Still the Light Grows...

The Nativity, Gwen Raverat, 1916

I gathered the candy and the graham crackers from our local neighborhood corner store. My son whipped up a batch of frosting for the gingerbread houses, and when the kids finally sat down to do our annual gingerbread creations, I told them the good news of great joy that I would clean the kitchen and they didn’t have to do dinner dishes that night! I happily went into the kitchen to do the mighty work of putting the kitchen back in order for another day. Little did I know what was happening in the other room…

I overheard words here and there, and giggles of course, but when I came out to check on the kids, I had seemed to forget that their current year’s studies in Humanities might highly influence their creativity. No, there were no graham cracker cottages with lightly placed frosting in the form of icicles and carefully crafted rooftops with patterns of colored candy lights. No gummy bear to greet pilgrim gummy bears on their way to the Candycane Forest. No, this year, my kids were creating World War 2 battle scenes.

Gummy bears were stationed on battlements, others were galvanized for winter fighting amidst the powder sugar snow, and toothpicks were thrust through gummy bear soldiers. Thankfully, I did not have any red food coloring on hand!

The traveling is done, the presents have been opened, the food feasted upon. And, on the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me our 18th wedding anniversary! Today, we celebrate New Year’s Eve and the conclusion of a very full and good year. My heart is full, snow is dusting the hills to the west, and we will eat steak and gnocchi tonight. As we are still in Christmastide, I want to share with you one of the most beautiful art pieces for Christmas that I have ever seen. This is our Christmastide art I will put up every year, henceforth, as we celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.

As the pages of this year close, as the light continues to grow in the darkness of winter’s beginnings, and as a new year unfolds with beautiful possibilities, may your hope be in Jesus, your anchor in His Word, and your peace be secure as you rest in union with Christ. And may you remember, no matter what this year holds, that still the light grows…

Thanks for reading!

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Sight and Sound: Art For Advent

Mary and Eve, Sister Grace Remington, 2005

This weekend, a gift arrived in the mail from a dear older friend. I was speechless with delightful surprise, wonder, and reverence. Handcrafted in Arizona, my friend created a beautiful wooden nativity scene in a crescent moon. It now sits on our mantlepiece in our “bear den” family room where we most frequently gather, and where our church’s mom ministry gathers once a month, and where piano students sit to wait for their lesson turn. I want this art piece to bless all who enter our home. This piece of art was lovingly crafted by my dear friend, Martha, a true artisan, and a woman after God’s heart, as she took material from His creation, wood from a tree, and fashioned it into something very beautiful with skill and precision.

Nativity, by Martha Copeland, wood engraving

Art is a gift that evokes deep emotional responses and can reach into a person’s heart and mind to add understanding and draw out wonder. I have been curating art lately and let me tell you what I’ve found!

First, how is your Advent going? Although Advent is a time in the church calendar that signifies a theme of waiting, for our family, it has been a very full season. As the children get older, and taller (our 3rd child just passed me in height), we have more activities, fuller schedules, studying for final exams, school projects to complete, “ugly christmas sweaters” to pull out of the closet, christmas parties to attend, secret Santa gifts to purchase for classmates, music recitals, concerts and advent parties to attend. Our Advent is full and bustling as we are hustling. It hasn’t been very quiet or still! However, I’ve been taking a few extra naps, taking quiet moments as they come, however brief, and evening coffee has been a more frequent treat as we gather together with cozy blankets in the den after the early setting sun has disappeared behind Mt Adams.

One thing that I’ve been focusing on this year is gathering a couple of art pieces for our den. One is an Advent piece titled, “Mary and Eve” drawn by Sister Grace Remington, crayon and pencil, 2005. In an interview with Plough Magazine, Sister Grace explains deeper layers of meaning in her art piece:

“One of the things I was pondering as I drew this picture was the question of why Eve said “no” to God and Mary said “yes.” I started to think about how Eve had no idea what it would mean to live in a fallen world, to be separated from God. Whatever purity of soul Mary had, Eve had in her creation too. And yet, whatever innocence Mary had, she was not spared the experience of living in a fallen world. First-century Palestine was no Garden of Eden. I wondered whether Mary was able to give her yes precisely because she knew the pain of life. She knew how desperately we needed God. Her eyes were open. This was part of what I see as her compassion for Eve in this picture. She is not standing with folded hands on a pedestal above Eve: she is standing with Eve, touching Eve, seeing her deeply. She knows the gift she is carrying is for Eve as much as it is for herself. She doesn’t need Eve to get herself together, or to even drop the apple before inviting her in. I also hope the picture communicates the way Christ is present in our encounters even when we cannot see Him. The picture is of Mary and Eve, but Jesus is there too. He is, in fact, at the very center.” https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/holidays/christmas-readings/mary-consoles-eve

This first time I encountered this artwork was likely in Advent of 2009, in our little town of Bellingham where we lived and served a church for three and a half years. This beautiful art piece was on the cover of the bulletin. It struck me with meaning as the image plunged itself into my heart and spoke to me in a language of symbols, divine kindness, and consolation. Just like the gift from my friend this weekend, this art piece delighted me with surprise at such an image, wonder at Mary reaching out with consolation to let Eve know that her promised Redeemer has come, and reverence for this is a sacred moment on which all of history pivots. The Kingdom of God has come, the King has arrived.

As I vascillated back and forth on which art print I would order, I finally decided on this one. It is interwoven into our story with meaning and memory. And so, every year from here on, as December rolls around, we will bring it out as a part of living out the church year in our home.

As my sense of sight has been delighted by art and beauty of the season, so too, my ears have been hearing good news of great joy through song. Here are some beautiful ones:

Wendell Kimbrough, Advent

In the Bleak Midwinter, John Van Deusen

Brightest and Best, The Gettys & Ricky Skaggs

Sarah Sparks, Advent Pt. One - 400 Years

Elizabeth, Keith & Kristyn Getty & Ellie Holcomb

May your heart be nestled this Advent in the reality of God with us, God with you.

This photo was taken on our hike through the forest to chop down this year’s Christmas tree!