The Scene is Set

Shepherds wait with their flocks at night.















Joseph leads Mary, riding a donkey, to Bethlehem to be registered for the census.

The Journey Continues

This week depicts the Annunciation and the Magnificat.

"You shall bear a son and call him Jesus"

                          "Here am I, the Lord's servant"

The Journey That Is Advent

 For the first week of Advent, beginning December 2, these scenes and meditation appeared in the niches.

If, as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things;

if we consider ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with action,

when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the desert as did the Magi?

Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds?

Or brood over the coming of the child as did Mary?

For each of us, there is a desert to travel.

A star to discover.

And a being within ourselves to bring to life.

A Wondrous Catch

He said to them,

"Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some."

So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

 

This installation illustrates the “marvelous draught of fish” – a story that happens twice in the ministry of Jesus.

      On the earlier occasion, we read in Luke 5:1 – 11 that Jesus gets into the boat of some fishermen and teaches the crowd from the boat. He then instructs the fishermen to let down their nets for a catch. Simon Peter answers that they have been fishing all night without catching any fish. “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” They then catch so many fish that their nets begin to break. Jesus tells James, John, and Simon Peter that they will now be catching people, not fish. When they bring their boats to shore, they leave everything to follow Jesus.

      The second telling of this miracle, in John 21:1 – 8, seems to recall the first catch. In this telling, Jesus has been resurrected. He stands on the beach before his disciples, but they do not recognize him. Again, they have been fishing unsuccessfully and Jesus instructs them to cast from the other side of the boat. They obey and catch so many fish that they can not haul the net back in. And now they recognize their Lord. 

Perhaps this is Jesus’ way of reaffirming their original call. After his death, the disciples have been lost and aimless without the guidance of their Lord. Could  this second occurrence of a miraculous catch be intended to remind and redirect them back to the business of catching people?

Stones of Salvation

"Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"

 

  This installation suggests the setting of the scene from John 8:1 – 11.

This scripture passage says that Jesus is teaching the people when the scribes and Pharisees bring forth a woman they say was caught in the act of adultery. They cite the law of Moses commanding that she be stoned. They test Jesus by asking “what do you say?” Jesus bends down and writes with his finger on the ground. He stands up and pronounces “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." He then bends back down and continues to write on the ground. When the message finally resonates with the crowd, they go away, one by one. Jesus straightens back up and addresses the woman. “Has no one condemned you? … Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on do not sin again.”

Many lessons can be taken from this narrative. Note how Jesus separates himself from the mob by bending down, joining with the woman in her vulnerability. He brings a calming influence by pausing before responding to their question. However, by refusing to command that she be stoned, Jesus is not implying that no one has the moral authority to condemn. There is no false optimism that we can do as we please because God will always forgive us. Jesus condemns the sin when he tells the woman “do not sin again”. The message of the gospel is deeper than just avoiding a life of sin, however. Through the grace of Christ, we have a new quality of life that overcomes the power of sin. Jesus calls us to new life.

Peter is Redeemed

Once again, APC members share their artistic talents and faithful visions. Please take a moment to pause at the niches in the narthex to view Sam Elkind's photography and Mary Busman's water color painting.

The Rooster  

            by Mary Busman

            The Silver Dorking rooster represented in the painting is an ancient breed believed to have existed during the time of Julius Caesar. Sources reveal that the Romans introduced them as they colonized territories conquered by their legions. The proud, haughty appearance of the rooster may have reminded the subject people of the Roman soldiers.

            Early Christians upon viewing the birds might have shared this viewpoint, but also would have been reminded of Simon Peter’s denial of his Lord.  Before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times (NRSV John 13:38).

            Present day Christians are not so different from the early believers. We too, associate a rooster and its crowing, with denial. Aware of our human frailty, we share much with Peter. It is with gratitude that we continue reading in John and hear Jesus say to the Disciples, Do not let your heart be troubled, Believe in God, believe also in me (NRSV John 14:1).            

            Each morning, about an hour before sunrise, the Silver Dorking rooster heralds the arrival of dawn. Boldly it announces a new day, serving as a call to confession for Christians and the promise of redemption.

Sheep in Light and Shadow

by Sam Elkind

This image recalls the passage from The Gospel of John, Chapter 21, when the resurrected Jesus reveals himself at breakfast to the disciples on the beach of the Sea of Tiberius.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

As sheep of the Lord, we seek to live in the light, not the shadows.

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Readers of the Gospel of John have wondered why Jesus repeated his question to Peter "do you love me" three times. Commentators have observed that Peter's betrayal happened three times. Perhaps Jesus is offering forgiveness in equal measure, as he reclaims Peter's discipleship.

With the gift of the Spirit, all things are possible.

According to the Day of Pentecost story in Acts 2:1-13, God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower witnesses to the resurrection. On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit descending in a mighty rush of wind and flame to inspire the church’s proclamation of Christ’s rising and to empower its mission and ministry to the world.
The Holy Spirit has often been depicted as a dove, based on the account of the Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus at his baptism. L'Art has added a dove and ribbons to the installations in the niches. The colors evoke the flame, and the manner in which the dove and butterfly figures are suspended allows them to move freely, bringing to mind the manner in which we are all moved by the Spirit.