) of grandson Barton James Coakley!

Terry Dawson is a long time member of St. James Episcopal Church (since 2004). He happened to be a Presbyterian minister but now spends his time writing. His poetry, essays and creative non-fiction have appeared over the years in a number of literary and religious journals. His wife Alix serves as a pediatric intensivist at Dell Children’s Hospital of Central Texas.

Carrie Fountain is currently writer-in-residence at St. Edward’s University. Born and raised in Mesilla, New Mexico, where her family’s multicultural history is deeply rooted, Fountain received her MFA in writing as a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. She travels the country reading her poetry and teaching writing workshops. On her radio show and podcast, This Is Just To Say, produced at KUT Austin, Fountain has intimate conversations about poetry and life with other poets and writers. Carrie lives between Austin, Texas and rural southern New Mexico, with her husband, writer Kirk Lynn, and their children.  In 2019, Fountain was named Poet Laureate of the state of Texas.

Kate Garrison is an Austin musician. Her musical journey evolved from a classical background starting with 2 degrees in piano. Then, it turns out that she can sing classical, too, and proceeded to study opera for many years. In the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, Kate found a passion for the art form of cabaret and its programming. She likes to include many styles of music – from classical, pop, jazz standards, to Broadway. Her shows are all under the coaching of Tony award winner Faith Prince. She teaches at her home up in Leander, TX.

Christine Havens is a poet, writer, and avid reader. She has an MA in Religion from the Seminary of the Southwest and an MA in English from the University of Northern Iowa. Austin has been her home for nearly 8 years now; Christine works at St. Michael’s and at BookPeople and is a member of the LOGOS Poetry Collective’s leadership team. Her poetry has been published in the Anglican Theological Review and she is a regular book reviewer for The Living Church magazine.

Sam Hensley is the Director of Music & Mission on The Hill at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. Sam plans and implements the music for worship at our second campus, as well as creates opportunities for invitation to the campus through community events. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Sam attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a degree in Biology, and he ultimately came to Texas for church work. Sam and his wife, Erin, who is the Rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Austin, have a six-year old son, Micah, 2nd grade at Travis Heights Elementary, and dog, Sprig. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing pinball, live music, and playing disc golf.

Shawn LeSure is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, who has been playing the violin since the age of ten. Shawn was the winner of the MENC all-USA High School Musicians’ Competition and also has many scholarships to his credit: Sewanee Music Festival, Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival, and the Dean’s Talent Award at Oberlin, where he studied with Marilyn McDonald. In his time at Oberlin, Shawn played in master classes for renowned artists like Anner Bylsma, Jennifer Koh, and Rachel Barton Pine. Through his playing Shawn has participated in chamber music and symphonic tours on four continents. He has had the opportunity to concertize in venues such as Carnegie Hall, and the Walt Disney Concert hall.

Joe Morales is an Austin-based jazz musician, teacher, composer and arranger. He has recorded on 300+ including 1 Grammy recording. His passion for teaching kids has includes a residency at Eanes ISD and the Fine Arts School in Austin(McCallum) as a Jazz consultant. Joe has also sang and played on 200+ jingles for TV and radio. He sings in the 5:30 choir and has been a member of St.James Episcopal Church since 2000.

Jason Myers is the Editor-in-Chief of EcoTheo Review and a postulant for ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. His writing has appeared widely in magazines including The Believer, Christian Century, and The Paris Review. He lives with his wife Allison and son Robinson in Bastrop.

Parker Woodland is an indie rock band from Austin, TX. Their debut EP and music video “The World’s On Fire (and We Still Fall Im Love)” is due Spring 2020. This is an acoustic, unplugged, social-distance version of what is usually a fully amped punk song that encourages audience participation.