The arts committee created an altarpiece and wall hangings for Lent. Look!
Angela talks about the pieces here, on her blog, and has some more photos. It’s a shame that it’s so hard to get good pictures of our altarpieces, because this one is really evocative and affecting. I guess you’ll just have to drop by sometime and see it for yourself. :-)
– Wade
After Morning Prayer at 10, the Ecclesiastical Arts Committee (in cooperation with the Altar Flower Guild) took down the Advent decorations and put up the Christmas ones.
One of my personal Christmas Eve traditions is to read T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Journey of the Magi“. I know that it’s liturgically incorrect - we celebrate that event during Epiphany - but it’s one of my favorite poems, and still sends chills down my spine whenever I encounter it.
“A cold coming we had of it…”
– Wade
As you’ll recall, the last time we undertook to make liturgical art for the season - Advent - the sky dumped tons of snow and ice on us.
So naturally when it came time to make an altarpiece and frontal for Christmas, a windstorm knocked out the power for more than a million Washington residents and flung a tree across the church parking lot.
We persevered, though, starting at 9 and working until daylight ebbed away. That’s doing it old school.
The altarpiece is finished, and Faith is putting the final touches on the frontal right this very second. Check it out on Flickr!
– Wade
The Advent 2006 altar at Redeemer
Originally uploaded by Church of the Redeemer.
After many hours of hard work, some hair-raising adventures, and lots of last minute scrambling, all of the Advent 2006 artwork is in place for tonight’s Lesson and Carols service. The altarpiece and the children’s banner are up. The frontal is draped tastefully over the altar. The paintings for the exhibition are hung. Hooray!
You can see the whole process in our Advent 2006 artwork photoset on Flickr. While you do that, I’m going to go collapse.
- Wade
Join us for a contemplative and joyous service featuring:
Lessons and Carols
Genesis 3:1-15 (Adam and Eve rebel against God and are cast out of the Garden of Eden)
Hymn 60 - Creator of the stars of night
Isaiah 40:1-11 (God comforts his people and calls on them to prepare for redemption)
Comfort ye my people - Georg Frideric Handel
Every valley shall be exalted
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (A new covenant is promised which will be written on our hearts)
Song of Ezekiel - Monte Mason
Isaiah 6:1-11 (God reveals his glory to the prophet and calls him to be his messenger)
Hymn 69 - What is the crying at Jordan?
Isaiah 11:1-9 (The Spirit of the Lord will rest on the Holy One)
The Lord will come and not be slow - Henry G. Ley
Zephaniah 3:14-18 (The Lord will be among us; we are summoned to rejoice and sing)
Hymn 71 - Hark! the glad sound!
Luke 1:5-25 (An angel announces to Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son)
Song of Zechariah - Richard Fabian
Last Saturday, our painting crew took an enormous canvas coated with a base coat of paint and gesso and turned it into a nearly-finished altarpiece. As always, we took a few pictures of the process.
Just one more session to go! The finished piece will go up along with the other artwork at the Advent Lessons and Carols service at 7:30 PM on Saturday, December 2nd.
- Wade
Faith is working on a beautiful altar cloth (called a “frontal”) to be used during this upcoming Advent season. Here’s the design, done in paper:
I also got these pics of the church kids working on the banner that will hang in the church:
Several people took pictures during Saturday’s painting party for the piece that’s going up over the altar. I’ll post those once I get them all assembled.
Speaking of photos, Redeemer has joined a brand new Flickr photo group called The Episcopal Church Welcomes You. (First post! :-)
- Wade
The church kids have started painting the banner that will hang on the wall across from the entrance to the nave. Our information on this top secret project is limited - so far, we’ve only caught a glimpse of a manger. We’re going to try to persuade the Sunday School teachers to take some photos of the work in progress.
Speakling of which, we’ve begun documenting the creation of our Advent altar piece on Flickr. The first painting party was last Saturday, where we set down a base coat of paint and gesso.
The canvas is huge. It’ll be really interesting to see what emerges. It’ll also be really interesting to see how we’re going to get it up the stairs.
Angela’s collage paintings are in Bellingham right now at the VU Gallery. When that show comes down, select pieces will go on display the nave at Redeemer for a special Advent exhibition.
What we’re saying is, the church is going to have a whole new look this season.
- Wade
"We are trying to live out, as best we can, the religion of the heart. You do that with things that aren't very rational, like music, art, prayer, and liturgy - by giving people an opportunity to learn what really matters, which is living in a relationship with God."
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