Arts and Ideas

Today, Luke catches up with me in age. I am three months older, and we like to make a thing of it in the months between our birthdays. Well... I like to make a thing of it. But, today is Luke's birthday and now we are the same age again. Happy birthday!

To celebrate, we went to the Claudel & Rodin sculpture exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts. We had quite a crew - Luke's parents, my mom, and Luke's brother and our nephew and brother's girlfriend, who are all here from New York. It was crowded at the museum, but we still had a good time. Art runs in Luke's family - his grandfather and an uncle are architects, his mom does a lot of painting, and his brother is a painter and a sculpter. They're good people to go to art exhibits with, and we had a great time. Plus, afterwards, there was ice cream cake. So all in all it was a good deal.

Tomorrow, a good handful of different people will be gathering at our house for a musical project. Some of you may remember that the camp Luke and I grew up at was closed recently. During our years there, some of our friends wrote songs that we sang at camp. Luke came up with the idea of making a CD of this music. So - he has gathered a good group of musicians to come over, and we'll see what we can do with four or five guitars, a tambourine, a drum, lots of voices, a couple of microphones and a Mac with GarageBand installed. Wish us luck!

The Friday/Monday/Tuesday Five

I've been away for a long time. I decided to take an Advent sabbatical from writing this page, and then I decided that it was silly to break my sabbatical to post and say I was doing that. Frog threatened to post and say that I had been watching Celebrity Poker instead of writing, which wouldn't be entirely wrong. Silly TV - it just sucks me in. But now I'm back, and now you know where I was.And I'm catching up on my RevGals memes - but only yesterday's version.

1. What is the best gift you received this year? (Tangible gifts only, please!)

Hmmm. I got nice things from my mom - sweaters and cds and a cookbook I've wanted. I think my favorite of these was really for Luke - but cds are for both of us, right? Anyway, my mom got him/us three Tom Lehrer cds. He is a very very funny man.

2. What is the best gift you gave this year?
Luke and I are excited about what we got for his dad - but he doesn't have it yet so I'm not telling.(He is sick and didn't join us for dinner on Christmas. Very sad, but we will see him Thursday.) I also gave the music minister at our church a copy of A Song To Sing, A Life To Live - and I think he really liked it.

3. When did you do most of your shopping/creating?
Thursday. And a little on Saturday. Oh, and we aren't done yet actually.

4. Did you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving (U.S.)? Today?
Yep. To both. Well, I haven't gone yet today, but Luke is doing some of our Christmas shopping today, so that sort of counts.

5. What stands out already about Christmas 2005?
This was my first Christmas as a priest. So far, there is no better time to be able to preach and celebrate, even though I missed my home parish very much.

Because it inspired my Christmas Day sermon

It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on earth, good will to men,
from heaven's gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay
to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come
with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats
o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o'er its Babel-sounds
the blessed angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the heavenly hymn have rolled
two thousand years of wrong;
and warring humankind hears not
the tidings which they bring;
O hush the noise and cease your strife
and hear the angels sing!

O ye, beneath life's crushing load
whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way
with painful steps and slow;
look now, for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing.

For lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when the new heaven and earth shall own
the Prince of Peace their King,
and all the world send back the song
which now the angels sing.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace...

Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching
over silent flocks by night
behold throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light. Refrain

The shepherds feared and trembled,
when lo! above the earth,
rang out the angels chorus
that hailed the Savior's birth. Refrain

Down in a lowly manger
the humble Christ was born
and God sent us salvation
that blessèd Christmas morn. Refrain


Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

A stable lamp is lighted,
whose glow shall wake the sky
The stars shall bend their voices,
and every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
And straw like gold will shine
A barn shall harbor heaven,
A stall become a shrine

This child through David's city
shall ride in triumph by
The palm shall strew its branches
and every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
Though heavy, dull, and dumb
And lie within the roadway
To pave his kingdom come

Yet he shall be forsaken
And yielded up to die
The sky shall grown and darken
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men
God's blood upon the spearhead
God's love refused again

But now, as at the ending
The low is lifted high
The stars shall bend their voices
and every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
In praises of the Child
By whose descent among us
The worlds are reconciled

- words by Richard Wilbur
-tune I like by Ana Hernandez