The Vancouver Mural Festival is a celebration of creativity and community. The Vancouver Mural Festival is known for its inclusive experiences that embrace and celebrate the rich cultures and communities of Vancouver, offering a space where everyone can participate and feel a sense of belonging. Its open-air gallery of murals has transformed buildings across Metro Vancouver into colourful works of art, bringing over 400 murals to life in the past seven years. There are also small-scale mobile murals through Murals Without Walls, that provide professional artists with disabilities the opportunity to exhibit their work at the City Centre Artist Lodge. Where people see walls as boring brick boundaries of buildings, mural artists see a potential canvas.
What if we could take inspiration from this successful event in our approach to church? Consider the walls that define sacred and secular spaces and turn barriers into open doors. Instead of showcasing the beauty and power of the Gospel inside the building, how can we share it outside within the community? How might we engage in building bridges with people by inviting them to share in beautiful, awe-inspiring moments? We can use art, creativity, and acts of compassion to spark reflection and dialogue instead leading with our ‘truth bombs’. This summer I encourage you to find a city mural that makes you stop and think. Offer a prayer of thanks to the artist. Ask the Spirit to guide you in seeing metaphorical walls as a canvas of opportunity to share the good news about Jesus and His unsurpassed love.