Wonder of Healing

Personal photo from Japanese Garden 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Grand Rapids, Michigan

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

Job 11:7 (NIV)

The recent books by Brian Zahndt and James Smith ask hard questions about the meaning of their lives and the mystery of their faiths.    Both report the critical role of mystery: 

“At its core Christianity confesses a participation with the unseen existences of heaven; and in its practices, liturgies, and sacraments, Christianity sets forth the sacred paths into these unseen existences. This is what is meant by mystery.”

“The evocation of wonder has two primary sources: the beautiful and the mysterious”

Brian Zahndt 

“The mystical willingness to make a home in the dark, to dwell amid uncertainty with wonder and curiosity, nourishes our capacity to face suffering and fight fearlessly against those systems and forces that foment it. Philosophy in this mystical mode does not fly off into irrelevant reveries about esoteric intellectual puzzles. Philosophy is called to wonder not only at the beautiful mysteries of divine love, but also at the bedeviling complexity of evil, suffering, and social injustice.”

James K. A. Smith

While reading these authors, I immediately thought of my wonderful experiences at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park; specifically the Japanese Garden— there life’s mysteries and struggles find artistic expression.   That mystery of healing is what I experienced in clinical medicine.

Like the book’s authors, I struggled to define healing and share what is still a mystery.  A key observation is that “wonder” is a key to experiencing healing.  This “wonder” is best understood as a verb— an action that finds meaning in asking hard questions.  We all stand with Job and his friends when we confront suffering and healing.

So at the end of all the words and hard questions, what remains is gratitude for the wonder of and mystery of healing!

Marvin

  

References

Zahnd, B. (2026). Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things. InterVarsity Press.

Zahnd, Brian. Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things (p. 23  &. 37)  (Function). Kindle Edition. 

Smith, J. K. A. (2026). Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing. Yale University Press.

Smith, James K. A.. Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing (p. 202). (Function). Kindle Edition

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

https://www.meijergardens.org/

Hage, M. L. (2011). The Mystery of Healing.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2011/04/mystery-of-healing.html

Healing Colors

Indoor “Basket Series”    

“Walla Wallahs”

Blown Glass, 2014

Chihuly Glass displayed at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Personal Photos, September 2026

God spoke to Moses: “See what I’ve done; I’ve personally chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him skill and know-how and expertise in every kind of craft to create designs and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to cut and set gemstones; to carve wood—he’s an all-around craftsman.

Exodus 31: 1-5 (NIV)

Life feels harder!  Even with all  the progress in our technological world, it seems like we are more disconnected from each other and the larger stories of our faith and communities.  What and where is the catalyst for healing in our post-pandemic world? 

There was an idea that there would be a renaissance after the pandemic like that had been reported with previous plagues.  If AI was that renaissance, it has come with some real “birth pangs”.  Even our communication tools that “reduce the distance between us” have failed to create the belonging that we desire.  

While in Michigan, we returned to Meijer Gardens on a cloudy, overcast day.  What greeted us was a place filled with the brightest and most transparent colors of glass!  The Chihuly displays were both outdoors and indoors.  Even in the dull light of a cloudy day, the colored glass became more vivid.   We left that space renewed and reminded again of the healing power of creation!

Thanks for the creators of spaces that renew our souls and transcend our categories of isolation.

Marvin

References

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

https://www.meijergardens.org/

Fujimura, M. (2021). Art and faith: A theology of making. Yale University Press.

Hage, M. L. (2020). Healing Images.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2020/07/healing-images.html

Hage, M. L. (2014). Healing Art.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2014/11/healing-art.html

Beginnings and Ends

“Burdened Agency: Christian Theology and End-of-Life Ethics”

Travis Pickell

I love this time of year of new beginnings of learning!.  The recent reminder was the Facebook Post (Click to watch) of the oath of the Medical and Dental School Classes of 2030.  It contains sacred words of “calling” and “healing” found in the best traditions of these professions.

At the same time as the Facebook Post, I was reading the book Burdened Agency: Christian Theology and End-of-Life Ethics describing the challenges that will be faced by these beginning medical and dental students.  One wonderful revelation in the book were efforts at Loyola University to engage medical students in addressing these critical issues of care.

I was reminded of the work at Duke University Medical School and the challenges of creating the curricular space for this education.  Even now, it is difficult to see how the agency of these beginning students will be implemented in our technological cultures.  Maybe the best answers are found in the ancient prophets!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

 “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Thanks for all the Beginning Healing Agents,

Marvin

References

Pickell, T. (2024). Burdened Agency: Christian Theology and End-of-Life Ethics.

Harvard Medical and Dental School entering Classes of 2030 - Oath (August 24, 2026)

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=harvard%20medical%20school%20oath

Wasson, K., Bading, E., Hardt, J., Hatchett, L., Kuczewski, M. G., McCarthy, M., Michelfelder, A., & Parsi, K. (2015). Physician, know thyself: The role of reflection in bioethics and professionalism education. Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 5(1), 77–86. doi.org

See: https://www.luc.edu/stritch/bioethics/medicaleducation/physiciansvocationprogram/

Hage, M. L. (2015). Healing Missions.

https://healingagents.blogspot.com/2015/05/healing-missions.html

Hage, M. L. (2016). A Healing Curriculum.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-healing-curriculum.html

"Holy Smoke?"

“Wildfire Smoke”

Screen shot July 17, 2026

Holland, Michigan

He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, 

and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

Genesis 19:28

God, come close. Come quickly!

    Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing!

Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising;

    my raised hands are my evening prayers.

Psalm 141: 1-2

“Smoke” has a new meaning since our recent exposure to the smoke of the wildfires from the North.  It is hard to describe all the effects it had on our usual activities and expectations for our summer days in Michigan.

The explanations and implications are many and are not associated with anything that would be considered “Holy”.  The most recent Refugia Newsletter notes the overall change in temperatures that are coincidental with the number and intensities of the wildfires of Canada. Whatever the cause or mechanism, it can be a time to reflect on the creation that we have taken for granted.

For me, the most immediate effect was the slowing down and stillness.  I paid attention to the larger weather patterns and appreciated the winds from the South.   This was all reminiscent of my experience with the pandemic.  It wasn’t as long but demonstrated again the fragility and the interconnectedness of our lives.

So today, I am giving thanks for the clean air and the blessings of another day.

Marvin

References

Rienstra, D. Refugia Newsletter #124

https://refugianewsletter.substack.com/p/refugia-newsletter-124?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1264980&post_id=208335713&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=erqln&triedRedirect=true

Hage, M. L. (2023). Small Healing

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2023/09/small-healing.html

Hage, M. L. (2012). God’s Grace.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/10/gods-grace.html