https://youtu.be/kuacKg_kMxo - 'Silent Night', One Hope Project
https://youtu.be/bunpGJbQoX8 - Hark, Hark, Kate Rusby
Have you thought how our current situation evokes Mary and Joseph's situation? Disruption to plans, everything up in the air, not really knowing what's going to happen, nothing, absolutely nothing going to plan? The hope of a silent night fading as only a manager for a bed could be found! Our own room's empty as family can't visit, silent night is going to take on a very different meaning for many this year.
But that silent night, that holy night is where the glory begins. Out of calamity, out of upset plans, out of no hope, out of dashed dreams, Hope is born to us tonight. Grace is born to us tonight. Love is born to tonight. Luke 2:1-20
However the Christmas season is for you, He is with you throughout it all.
Peace be with you friends, do take care.
Have the merriest Christmas you can. If you want a conversation, leave a reply and I will get back to you. Keeping the lines of communication open is key even more this season.
Blessings <><
Caroline x
PS as an extra and a trip down memory lane, here is last years text for my address at the Mothers Union Christmas meeting, it's on a rather favourite painting of mine....
Piero della Francesco "Nativity"
"...Just for a brief moment God turned up my dimmer switch, the lights came on and my heart glowed. It was an image of the Nativity at the National Gallery in London that did it. A painting that one would easily walk past because to be quite frankly it looked ordinary. It was ordinary, it was beautiful it was if a blinding light had lit me up inside. Well, actually it had. But why?
As a church here at St Peters our mission statement is “God's Love: Know it. Live it. Give it.” and let’s face it, if you have received a special gift you can’t help but share it because you want everyone to share that joy with you. In this case it was WOW Gods’ love is depicted here in an image, and it is radiating love in all the obvious and in all the hidden little treasures that make up the greatest love story of all time; God giving us His Son, Jesus.
Today we see the nativity in multi coloured splendour, lights, sumptuous fabrics, crib scenes set in beautiful churches and our viewpoint of the whole story is basically a bit skewed. This image by Piero della Francesca tells of a nativity of all time and for all; a nativity that we could carry around with us all year nestling within our hearts. In reality you couldn’t carry this painting because it is vast and maybe that’s another point; so big because it’s a glimpse of how huge God’s love is for us.
This image is set within a Tuscan landscape. It is a contemporary image of the late 15th century, it is stylised in clothing that might have been fashionable to that period. In other words it was a nativity for that time and place. And that is what is true for us today, in December 2018. (Even more so in 2020)!
In context, Isaiah 9: 2-7 was set at a time of turbulence and war and discontent and confusion. Israel circa 734-732 BCE was a nation facing onslaught from all sides it had broken covenants, was a world in trouble and was suffering for it. Late 15th century, Tuscany was in pretty much the same situation. As for us…well we can see, we are not completely disassociated from events such as these, we seem also to be a world that has lost its peace.
Depicted in this little image is the manifestation of God incarnate as Jesus the servant king born into humility. This humility is reinforced into us the viewer when we look and try and see and work out what the image is trying to tell us. Jesus is lying on the robes of Mary, she is clothed in blue denoting the realm of heaven and there is a little bit of red which from an art history perspective is associated with the earth; dirt and represents the earthly realm. Mary is therefore associated with both heaven and earth. The red pigment from this is likely to have been burnt umbre or raw sienna literally earth ground and used to create colour. This soil, the humilis the earth beneath our feet and from where we get the word humility, is laid before us in the picture plane. The Christ Child lain on earth but clothed in heavens glory. This is an out of the ordinary narrative set in the ordinary.
You can’t really see them but there are two goldfinches on the left and a magpie on the roof of the stable, the magpie indicating sorrow. Mary is also adorned with pearls which indicate tears, but it is the Goldfinches that are particularly interesting. Goldfinches have a bar of gold feathers down their backs, and at that time gold was associated with healing. A goldfinch was also said to turn away its head from a person who was going to die. This little bird is turning towards the Christ Child; pointing us towards what was to come; Christ’s death on the cross. Our saviour who took all our burdens so we could be forgiven and for us to know we are loved by God. Incidentally Goldfinches like the stories surrounding the Robin have a touch of red in them - the legend goes they have spots of red on their cheeks, blood stains where they had tried to remove the crown of thorns at the crucifixion. Goldfinches are also an allegory to the Resurrection and that is perhaps why the Goldfinch at the top of this section is looking heavenward.
Jesus throughout his life helped us learn and guided us through the telling of parables. We have that legacy documented in our New Testament. The truth the light and the way is the same now as it was then, Jesus is that wonderful counsellor sent to us, a child born into humility and with the simple message God loves us so much that He gave His son to us, to die for us, so we could be forgiven.
This painting set all those hundreds of years ago is as relevant now as it was then. It told of events so out of the ordinary that the only way to depict it was to set it in an ordinary landscape so the viewer recognising the Nativity depiction could place it into a context relevant to them. An image which was something that could be carried within each and everybody’s hearts, rich or poor, contented or lost. A way to share and hold the message of God.
Also within this image is a tired and exhausted Joseph sitting on a saddle, with worn out feet from walking - a reference to the world weary, and the pilgrim and traveller, which some of us can identify with too. We have the story-teller shepherd in the background pointing heavenwards and the obligatory host of singing and praising angels. What you can’t see is in the top right-hand corner is a light that could be a star but one that looks very much like a Cross to me. You have to look, you could miss it, but once you see it, it lights up your darkness because God did so much for me and you. This Advent season carry your nativity for your time, for your place within you.
Peace be with you..."
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