See Majella Taylor's Annunciation...

Mary:
in blue headdress, representing divinity

in white top, purity

A rope-like belt around her waist...
does it anchor her into her reality
or is it almost an umbilicus into the border,
a permanent link to God.

An orange-brown skirt shows humanity? the flames of the Spirit?

The central figure represents both angel and Spirit, perhaps
Angel gently greeting
Spirit flames coming upon her, hovering over her.

Central image represents God,
Mary breaks the symmetry, leaning into God.
A willingness to be involved.
God has made room for Mary.

Mary's foot is well-anchored into her humanity,
tucked into the green earth.

There is a sense in which her skirt mirrors the flames of the Spirit.

The light at the top is perhaps an illusion to the star.
Symbolising that this is where the action is
Watch this space.
Almost dove-like in shape ... "This is my Son..."

And from this central tableau, rays radiate out into the world, like the sun.
Shedding light and hope and peace beyond Godself.

Reflective poem by Cheryl Lawrie,
Since the beginning of time
throughout all of history
and across all the earth
people have been waiting for the birth of a saviour.
We do not wait alone.

And in this time of Advent,
we join our voices with those throughout history
who have spoken of a different kind of world
and a different kind of saviour –
the prophets the wise ones the peace-makers.
Wait with them.

–
Imagine what the prophets’ words might be
to the extraordinary world that surrounds us today
this world that breathes both chaos and beauty
despair and delight
poverty and peace,
A world that, with every heartbeat,
is evidence of love’s resilience and fragility
Imagine how they would rewrite the headlines
just like Mary did once before…
… God has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
God has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty…

One day, God says.
Just wait…
–Still your heartbeat for a moment.
Find the place within you
where you can escape from the shopping lists
from the diaries, queues and expectations
from time that won’t stand still
from tensions that won’t be resolved
find the place where God’s hope can hold hands with your stress
and wait…

When the Christ Child was born,
the story tells us nothing was ready for him
no cradle
no pram
no freshly painted nursery
no 000 sized clothing (in both pink and blue, just in case)
just some cloth to wrap him in.

...In spite of all that will go wrong
in spite of the frustration and stress
in spite of the mess of the world and our lives
in spite of there being nowhere for him to fit
the Christ Child will be born.

Just wait.

This piece of art is by Ben Bell, from London.

Ben is a photographer.
His aim as an artist is in using
“using everyday experience to help us remember and reflect”

And so this art image is an everyday image from his urban life.
An everyday image for us,
we all pause as pedestrians, waiting at lights.

This piece of art invites us to consider our experience of waiting;
How do we feel when we wait at lights?
What makes it hard for us to wait?
What are the forces that push us, not to wait, but to hurry across?
How do we feel about those who don’t wait?

And so with these everyday experiences, we approach Advent.

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival."
The focus of the entire season is the celebration
of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent,
and the anticipation
of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.

In this double focus on past and future,
Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation.
It is celebrating a truth about God,
the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God.
That is a process in which we now participate.

We affirm that Christ has come,
that He is present in the world today,
and that He will come again in power.
That acknowledgment provides a basis for a Kingdom lifestyle.

We are called to be faithful stewards "between the times."
We confess with "all creation that we are groaning awaiting its redemption,"
and our responsibility to "love the Lord our God with all our heart"
and to "love your neighbor as ourself."
Advent invites us to wait for the coming of Jesus;

And so, using Ben’s art, we ask ourselves the same questions

How do we feel as we wait for Jesus?
What makes it hard for us to wait for Jesus?
What are the forces that push us, not to wait, but to hurry across?
How do we feel about those who don’t wait?

Waiting

We look at Ben Bell's Advent image and see an everyday waiting.

more to come....

Welcome back!
We are glad to continue to bring you resources on your journey towards Christmas.

Watch this space for art, reflections and rituals to help you as you take time to prepare spiritually this Advent season.

We are on a journey towards Easter.

Resources here

Here are some thoughts via Steve Taylor on Advent 4 and the painting Halt of the wise men, by John La Farge.

John La Farge was born in 1835 in New York. He grew up to become a painter, a writer, a lawyer and most famously, a stained glass window artist.

He painted and decorated in some of the most famous churches and buildings in the USA, including Trinity Church, Boston, the altarpience for the Church of the Ascension in New York, Harvard University and the Supreme Court building at Baltimore.

A feature of La Farge’s stained glass artistry was his use of colour. He explored new ways to harmonise and intensify colour. Rather than use separate panels of distinct stained glass, La Farge found ways to blend and harmonise, to make light look more natural, more pure and more intense.

Halt of the Wise men is a painting. But look at the light.

Start with the intensity and purity of light in the top left.

Now look at the other source of light, the light that shines from the leading men in the middle foreground.

Now consider Christ as the light of the world. Christ as the light in the top left, intense and pure and full of harmony.

Christ as the light of the world that shines. That shine on, and shines from, the men in the middle.

As I look at light in this painting, I find myself asking;
In what ways is the light of Christ, full and intense and harmonious and pure, shining on me?
Shining from me?

And where there is light, there’s also dark.
Look closely at the darkness in the middle of the painting. There are figures of people on horseback.
Very shadowy and very faint. Figures of people leaving the journey on horse back.

Which makes me wonder, What could distract me from my journey toward God?

La Farge was hugely influenced by Oriental culture. He also traveled and painted throughout the South Pacific.

His South Pacific painting was characterized by the ability to paint people honestly, as they were, with real human sympathy.

And here in front of us we have the wise men from the East. From the Orient.
Painted by a man with an ability to paint people honestly, with real human sympathy.

Which makes wonder about these wise men as people. What motivated them to follow a star? What family did they leave behind? What did they think and talk about as they traveled?

Halt of the Wise men. Where am I on my journey with God? What is motivating me? What is distracting me? How is the light of Christ shining from me?

Advent 4 brings this image, The Halt of the Wise Men, painted in 1878-9 by John La Farge.

The light from the star is shining brightly - no wonder they noticed it!