White for Christmas

It's beautiful and white outside our studio from the snowstorm this past weekend. The blanket reminds me of the purity that white stands for liturgically. Churches all over the world are preparing their white banners, paraments and vestments for the coming celebration of Christmas. The color white can be found throughout scripture. During this season white also reminds me of how so many were fed by God during  their journey through the desert after being brought out of Egypt. 

"And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Exodus 16:31

This white substance represented a deep spiritual lesson that "man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 8:3)


So in several days we celebrate the one that came, pure to this earth as the type of king we weren't expecting. Thanks be to God we do not live by bread alone. Merry Christmas!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Of course we are still in the midst of Advent but in preparation of Christmas and the twelve days beyond that we call the season of Christmas we are sharing this Christmas message now. 


The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children with secular origins. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Christian Faith. So based on a little research we've compiled the following that might make you think differently the next time you hear this tune:


The First Day of Christmas:
One partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ. Celebrate His birthday!


The Second Day of Christmas:
Two turtles doves are the Old and New Testament together that tell the story of God to the world.


The Third Day of Christmas:
Three french hens stand for faith, hope and love. (1Cor. 13:13)


The Fourth Day of Christmas:
Four calling birds are the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Proclaim the Good News!


The Fifth Day of Christmas:
Five golden rings recall the first five books of the Old Testament--the Torah. These give us the history of God's grace.


The Sixth Day of Christmas:
Six geese-a-laying stands for the six days of creation. (Genesis 1)


The Seventh Day of Christmas:
Seven swans-a-swimming remind us of the seven gifts of the Spirit--prophesy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, compassion. (Romans 12:6-8)


The Eighth Day of Christmas:
Eight maids-a-milking can help us think of the eight Beatitudes. (Matthew 5:3-10)


The Ninth Day of Christmas
Nine ladies dancing reminds us of the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)


The Tenth Day of Christmas
Ten Lords-a-leaping stands for the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)


The Eleventh Day of Christmas
Eleven pipers piping are the faithful eleven disciples.


The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Twelve drummers drumming is symbolic of the twelve points in the Apostles Creed.


Blessings for the remainder of your Advent and Merry Christmas!

Why Are There So Many Religous Paintings?

For hundreds of years the art of painting in Europe really only existed as a function of the Christian religon, which played a dominant role in society. The Church commissioned and used paintings to spread its message. Books were extremely rare and many people did not know how to read. So, most people learned about the scriptures through paintings. Even then it was well understood  that a picture touches emotions more directly than speech and impresses itself more on the memory.

This is The Visitation by Dieric Bouts the Elder painted in 1445. It is a perfect example of "church art" with an Advent theme of Mary and Elizabeth. 

• what title would you give this work?
• what do the colors remind you of?
• are there any visual metaphors in the artwork?
• would you like to meet these people?
• what does the art tell you about the subjects? Is this truth or myth based on the Biblical telling of the story?
• what does this art mean to you?

Tips For Engaging Children in Art in Sunday School-Part Two

This week we continue our look at how to incorporate art appreciation into a Sunday School curriculum to enhance children's understanding and life application of the scriptures. Here are three more ideas:

• Don't avoid the scary, the painful or the sad. You can create a safe, loving environment to explore these themes and their hopeful alternatives. Discuss what you see in the art and then explore alternatives through conversation, drawing or acting.
• Use art to connect a family's story to the story of God. When looking at images of families play the "I wonder" game so children can wonder what the different characters might have been thinking or wanting to do next.This is a great one for the season of Advent when images of a family in art can be related to the stories of Jesus and his family.
• Let the art suggest different ways to pray. For example, show a film clip (yet another form of art!) of a great dance scene and relate it to David dancing for joy for God and then create your own dance for joy. Or another Advent themed idea is to focus on waiting and watching. Look at Salvador Dali's Girl Standing at the Window as shown in this post. Ask the children if they ever stand at a window and daydream. Have the children draw the window they stand at and what it is they wait and watch for. Relate this to talking to God through the window (praying).

If you've never incorporated master works of art into your curriculum you should try it....with your enthusiasm for this experience the children will deepen their understanding of God and their relationship with one another.

Tips For Engaging Children in Art in Sunday School-Part One

Not everyone can take their Sunday School classes to an art museum but that's no excuse not to integrate art into the children's spiritual development and education. Libraries and bookstores offer a larger variety than ever of books with art and the computer opens the door to an endless plethora of resources. Once you've found a resource to integrate into what you're teaching here are a view tips on how to engage the children in being active learners:

1. Use the artwork to tell the story of God from the scriptures. Read the story from scripture then have the children look at the artwork and retell the story identifying elements from the Word.
2. Encourage the children to identify with the story the picture is telling. For example ask them if have they ever felt like the main figure in the artwork, discuss what they would do next if they were part of the artwork's scene, or can the children mimic the postures of the characters in the art to get in touch with their feelings?
3. Encourage playfulness and surprise. Chose an artwork that is unique in it's technique or presentation. Discuss the art methods that artist might have used. Have the children experiment with similar techniques....such as bold colors, certain components out of proportion to create emphasis, or exaggerated facial expressions.

With the American holiday of Thanksgiving approaching here is an artwork by Peter McKay that some of the above techniques could be applied to. It could be matched to a Psalm of thanksgiving such as #138.

This blog series will continue with Advent images. Stay tuned!

Giving Thanks

Here in the states I'm in countdown mode to our celebration of Thanksgiving. Admittedly I'm thankful for my sweet tooth and I'm thinking about what new twist I might put on the pumpkin pie this year....should I consider a praline crust, a meringue top or maybe be extra adventurous with a pumpkin cheesecake? If I could take a breath and focus on why we gather for this meal I might want to instead think about being thankful for the gift of this world. This year I'd like to focus on the elements of nature. The plants of the earth are a blessing. The mysteries of life giving water and it's symbolism at baptism should be remembered. Fire gives us light, warmth and life (the sun)...it is unsafe and valuable at the same time. And last but not least we should consider the wind. It is energy and movement and a reminder of the Spirit's strokes. May we all be able to mark our times of thanksgiving with creativity.


Our thanksgiving stole is being offered as a special on eBay this week. Bid on it here.

Advent Rituals

In the studio we're putting our last touches on our new Advent stoles and have noticed a bit of buying frenzy....the season is fast upon us.  To top this reality off my sister called yesterday to pick my brain for resources for family activities for her school website. When thinking about what's been important and meaningful to our family over the years I can't escape thoughts of the Advent wreath. Each year to help us with our waiting for the the celebration of remembering Christ's birth and preparing our hearts for his return we gather on Sunday evenings around our Advent wreath. We follow this tradition from my own childhood. Our homemade wreath is often a bit "rustic" and consists simply of evergreens and purple candles. We read scripture, discuss a topic focused on the reading and offer up family prayer. There is much symbolism in this ritual. Of course the circle reminds us of God's never ending love, the evergreens reinforce this fact and the candles help us to count the days and increase the light as we go. Ultimately we light a pure white candle on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus Christ the light of the world. The time before Christmas can be a constant struggle between what the world tells us we should be doing (buying, baking, attending parties, etc.) and how the waiting might better be focused. I like what Gertrud Mueller Nelson says in her book To Dance with God, "Waiting could use a fresh look. The discipline of delayed gratification--not celebrating Christmas until the twenty-fourth of December--and the hope filled rituals of our Advent preparations will give new value to the waiting periods in our lives." This year I'm wondering how we enter Advent as people pregnant and waiting. Any ideas?

The pictured Advent stole with evergreens and gold cross can be found on our website here.