Monday, February 25, 2008

Some of Our Favorite Books for Lent



Last Supper Art by the editors of Phaidon Press. This book presents a sequence of over 100 images of the Last Supper. It demonstrates how each artist responded to the complex challenge of creating a convincing group of individual personalities and expressing their relationships with each other.







Palm Sunday Parade by Martha McKown. The impact of that first Palm Sunday parade will be remembered long after the use of this resource. All ages will recall both the joy and the sadness of that day's events. Church families will experience the rich joyous praise as they become involved in the narrative, the procession and hymn singing.



The Image of Christ by Gabriele Finaldi is a beautifully illustrated, colorful history of how Christ has been portrayed by artists from the early church to the present. the book explores the challenges Christian artists have faced as they have tried to imagine what Jesus looked like. Since no eyewitness descriptions of Jesus' physical appearance survived, the earliest artists' depictions of Christ played on the symbols and images that he used in his parables--such as the Good Shepherd, the Light, and the Vine. Later, artists became concerned with capturing Christ's true physical likeness, based on miraculous relics such as the cloth that Saint Veronica offered him on his way to Calvary, which was believed to be imprinted with an image of his face. These stages in the history of Christian art are described by several art historians in brief essays, each of which is lavishly illustrated.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Visual Reminders During Lent



In worship we use stoles, paraments, banners, flowers and other elements as visual reminders of the liturgical season we are celebrating. What can we do at home to help us focus particually during our Lenten journey?

Rober Fulgham in From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives suggests using sand. "Perhaps a bowl of sand can help us remember our journey. God led the people in their journey in the desert. Jesus himself reenacted that journey to face his own temptations. The desert can be a place of retreat, where there is a freedom from distractions. It can be a good place to be led and to face our temptations."

May you make time for desert days prior to the joy of Easter.



Monday, February 04, 2008

Donut Day

I can't wait for tomorrow morning when this granola and green tea loving Mom will surprise her children with a great excuse to eat donuts for breakfast! I grew up in a Dutchy area of Eastern Pennsylvania where Fausnaught Day (donut day) was celebrated with great gusto. The original purpose was to use up the baking ingredients in one's pantry before Lent, as these items were not to be consumed and would not stay fresh til the end of Lent.

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. So even though I went to the store to purchase our donut treat instead of cleaning our my pantry I hope the sugary breakfast will lead us into a great discussion of how we can retreat into the wilderness with Jesus this season.