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.

Inventory

At Carrot Top Studio we’ve been thinking about inventory.
Do you take inventory at your church? We can think of several
reasons why you might take inventory…from the serious to the crazy!



There is of course the spiritual gifts inventory. Why should we take one of these inventories? Since there is a limit on the time we can serve, we need to look for maximum effectiveness. Structuring our ministries around our giftedness will help us do that. Knowing where we are spiritually gifted will help us know where to put our focus, energy, and time. It will show us where we should plug into ministry.



The Barna group (their goal is to facilitate spiritual transformation) offers another type of inventory. It is a self-administered survey that church leaders can complete to evaluate how the habits of their church compare to the habits of the nation’s most effective churches. This might first occur to you as useless information but it can be a wonderful launch pad for discussion amongst your leadership.



When I was thinking about inventory I recalled the year my husband had the job of taking the inventory of the church silverware, plates, glasses etc. for a Williamsburg Christmas dinner. Thank goodness he has a jolly disposition because this type of inventory can be tedious!



Have you ever had to inventory your church membership records? You look for those that no longer live in the area or have moved to another church or aren’t worshiping anymore. This type of inventory certainly has be taken with great care so as not to offend anyone. You would still welcome someone that hasn’t graced your doorstep after many years astray wouldn’t you?



Advent is one of our busiest seasons and it’s only ten weeks away! So, Carrot Top Studio took an inventory this week. Now we’re sure of what we have available in stock and think we have a plan for filling in the holes. Our clients are always full of good ideas…any thoughts or suggestions?



Taking inventory has allowed our new old stock (NOS for short!) to be offered for sale on eBay this week (listings begin 9/20 and 9/22). Most of these designs will not be produced any more and we hope you will take advantage of the bargains!



Someone once said, “if it is important to you, it is worth documenting. If you don't feel it is worth documenting, then take another look at it.” Does this apply to church inventories? I leave you with that to chew on.

Color!

I am not Catholic so it has been interesting to learn that when the Pope visits a venue outside of the Vatican a Master of Ceremonies dictates the outer vestments worn by the Pope and others involved in worship.

It was delightful to stumble upon this photograph of the Pope recently in Austria. What a splash of color! I don't know what the Pope's message was while in this moment, but when I look at the vestments I feel joy, peace, rebirth and growth. Personally I yearn for the traditional colors of the liturgical calendar to mark the rhythm of worship, but during Ordinary Time I find it energizing and stimulating to see the use of other colors. I appreciate this freedom and spontaneity.

Interestingly a brief examination of the use of liturgical colors throughout church history quickly leads to the conclusion that no pattern of liturgical color is "correct" in and of itself. For over a thousand years the church gave little attention to the use of color. White vestments predominated. It was not until the twelfth century that schemes assiging colors to seasons and festivals began to appear in wealthier cathedrals, abbeys, and churches. We can appreciate our history while striving to continue to worship the Almighty Lord in ways that are most fitting for the moment.

*please forgive me if I've bungled any of the facts about the Catholic church. I would appreciate hearing from you if I need to stand corrected.

Poiema

It wasn't until recently that I started to challenge myself to learn new words and actually try to apply them in speech and writing. I wonder why it took 4+ decades to enjoy this activity? Regardless, I'm pleased to announce that I learned a new word today! I stumbled across an artist who calls her business Poiema. It is pronounced poy'-ay-mah. You probably use this word daily but, because I don't I got caught up in doing a little research.


It turns out that Poiema is a Greek word used in the New Testament for handiwork or work of art. It says that we are God’s creation. It is a referenece to Ephesians 2:10: "We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this." He speaks here of grace, and not of nature: therefore if the works are ever so good, we should see what they are, and know that they are that way because of grace.



How exciting that each person is a beautiful gift. Everyone is welcome and their gifts are encouraged. Every single one of us is a masterpiece. So be it!



*artwork is the Vitruviun Man by Leonardo da Vinci. A little known fact...The Vitruvian Man is actually named for the man who created him, the Roman architect Vitruvius. Vitruvius, a proponent of the Sacred Geometry of Pythagoras, designed temples based on the proportions of the human body, believing them to be perfect. This perfection, wrote Vitruvius, was due to the fact that the extended limbs of a perfectly proportioned human fit into both the circle and the square.