Family Time

Something to think about as we enter a time spent with families to celebrate the newborn King...If someone placed a hidden camera in your home, what would they discover about your family's celebration? What evidence would they find that Jesus is Lord of your home?

Have a blessed Christmas!

The Nativity

“... Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged.”

The Nativity became a favorite subject in Christian art by the 14th century. One of the reasons for this fascination with the scene was the devotion practiced by St Francis of Assisi. Around 1220 he celebrated Christmas by setting up the first presepio or crèche in the town of Greccio near Assisi. He used real animals to create a living scene so that the worshippers could contemplate the birth of the child Jesus in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight.

As a child my parents took me to see the elaborately, garnished 20' blue spruce at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that is surounded by a Baroque creche. It is dramatically displayed in the midst of the medieval sculpture hall. Today in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA I enjoy carrying on the tradition of marveling at the presepio with my children at the Carnegie Art Museum. I particularly enjoy the fact that this elaborate, Neopolitan masterpiece is surounded by many large live evergreen trees decorated with handmade ornaments from different groups in the community. The old and very classic figures of the presepio are enveloped by contemporary art from professional artists, hobbyists and children...it is artistically the best of both worlds!

St. Francis was certainly savvy when he realized that worshippers would benefit from using their senses to better connect with the message. Today we carry on the the tradition with elaborate presepios but the message can be accentuated in simple ways. The light of candles (Christ was the light of the world), the use of the colors white and gold (purity and royalty), or congregants adding pieces of straw to a manger to help prepare the way can be just as powerful.

Ceremony of Carols

Things we love about Advent....

...listening to music for the season such as the above posted Carols by Benjamin Britten.

...lighting Advent candles each Sunday prior to our evening meal. Included in our candle lighting are short readings from the Bible and family prayers.

...making paper chains to helps us count the days--purple loops for Advent (a pink one for the third Sunday of joy), white for the 12 days of Christmas and green or gold for Epiphany. We rip the loops off the chain as each day passes to help the little ones “see” the passing of time.

...praying for the people that we receive greeting cards from each day.

...reading--this year in particular we are enjoying the Advent blog by Jan Richardson. The rich artwork and text that is thought provoking and inspirational.

Just read...

Max Lucado's, The Christmas Candle. This sweet story is an easy, quick read yet you will savor the message of the mystery of faith and the wonder of love.

We loved these lines, "With passion. Your preaching could use some. A little puplit fire never burned a church, you know...." and "What are you afraid of, Reverend? Afraid the prayers won't be answered--or afraid they will?"

For Advent: Click on banner for a virtual calendar

A Visit to the Art Museum

This past weekend I took pleasure in my inaugural visit to Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Mass. This museum, which opened to the public in 1895, is Harvard's oldest art museum. Around its enchanting Italian Renaissance courtyard are galleries illustrating the history of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. The galleries particularly strong in Italian early Renaissance are a great reminder of how religious and liturgical symbols have been incorporated into visual art for centuries. I found the tempra and gold painting of Saint Catherine of Siena by Giovanni de Paola (as seen at left) particularly charming. History knows Catherine Benincasa as the persuasive mediator who negotiated peace between Florence and the papacy. In this portrait, St. Catherine of Siena appears with a sprig of lilies as a symbol of peace, and is wearing the black-and-white vestments of the Sisters of Penance of St. Dominic. Paolo’s graceful approach to Catherine of Siena is accentuated by her elongated figure.

The seasons ahead of Advent and Christmas can be so busy. I recommend you take time to pause and enjoy an art exhibit. There is something very theraputic about walking through the quiet of an art gallery, meditating on, contemplating about or simply enjoying what you see.

Need a gift idea? Enrich a life with the gift of an art museum membership!

Preparing for Christ the King Sunday

Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical church year calendar. The day completes our annual journey of celebrating and learning from the life of Christ on earth. We can worship with confidence and joy that Christ is the King!

We can reflect upon: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation! Let all who hear Now to his temple draw near, Joining in glad adoration! (Psalm 93).

Marking the kingship of Christ makes a healthy transition that leads directly from Ordinary Time into Advent and the remainder of the Christian year. So ignore the Christmas tunes on the radio and the decorations in the mall and recognize Jesus as the King of Kings.

*pictured stole is new to our collection and illustrates the "I Am" statements. The photo is a link to this item on our website.

