Posts from December 2010 (Page 2)

Believing in the true spirit of Christmas, I commit myself to: Remember those people who truly need my gifts; Express my love in more direct ways than gifts; Examine my holiday activities in the light of my deeper values: Be a peacemaker with my circle of family and friends; Rededicate myself to my spiritual growth. -From Unplug the Christmas Machine How will you share the Spirit of Christmas today?

Donald Heinz writes, During Advent, the time for the desperate and usually losing attempt to save Christmas from consumerism as its only meaning and expression, some Christians pray:  “Father in heaven, the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world.  May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him.  May the darkness not blind us to the visions of…

This Sunday we’ll transition from Seeing to Touching Christmas.  Donald Heinz writes, Just as…in many other places, people were populating manger scenes with contemporary villagers, craftspeople, merchants, and children, so, too, did the Christmas tree begin to acquire the accoutrements of local culture.  The tree had become a member of the family, the Germans seems to think it had a soul of sorts, and so people wanted it to look like themselves, to share in their indigenous cultures.  Already in…

Donald Heniz writes, As images came to illuminate the texts and ritual of worship, the congregation could see what it was believing….The Incarnation would acculturate in every artistic form. (Christmas: Festival of Incarnation, 175). As you go about your life today, take time to look around.  See the art on the walls of your workplace, childcare center, school, and in your own home.   What images do you see that depict what you believe?  

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, Look up, you whose eyes are fixed on this earth, you who are captivated by the events and changes on the surface of this earth.  Look up, you who turned away from heaven to this ground because you had become disillusioned.  Look up, you whose eyes are laden with tears, you who mourn the loss of all that the earth has snatched away.  Look up, you who cannot lift up your eyes because you are so laden…

Donald Heinz writes, In Christian Europe, artists and patrons for a very long time were painting themselves into manger scenes, and librettists were giving poignant lines to contemporary hearers of oratorio narratives.  The idea was to rescue sacred story from inert nostalgia and reinvest agency in a passive audience of hearers and onlookers. (Christmas:  Festival of Incarnation, 19) How might you actively hear and see the Christmas story today?  How might you paint yourself into the manger scene?

We’ll be Seeing Christmas together in worship this Sunday at 10:30 am. To view reality from a slightly different perspective often yields a view of things totally unlike what they appeared to be.  If we take just a couple of steps in another direction, what we view as reality is often profoundly changed. – Norman Shawchuck What is consuming your energy?  What is getting you down?  What is holding you back?  Consider taking a few steps in another direction today.…

Donald Heinz writes, The visual art of Christmas is iconic, a full mediation of its subject.  It does not point to the sacred; it is sacred.  It is a sacred “text” in its own right, worth its own consideration….Religious art aspires to direct communion with God, an especially valuable aid to those suspicious of dogmatism or ecclesiastical authority. (Christmas:  Festival of Incarnation, 177-178) What feels sacred to you in the places you have worshipped?  The stained glass?  The paintings?  The…

This Sunday’s worship will focus on the sense of sight.  Where have we seen the the Christmas story?  Where do we see the Christmas story today? Donald Heinz writes, Christian themes appear in the vernacular of each century so that believers ca find themselves in the art of their day.  (Fig. 6 in The Gallery of Christmas: Festival of Incarnation) Where do you see the story of incarnation reflected in the art of today?