We were delighted to welcome acclaimed writer, speaker, philosopher, and professor,
James K. A. Smith, and so many guests to All Saints for Cross & Culture 2026: Cultivating Contemplation in a World of Distraction. James's talk was based on his latest book,
Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark, where he suggests that the contemplative stream of Christian tradition and engagement with the arts offer a vital resource in the maelstrom of the twenty-first century.
Drawing on guides like St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, Smith invited us to walk the contemplative path, awakening through solitude, listening in silence, and dwelling in darkness, so that we might become people who more fully receive and embrace the mystery of being beloved children of God. He also encouraged us to take on this ancient Christian practice in unexpected places: the quiet dark of a cinema or the hushed light of an art gallery. The arts, he argued, offer a practice of contemplation that opens us to spiritual transformation. We are grateful to James for what he shared with us and pray that it would shape us into people who live more slowly, attentively, and in awareness of God's constant presence to us, in us, and through us.
Stay tuned for what we have in store for Cross & Culture in 2027!
