Updated September 2023
This year, the United Reformed Church (URC) at Greenbelt continued with the theme of ‘Revolting Christians’ – people who take a stand to challenge or break the political, social and economic systems of our world in order to bring about justice.
The URC at Greenbelt Craft Team invited churches around the denomination to contribute to the URC’s tent decorations by creating kintsugi hearts.
Brokenness and restoration
The Japanese art of kintsugi takes broken objects, often ceramics, and repairs them with gold resin. The resulting ‘flaw’ becomes part of the object’s story and is seen as a unique piece in its history, adding to its beauty.
Stephanie Twilley, the craft team’s coordinator, said: “This made me think that as humans, we are all broken and flawed in some way. It is part of our faith that God can heal us and make us whole again and can transform and repair situations which at first seem impossible to us.
“Many revolting Christians have campaigned to create change in the world where there is conflict, injustice or seemingly impossible brokenness.
Activity
Each person can need a coloured paper heart approx. 10cm across, a piece of dark coloured card, glue and a gold or silver pen
- Choose a paper heart. Think of a situation in the world that you know of where there is brokenness, conflict or injustice that seems impossible to change or heal.
As you do this rip up your heart and hold the pieces in your hand.
- We can feel broken and inadequate in our response. Less than perfect.
Everything around us can feel dark and hopeless. Take a piece of dark coloured card.
- Know that we can all be part of God’s plan for putting things right. Put your heart together again onto a dark piece of card.
- Don’t try and hide the cracks. Leave an intentional gap that tells of the struggles that have to be gone through in order to put things right and make things complete again.
- Stick your hearts down. Carefully colour the cracks in with a gold or silver pen until the heart is complete again. Imagine the love poured into us by God and by us as we work for the justice, peace and freedom of the Kingdom of God.
Broken restored beautiful
This kintsugi heart is a beautiful reminder that there is hope in the midst of brokenness.
More information
For more on the URC’s involvement in Greenbelt Festival, see our Festival page.