Thanksgiving

Here in the United States we are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. At Carrot Top Studio we love this holiday because it is not terribly commercial. We can simply take the time to be reverent for the gifts of the earth at this harvest festival. Interestingly our American commemoration of the Pilgrim's feast might be a carry over from the European tradition of St. Martin’s Day which celebrates the end of the agrarian year and the beginning of the harvest.

Many faith communities gather on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving morn to worship. In addition to worship banners and minister’s stoles that represent the colors of a fall harvest, churches might enjoy the use of a cross created out of sheaves of wheat and offertory processions that include food items that can be distributed to those in need. Our home congregation includes the giving of five pieces of corn to each family. We take them home and place them on our table as a visual reminder of the hardships the Pilgrims endured. The story has been handed down that this faithful community of Pilgrims was able to be thankful to their Lord even on days when they only had five pieces of corn to eat.

I’ll close by sharing a favorite recipe that usually graces our Thanksgiving table:

Pumpkin Apple Bake

Clean out a medium pumpkin. Fill with a mixture of raisins, chopped apples, nuts, dates, cranberries, dried apricots, a small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. The amounts are very flexible and you can use items that you enjoy that you might typically find in fall pies. Pour fruit and nut mixture into the pumpkin, dot with butter. Bake on a cookie sheet 1 hour 15 min.-1 hr. 30 min. The pumpkin will turn a lovely deep color and can be used as the center piece on your table for you to serve the wonderful warm fruit directly from.

And as Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Thank you, Amen.

Life of the Mill Girls

In my spare time I enjoy quilting. I’m pleased to share that I have a quilt in a museum exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. The show opens November 15th and sounds like it will be inspiring, delightful and diverse. This is our inaugural exhibition in a museum so we’re quite excited!

The New England Quilt Museum asked quilters to interpret how Lowell could inspire them to create in fabric. You can see my answer to this challenge in the photo. The corresponding artist statement reads:

I am a fiber artist. I have been sewing since I was old enough to lace a shoestring through a cardboard sewing card. Today I enjoy quilting for pleasure and sewing for my business that caters to pastors and churches. My work usually tells a story.

I find contentment in researching, contemplating and designing a new piece. Once I am comfortable with the design, I dive in and become very focused in the actual production.

“Inside the Life of a Mill Girl” grew out of reading about the young women who headed to work in the mills with great anticipation of how their lives would be changed. The symbols represent the bell that rang for every step of their grueling work schedule. The shuttle and the saw tooth borders symbolize the type of work that was performed amidst much machinery. The oil lamp stands for the dangerous working conditions in the mills. The promises made of a safe life with healthy meals and a regard for high moral standards are characterized in this quilt’s boarding house and church steeple. Lastly the steps of picking, carding, spinning, warping and weaving are graphically included to complete this piece.

The accomplishments, courage, and independence of the young mill girls are something we can learn from and be encouraged to apply to our lives today.

I think we can easily find inspiration in the story of the mill girls who went to work to earn money for their struggling farm families, tolerated work conditions that did not promote a joyful environment, yet diligently went to church, loved to read and appreciated the arts.

For Your Bookshelf

For my birthday, my brother recently gave me a photograph of an ocean scene with a person walking on the beach. Upon opening the gift I pondered the symbolism of peacefulness one gets when walking on the beach, the imagery of water curing thirst and cleanliness, and a desire for retreat to the wilderness.

This makes me think of the history of Christian worship and how it is immersed in symbolism, beginning with the symbols from the Jewish scriptures such as the rainbow God gave Noah. Until modern times literacy was limited therefore worship depended upon signs and symbols to remind and teach and aid us with the mystery of God. Signs and symbols still serve this purpose today.

A book I often turn to while researching the design of minister’s stoles or worship banners is Worship Without Words by Patrica Klein. This little guide is a very helpful explanation of the liturgical calendar and the signs, symbols, gestures, vestments and architectural elements that accompany liturgy. You may also enjoy it for your bookshelf.

Banner Commissions

At Carrot Top Studio we enjoy the challenge of making banners for a specific setting. That is why we don't carry ready made banners. We think it's important that the color, size, and visual message accentuate the existing architecture and environment.

