Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 12

Epiphany, Cristobal de Villalpando (1645-1714 - Mexico)

No drummers drumming, birds of any kind, or any dancing or leaping revellers...and the only gold comes not in rings, but from the Magi. It's the Twelfth Day of Christmas!


"Then entered in those Wise Men three, full reverently upon the knee,
And offered there, in his presence, their gold and myrrh and frankincense."

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 11

Adoration of the Magi, Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640.

"Shall we then yield him, in costly devotion,
odors of Edom and offerings divine,
Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine?

"Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
vainly with gifts would his favor secure,
Richer by far is the heart's adoration,
dearer to God are the prayers of the poor."

(from "Brightest and Best," Reginald Heber (alt.)

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 10

Bonaventura Berlinghiero, Madonna and Child, tempera on wood panel, ca. 1230

"Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind,
With Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright,
She bore to us a Savior when half-spent was the night." (from "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming")

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 9

Adoration of the Magi, Vicente Gil, painted 1498-1518


"So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant, king, to own him;
The King of Kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone him."
(From "What Child Is This")

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 8

January 1, 2007 (New Year's Day)

Adoration of Magi, by unknown Chinese artist; period unknown.

At my church this morning, we elected to celebrate Epiphany Sunday. I thought it would be appropriate to share an Adoration of the Magi today. I wish I could find out more about this particular representation, and that it were of better quality.

I have a love-hate relationship with the carol "We Three Kings." First of all, the magi were not kings! Secondly, very few verse-refrain hymns remain interesting by the third or fourth time we sing the refrains. This one is a good example. (We sang it this morning, and sang the refrain only after the first and last verses. We also used a "brisk" rather than "stately" tempo, which helps a great deal.)

What I genuinely like about the carol, however, is what it has to teach us about the nature of the gifts the magi brought to the holy Child. Here are those interior verses:

"Born a king on Bethlehem's plain, gold I bring to crown him again;
King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign.

"Frankincense to offer have I; incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising, worshiping God on high.

"Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, laid in the stone-cold tomb."

This carol is yet another reminder that the Christmas story is not pretty, neat, or sentimental. We Christians celebrate the coming of God, the Sovereign of the Universe, into human history. He was born like any other human being, but into poverty, violence, and political chaos. Christ did not come into the world in order to be a cute little baby we can cuddle for a few days each year, then forget about until it's time for Easter lilies. Mary's infant grew up to set his face toward Jerusalem and the cross that awaited him there. Baby Jesus was born to die. The King of Kings, whose coming was announced by the herald angel, would be mocked as "King of the Jews" just before his execution. And this King, God, and Sacrifice calls us with his eternal "Follow Me."

Am I willing to lay at the cradle of the little King the gold that I would prefer to hoard? The incense of prayer and praise as the God he is, when I find myself yet again on the throne of my own life? The anointing essence of the confession of my sin, that I may be crucified with him so that he lives in me?

Or will I merely sing, bored, about the star with royal beauty bright? Will I miss entirely the Savior to whom that star showed a band of determined Gentile astrologers the way so long ago?

Alleluia! Alleluia! Sounds through the earth and skies--and through me.

Side note:

In reviewing the past week's posts, I was struck by how exclusively Western European the art has been. It's been an education for me to hunt for good art which is in the public domain, in which Nativity themes portray non-European figures. There is a great deal of excellent work being done (and this is also true of North American and European art), but copyright issues make it illegal or unethical for me to post most of them here. In fact, I was careless about this with my post for December 25; I'll be removing the Ina Hecker icon detail in a few minutes and replacing it with something from the public domain.

If anyone reading this would like to suggest good Nativity-theme art for me to consider for the remainder of this series, I'd love to check out any links you may have.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 7

December 31, 2006 (New Year's Eve)

The Nativity, Lorenzo Lotto, 1523

See him at Bethlehem, laid in a manger,
Christ our Redeemer, asleep in the hay;
Godhead incarnate and hope of salvation:
A child with his mother that first Christmas day.
(From "Candlelight Carol," by John Rutter)

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 6

The Nativity, from the Collins Book of Hours, 1430-1440

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Nativity, for me, is that GOD came to be one of us. How could the One who created all that is, trust us enough to become a helpless infant, born at a dangerous time into poverty? I think Christina Rossetti shared this sense of wonderment at how low God stooped at the Incarnation:

"Enough for him, whom cherubim worship night and day,
A breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for him whom angels fall down before,
The ox and ass and cattle which adore."
(from Christina Rossetti, "In the Bleak Midwinter")

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 5

Adoration of the Shepherds (detail), Jacopo Negretti, 1520-1525

The newborn King's first visitors were not "desirables." Considered marginal Jews at best, Jewish shepherds were despised by others. Isn't it interesting that, as in so many future instances, it is the lowly and rejected ones of society who recognized the truth of who Christ was and who told others the good news of his coming? Praise be to God!

See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too would thither bend our joyful footsteps;
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 4

The Nativity, El Greco, 1603-1605

El Greco's style always fascinates me. Just as an early music teacher told me I have "square ears" (meaning he thought my love for eight-bar phrases and conventional cadence harmonies was somewhat dull), I tend to have "square eyes" when it comes to art. Far ahead of his time, El Greco bent and even broke some of the artistic conventions of his day, particularly with his use of color, perspective, and in the poses of his subjects.

