ART AND PRAYER
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER SERIES
Contemplative Prayer
What if a painting could lead you into prayer?
Art has a way of quieting the noise and opening the heart. This series pairs the beauty of visual artwork with the depth of Scripture to guide you into genuine conversation with God — speaking, listening, and simply resting in the Divine presence.
Rooted in the ancient practice of Visio Divina (meaning "Divine Seeing"), these episodes are more than something to watch. They're an invitation — a gentle, unhurried space for prayer and contemplation.
As Henri Nouwen beautifully put it, "Our true challenge is to return to the center, to the heart, and to find there the gentle voice that speaks to us and affirms us in a way no human voice ever could."
Three ways to enter in:
🎨 Praying With an Artist and Their Work — Full video episodes of 17–25 minutes for when you're ready to slow down and go deeper. Available on YouTube.
⏱️ 60 Seconds with an Artist and Their Work — Brief, theme-based reflections drawn from the longer episodes, perfect for a moment of pause in your day. Available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. (On mobile? Check the video descriptions for links to the original 9×16 versions.)
📖 Text Reflections — Prefer to move at your own pace? Each episode description includes a written version of the reflection, so you can linger with the image and the words in your own time and rhythm.
These experiences are designed not just to be watched, but to move you — from the screen into prayer. Wherever you are in your faith journey, there's a place for you here.
This Week’s Episodes
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The Series Creator
The series is created and presented by Rev. Rob McPherson, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church with over 30 years experience. His writing on art, spirituality, and contemplative practice has been featured by Progressive Christianity. He received his MDiv from United Theological Seminary in 1994, and BA from the University of Michigan in 1990. He currently serves as the pastor of Davison United Methodist Church in Davison, MI. He produces these videos because they feed his soul and hopes that you also find them nourishing for your faith.
"Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation."
— Thomas Keating
What if a painting of a sunflower could help you see God more clearly? Joan Mitchell’s Sunflower III does not give us a realistic image of a flower. Instead, it captures the energy, movement, and life of the sunflower itself. In this 100th episode of Art and Prayer, we explore how abstract art can open a different doorway to contemplation—one where we listen not only with our eyes, but with our whole being.
What if a painting of a sunflower could help you see God more clearly? Joan Mitchell’s Sunflower III does not give us a realistic image of a flower. Instead, it captures the energy, movement, and life of the sunflower itself. In this 100th episode of Art and Prayer, we explore how abstract art can open a different doorway to contemplation—one where we listen not only with our eyes, but with our whole being.
Use this guide for prayer and contemplation. Read slowly, pausing as needed for silence and reflection.
Opening
Be still, inside and out.
Find a quiet, calm, and relaxed place in mind and body.
Let yourself become ready to speak with God and listen to God.
Draw in a deep breath, and release it.
Reflection on Contemplative Prayer
Many artists love sunflowers. There is a rugged joy in them: radiant, bright, and filled with life. Joan Mitchell’s sunflowers are less like the solid presence of the flower and more like its energy. Perhaps this helps us see God, who is spirit, more clearly through the image.
The sunflower has long drawn people toward thoughts of light and life. Because it turns toward the sun, it can invite us to turn toward God. This is the goal of contemplation: to keep ourselves focused on God, and to follow God throughout the day.
Let us prepare to gaze at this work and open ourselves to what God has for us today.
Text for Reflection
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see.
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
and life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in His wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
in the light of His glory and grace.
Let these words settle in you. Ask the Spirit to draw your attention toward the light of Christ as you pray with the image.
Artwork for Prayerful Reflection
Sunflower III, Joan Mitchell.
As you gaze, let the brushstrokes and colors become a doorway into prayer. Do not hurry to understand the image. Let it invite you to notice what happens within you.
Reflection Questions
What do you notice first as you look at Mitchell’s sunflowers?
What does this depiction capture about sunflowers that a realistic still life might not reveal?
Where do the colors, movement, and brushstrokes draw your attention?
What thoughts or emotions rise in you as you continue to gaze?
How might God be stirring within you through this image?
What message, word, vision, or invitation is God clarifying for you today?
What questions do you want to bring to God about what is arising in you?
What scripture, holy words, or remembered promise comes to mind as you listen?
What would it mean for you to turn toward God’s light throughout this day?
Closing
God of light and life, draw our eyes toward you. Help us listen with our whole being until we hear your stirrings. Let whatever you have spoken remain with us, and keep us turned toward Jesus, in the light of his glory and grace. Amen.