Above is our latest commission. It is a set of seven banners for Advent/Christmas that focus on God's messengers, the angels. The narrow banners are embellished with symbols of Mary: the rose and the fleur-de-lis (a stylized lily). The center banner uses the symbol of a Natal cross which is shaped like a star. This reminds us of the story of Jesus' birth and the foretold purpose of his birth. The decorative flower borders are created using the Glastonbury thorn plant. According to legend it budded from the staff planted by Joseph of Arimethea when he took refuge in Glastonbury. Because it blooms during the Christmas season it has become a symbol of the Nativity.


And here's a glimpse of the process it took to get a finished product.

All Saints Day

The day after Halloween, November 1st, is a time to turn attention to those who have inspired us by their unselfish actions. Who are you thinking of today?


The above is All Saints Day as interpreted by William Kandinsky, an oil painting from 1911. It does not represent the exterior world but rather expresses inner feelings of the human soul.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for All Saints Day

We give you thanks and praise, O God,for by your great power you have called us to a rich hope and pledged us a glorious inheritance among the saints. In time before dreaming you sent the wind to stir up the sea of chaos and bring forth the earth.Through your law and prophets you promised us that your Kingdom would belong foreverto those who embraced your holiness.Through your son, Jesus Christ, you proclaimed a day when the hungry will feast and the mourners laugh. When he was killed on the cross you raised him from the deadand seated him at your right hand. In him you give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we might know that hope to which you have called usand embody the fullness of Christ who fills all in all.Therefore, with our hearts lifted high, we offer you thanks and praise at all times through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.



©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Walking A Labyrinth

Solvitur ambulando…It is solved by walking…

--Saint Augustine

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

Walking a labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves perception, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

I am a right brain person and I have the need to move. Walking a labyrinth is something I crave and I have had very moving moments while using one as a tool for prayer. I love the openness of a time on the labyrinth—it accepts you for whatever age you are, where you are in your faith, what you look like, or whether you needing to move mountains or molehills.

If you want to learn more you will certainly enjoy Walking A Sacred Path by Dr. Lauren Artress. She explores the historical origins of the labyrinth and shares the discoveries of modern-day seekers. If you question the potential of a labyrinth this book will inspire you to try a walk to quiet your mind and open your soul.

To find a labyrinth near you click here.

A Fine Discussion With Wise Women

This week I had the delightful opportunity of visiting a local retirement community to speak about how color and symbols apply to the seasons of the liturgical church year. We looked at symbols in stoles and worship banners that had specific meaning; like the Alpha and Omega. Symbols like this require previous knowledge or education to understand. Other symbols seem obvious but can have different meaning to different people. We discussed the example of fire. Knowing that we were focusing on worship some of the participants immediately chimed in that fire was a symbol for Pentecost, but upon reflection we also came up with destruction (like the terrible fires currently raging in California), joy (like the flame of a birthday candle, and warmth (like a lit fireplace on a cold winter’s night).

There are also times when symbols rely upon the interpretation of the viewer. We looked at one of Carrot Top Studio’s stoles for Lent that is just an arrangement of purples. The somberness, depth of color and the arrangement allowed us to reflect upon feelings and emotions that we move through during the penitential time of Lent. These women, in their wiser years of their lives, were in agreement that congregations and those in leadership could do more to educate about the visual components of our faith. Human insight, both spiritual and visual, can be expanded and be a significant step in our journey toward a deeper relationship with God.

The Bible gifts us the words and symbols to draw up visual images in our mind. Psalm 150 is a great example of this.

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him for with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Listen to John Rutter's setting of these words to music while viewing St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

What a magnificent worship space, with so many visual components--rich in color, symbols and art!

Art: A Gift From God

While searching for a new home church after we moved it was exciting to walk into the first congregation we visited to discover it had an art gallery. After fifteen years of volunteering in many different aspects of church life I am now preparing to become the new curator of this gallery space. It is not large, but it is at the main entrance of the building so it has the potential of impacting many people that walk through the doors. This gallery space should allow viewers to experience faith within a visual context.

I would love to hear from you if you have a gallery space in your church. Does it have a vision or mission statement? How do you find your artists? Do the artists display a written statement of faith or any other kind of written message about their connection between being and artist and being a Christian?