In this example, there is much for even my "square eyes" to like. I love the way El Greco has captured the simplicity of Mary and Joseph. Rather than romaticizing them, he shows them as real people. The Child is portrayed similarly. The artist portrays the starkness of the stable; can't you almost smell the ox? Only the pure whiteness of the Infant's blanket gives a sense of the supernatural here. (I especially like that Madonna is clothed in red. It suits her!)

"The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh."

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 3

(Adoration of the Shepherds, Gerard van Honthorst, 1622)


This painting is one of many I like because of its portrayal of light. How fitting that the infant Light of the World should be painted in such a way that he himself provides the light for the stable.

"Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love's pure light! Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace; Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!"

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2

(Poussin, The Nativity, 1650s)


Don't you love the looks of wonder on Mary's and Joseph's faces? It makes me think of Michael Card's song about Joseph, "How Can It Be?":

"Lord, all my life I've been a simple carpenter; how can I raise a King?"

Twelve Days of Christmas: Christmas Day (1)

Icon detail, Mother of God of Vladimir, 12th century

"Did you know...when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God?"

(from Mary, Did You Know?" by Lowry & Greene)

Advent, Week 2: Wednesday

Recommended readings from the second Sunday of Advent (from the Revised Common Lectionary):
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

I'm really glad I waited until tonight to write something. I've just come from our church's youth classroom, which has been taken over by the mission team in preparation for their trip to the Texas-Mexico border and Mexico, which begins Sunday after worship. It's a cross between a food pantry and Santa's workshop! Let me tell you why.

This mission trip is a tradition of our church dating back a number of years. Usually, the various groups of the church contribute items of a utilitarian nature (supplies for a struggling church, canned and staple foods, school supplies, and shoes) and a few "goodies" like hard candies and oranges. In addition, children were encouraged to bring the unopened toys from their fast-food meals throughout the year, as a sacrificial gift. (Though I have no preschool children, I have worked with many of them, and I can appreciate that not opening and playing with these little trinkets takes a real sacrifice for our kids!) On the mission trip, each child recipient would get a small bag filled with school supplies and goodies and one of the drive-through toys, and the mothers would get a few cans of food and some rice and beans. Even for such modest gifts, the recipients were genuinely grateful.

But this year...THIS YEAR! WOW! We began Advent with a church-wide Fiesta in the evening. The tree in Fellowship Hall was decorated with bright paper chains, big tissue paper flowers, and a wild-colored sombrero on top. People have been encouraged since mid-November to bring both the staple goods and children's gifts. Sunday School class parties have had their members bring gifts for Mexico and the Border instead of traditional gift exchanges. The response has been an avalanche of generosity. Every kind of toy imaginable (except super-big ones like bicycles, which wouldn't fit in the trailers and bus) is now in the youth room.

Another cool thing we do each year has also been dedicated for the mission trip this year: "Beary Merry Christmas." People bring teddy bears and other stuffed toys to the sanctuary throughout early Advent. The bears sit in the pews day and night. When services are in progress or when people take some personal time in the sanctuary, you'll find the bears being hugged and prayed for. Though that may sound odd, it's a wonderful thing, because the prayers are actually for the child who will receive that particular bear. In the past, law enforcement and shelters have received them. (Last year, our county sheriff's dept. received nearly 150 stuffed animals to give to children who had to be removed from their homes for various reasons.) But all the bears are going south this year. As always, they represent the love and prayers of a modest north Texas congregation. I'm told that for most of the children, it will be the first stuffed animal they've ever received.

There will be some renovation work for the teams to do on a couple of houses and on a church building that doubles as a community center. Some of the gifts provided are "kitchen shower" gifts for that church's first-ever kitchen.

Finally, for the first time, the team members are going to present a full five-day VBS. One of our bilingual members has translated the materials we've used here and will organize a mixed team of local and mission team teachers and helpers. They expect over 100 children.

Some of our most gifted teachers are going. Our miracle-working handyman is on the team. The flightiest (but most pure-hearted) junior high boy I've ever worked with is going, and he invited his best friend who's going as well. The team members are young and old (including junior high youth and great-grandparents and all ages in-between), male and female, long-time members and new Christians...a real cross-section of our congregation. It hurts me to my core that I can't take the time to go. SOMEday, I will!

The people in South Texas and Mexico who are expecting our church members, are also expecting the kinds of gifts we've given in the past. Are they ever going to be surprised this year! With the full body of Christ here in our little area behind this effort, the Holy Spirit seems to have multiplied our offerings exponentially. And I don't mean only the Christmas gifts.

That's a faint taste of how God intends to bless us, I think. We kinda, sorta know that heaven's going to be way cool. But God KNOWS! Our God is lavish, extravagant, and prodigal (in the actual meaning of that word). Cups are going to run SO over, that there's going to be a gushing wide river of blessing before this world and time itself are no more. We Christians get the foretaste, and we are called to pass this good news along.

As our mission trippers prepare for the mission trip, I'm reminded to keep on preparing my own life to welcome Jesus even more fully.

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11, NRSV)