liturgy

Kirsten wrote about the beauty of ordinary life. This is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. In any story, the resolve we seek is not the high emotions of the climax. It is the (sometimes assumed) ordinary days. In them lies the happily-ever-after.

In the liturgical calendar, we have two periods of ordinary days. The first follows Epiphany, and the second period occurs after Pentecost. After the high emotions of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, after the extreme sorrow and celebration of Lent, Passion Week, Easter, and, finally, Pentecost, we have ordinary days. In these days, we live most of our Christmas life. 

Paul tells us to rejoice in everything and to be content. This joy and contentment occurs in our beautiful ordinary, as Kirsten calls it.

Here's why I've been noodling on this lately: world-wide, nationally, and personally, uncertainties threaten our joy and contentment. My response--escape. I want to sail away (I'll give you a moment to finish the Styx chorus). I want to bury my toes in the sand of a white beach and my thoughts in a book.

But we can't live in the escape. We live in between the anticipation and hope of our Savior's return and the joys of our ordinary lives. To the rhythm of our rosary beads click-clacking between our fingers, we run errands and wash dishes and change sheets. We care for the widow and orphan. We dance to a favorite song. We sip our wine and chew our bread. We work, bringing good to the earth through our businesses. These are the sacraments of our ordinary days, bringing grace and beauty in ordinary elements.

"Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

- from The Book of Common Prayer, 

My favorite season is Advent. All the anticipation and waiting. The preparations. Lighting a new candle each Sunday, then, on Christmas Eve, passing the fire from candle to candle.

When I came home from New Jersey, I found a treat in my mailbox (the good kind; not the kind from the neighborhood kids)--a copy of the Mosaic Bible.

The Mosaic Bible uses the New Living Translation. At the beginning of each book, the editors give a short paragraph summary of the content of the book, an outline, the author, the date, a one-sentence purpose statement, and the themes. 

But my favorite part of the Mosaic Bible, and the reason I craved it, is the readings and art for the liturgical calendar, beginning with Advent and going through Pentecost. Each week contains suggested Scripture readings, meditations in poetry/hymn form, selections from theologians across centuries and continents, and art.

From the editor's statement about this project: "The purpose of this Bible is to provide a way to encounter Christ on every continent and in every century of Christian history. Why? Because when this happens, God's profound and often unexpected work on behalf of his children becomes clear in new and exciting ways. It is important to see that the body of Christ is much bigger than the small piece we each experience in our everyday lives."

Mosaic draws together my favorite things: artistic expressions of God's word, history, cultural richness, and the rhythm of the liturgical calendar. I can't wait to begin using the readings this Sunday.

Because the readings can be broken up throughout the week, this is the ideal way for families to introduce their children to theologians and artists.

I highly recommend Mosaic, but you need to hurry and get yours. Advent begins this Sunday!

A Disciplined Disciple Artist from Diary of an Arts Pastor--the "Christian artist" v. the "Disciple Artist." Good thoughts here about spiritual formation and art, living wholistically, and the daily rhythm and vision that keeps us from burn-out. Some quotes:

"A disciple artist is fundamentally a disciplined artist, and such an artist is integrated and fully alive."

Back to my thoughts on the Transforming Culture symposium...