While doing prep work for this new task in my life I came across an article from a past issue of Presbyterians Today. I share with you a synopsis of the author, Danny Potts, ideas on how to incorporate the arts into your congregation’s life:

1. Arrange museum trips to teach Bible study and Sunday School groups to look theologically at art. For example, how would a study of the Exodus story inform and critique an exhibit of American art of the Old West? You might even call the museum ahead of time to arrange for a docent to collaborate with you in your exploration.


2. Set aside part of your church building as a gallery for changing exhibitions of work by artist in the congregation, community or a local college.


3. Invite members and friends to bring a brown bag lunch to an “Art lunch” and 30 minute program. Food, fellowship and half-an-hour on Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper or The Gleaners by Millet would make for a meaningful workday break.


4. Invite interested persons to gather each week to hear the text for the upcoming Sunday sermon and respond to it creatively, as a way of beginning their preparation for worship. If the hymns coordinate with the sermon text or the celebration that Sunday (you’d think they always should, wouldn’t you) add another dimension to the creative response by playing the music in the background as you work.


5. Plan a year with the Bible—in art. How have the stories of our faith been painted, drawn, sculpted, built? Spend a year studying art through the Bible and the Bible through art.


6. Establish a one-year Artist-in-Residence program, so that your congregation, or a group of congregations, experiences the gifts and creative opportunities of artists working in a variety of media.

God and art are intrinsically connected and we celebrate that truth together. We must encourage the visual arts in the life of the church today!

Columbus Day

Today, Americans celebrate Columbus Day, a holiday celebrating the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

While taking pleasure in a new book, given to me by a friend that knows I enjoy the haunting lovliness of Shaker music, I came across the piece, "Christoper Columbus's March". The commentary by the editor, Christian Goodwillie is interesting--

The lyrics use maritime metaphors to make the comparison between Columbus's voyage of discovery and the committed Believer's lifelong voyage of spiritual discovery...Travelers on both journeys brave the unknown, yet like Columbus, the faithful Believer "shall safe embark, On Canaan's happy shore". The lyric describing the "rolling seas of time" is particularly poignant in its evocation of life's uncertainty, whether one lives within the faith or without."

The book Shaker Songs: A Celebration of Peace, Harmony, and Simplicity can be purchased on Amazon. It even includes a CD of traditional Shaker music with performances by the Boston Camerata!

A Knock at the Door

I love experiencing all different types of worship from Tenebrae, or contemporary, to funeral services and everything in between. On Friday our hometown of Pittsburgh, PA installed a new Catholic Bishop I was therefore very intrigued with the surrounding worship celebrations at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

For example, though he had walked through the same door countless times before, Bishop David A. Zubik could enter St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland on Thursday night only after knocking. Pondering this symbolic act that was foreign to me, I could think of several bits of Biblical references that might have inspired the tradition. First, to come to mind was the scripture from Matthew that says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Also, Rev. 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” The messages of these passages to persist in finding God and while also leaving the door to our hearts consistently open to God (personally and corporately) are ones we probably couldn’t hear often enough.

I little internet research explains that the knocking-on-the-door tradition dates to medieval Europe, when "chapters" of clergy independent of the bishop controlled the cathedral. Bishops had to knock to enter the churches. So the Rev. Donald P. Breier, St. Paul's rector and pastor, greeted Zubik as he crossed the door's threshold and welcomed him to the cathedral prior to the evening prayer service.

Carrot Top Studio creates stoles and worship banners so I initially was watching for the types of vestments, and stoles worn by the clergy in attendance. I also wondered if there would be worship banners in this grand space. Because I am fond of symbolism, I was also curious to watch for the presentation of the crozier. The symbolism of this pastoral staff that is carried by the Bishop links to Christ the Shepherd and is a visual reminder of the teaching the Bishop will do. While watching this three hour service on TV it was no surprise that there was much more observed and absorbed than I anticipated. I embraced the community that came together in this celebration and prayed with them for Christianity to grow within the city of Pittsburgh. Along with the Bishop, wherever we may be, may we continue to seek, find and knock.

Our newest banners

These 3' x 6' banners represent the "River of Life" and "Tree of Life". The river of life is referenced in Geneseis 2:10. After watering God's garden it was a source of four other rivers. Likewise Christ is the water of life flowing into the four corners of the earth. The tree of life is centrally located in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Similarly Christ is centrally located in both the earthly and eternal life as told of in Revelations 22. A United Methodist church in Texas is using these banners to enhance worship during Ordinary Time. Find out how to commission banners specific for your church life here.