A Brush With Faith, featuring more than 40 items collected by the Methodist Church, has been touring the country since 1963. Until now, it has never been seen in Norfolk. Canon Philip McFayden, the Bishop's officer for visual arts, explores the work Storm Over The Lake by Eularia Clarke. I've chosen this picture as it is strangely topical. In it, we see Jesus and his disciples swamped by a tsunami type wave as they struggle in their fishing boat on Lake Galilee. Jesus is leaning forward in the stern, calming the storm with several people already swept overboard and near to drowning. The pillow mentioned in Mark's account can be clearly seen under the feet of Jesus. Eularia Clarke Eularia Clarke, was a descendant of Gainsborough's sister and a long line of clergy. She read theology at Oxford but enjoyed more the drawing lessons she received at the Ruskin School, which felt were more relevant than her theology course. Much of her work is reminiscent of Stanley Spencer, in that she did her best to locate the Gospel stories to her own culture, placing them in her own time and peopled with characters we might recognise. Here we see something that reminds us of recent events. The catastrophic power of nature is represented and our own vulnerability, in the face of such an overwhelming force, is clearly seen in the faces of those swept out of the boat.
 | | Storm Over The Lake (detail) |
The image of Jesus remaining calm and assured in the face of such chaos is reassuring. While all is falling apart he remains steadfast, reminding us of the anchor image. The word he is uttering is 'Pephimoso', the Greek for 'Be still'. In the great calm that followed the disciples recognised the power of God at work in Jesus, which emanates from his confidence and trust in God. The tsunami disaster has called forth a great wave of compassion and sympathy for the victims. Maybe this unprecedented response helps us to see the power of God to still the storms of this natural disaster and may it help to steady the imbalance of greed in the world. May Christ calm our fears and recall us to a simple trust in God’s loving provision. The strongest image here is that God in Christ is right there in the midst of all this terror and mayhem and that under his calming hand is the ripple of peace. Pray for that peace which passes all understanding, so that the world may learn to respect an unstable world in which we live and seek evermore to provide for those who are vulnerable and at risk. Volunteer stewards During the exhibition, Christians have the opportunity to spend time as stewards and to engage with the public who come to view the exhibition. Introductory sessions will be arranged to provide stewards with background information, but it will not be essential to know a lot about modern art. Organisers hope the stewards will be able to share the responses people have to the paintings, listening to their reactions, answering questions about the scenes depicted and sharing faith experiences. To volunteer contact Pauline Greasley on 01603 261409 or e-mail pagreasley@aol.com A Brush With Faith can be viewed at Norwich Cathedral from Tuesday 26 April – Sunday 15 May, 2005. Based on a feature first published in Across The See | 
