Advent Vespers

It's the First Sunday of Advent once again, that season that has changed--liturgically speaking--from the days when I was a kid. In those days, the color was purple; the mood was penitential; there were no flowers; we did not sing "alleluia." It was, in effect, a mini-Lent.

That has changed since Vatican II. Advent is now a time of hope and anticipation. The color is blue. Our look is to the return of our Lord at the end of time. And, if we happen to make it to December 24/25, we'll again celebrate the anniversary of our Lord's first coming in the flesh at Bethlehem.

Advent has changed a great deal for me since we arrived in Chicago in 1976. Sometime in the early 80s, I happened to see an announcement for Advent Vespers at the Cathedral of the Holy Name (aka "Holy Name Cathedral") at State and Superior Streets in Chicago. What caught my eye was the fact that Vespers was to be sung with the use of Gregorian chant. That intrigued my wife and me. Though we attended on a Sunday late afternoon in 1983 (probably for the first time; it's the earliest service folder I have in my file), we didn't start participating in Advent Vespers until about 1990.

Since that time, Advent Vespers has become a "must" part of our Advent devotional life. With the exception of Choir anthems, there is little difference in the service from year to year. We know our parts pretty much by heart. But, it's the quiet time we spend at prayer, in the surroundings of a magnificent cathedral, that becomes a refuge from the busyness of the world's preparations for "their" celebration of Christmass.

And so, this afternoon at 3:30 we were in our "usual" pew in the cathedral for the half-hour organ concert that precedes Vespers. Then, shortly after 4 pm, we heard the handbell announce the tone for the solo voice to sing the O Antiphon for Advent I, O Sapientia... "O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reach from one end of the earth to another; mightily and sweetly ordering all things: come and teach us the way of prudence."

And then the Gallican Chant, "Alleluia! I look from afar. I see the power of God coming and a cloud covering the whole earth. Alleluia"

Once more, I am taken beyond myself into the awesome presence of the One on whom we wait, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

A wonderful evening at prayer. If you're in the Chicago area, you might want to come and see and share in the wonderful opportunity. Each Advent Sunday ... Organ concert at 3:30 ... Advent Vespers at 4:00.

Easter Eggs

This morning I carried out a "ritual" that I started about five years ago when my granddaughter had just turned three. I had bought empty plastic Easter eggs which I intended to fill with things that a three-year old could eat: marshmallows, Fruit Loops, etc. On my way home from Easter Vigil that Saturday night, I stopped at the local Jewel to get my "supplies."

The next morning, before leaving for worship, I hid the eggs in obvious places in our condo. When my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter came over for Easter dinner later that day, Sophia found all the eggs and had a great time opening them and discovering what "goodies" Grandpa had put in them.

Five years later, Sophia has a four-year-old brother who also gets involved in the Easter egg hunt. And, we've grown from just a dozen or so eggs to many, many more. To solve the problem of one kid getting more than another, Grandpa has decided that each child gets three different colors of eggs. That way, they can pick up as many as they find, but at the end of the "hunt," eggs are divided by color; each kid gets exactly the same.

The eggs are all filled--with mini-marshmallows, fruit snacks, goldfish crackers, little boxes of raisins, jelly beans, Fruit Loops, and some other "goodies." I won't hide them until tomorrow morning. It's great fun and definitely "grandpa's thing."

There are special surprises in six of the eggs: grandpa empties out the loose change bucket in his office and put that change in six of the eggs.

I hope I'm able to carry on this tradition for a good many years to come.

The Baptism of our Lord

Early in my retirement, my wife and I were privileged to receive an invitation from the Bishop of the Protestant Christian Church of Bali to serve one of its English-speaking congregations on that Indonesian island. For three months, we lived among the Balinese people near Kuta Beach (on the Indian Ocean) and served the congregation in Nusa Dua.

For three months we experienced a very different culture from our own. We learned of the openness and gentleness of the people of Bali, particularly the Hindu population (which predominates in Bali).

One of the remarkable people we met was a Balinese man by the name of Ketut Lasia. Ketut had grown up in a Hindu family who, by his own admission, were simple rice-farmers. Ketut wanted no part of farming; he wanted to be a painter. At age 18 he moved from his family and moved to the home of a painter in his village. From him, Ketut learned how to do Balinese paintings. He also "eavesdropped" on conversations that occurred between his Hindu teacher and friends of his teacher (who were also Christians). The conversations did not begin to make sense to Ketut until years later when he met a Dutch pastor who began to plant the seed of the gospel in Ketut.

In 1967 Ketut heard for the first time God's call to him. Another year of conversations resulted in Ketut's request for baptism in 1968, a decision which resulted in Ketut's complete isolation from his family and friends. Ketut now considered how he might honor God and proclaim the gospel. He was led to the decision to use his artistic ability to paint individual scenes from the gospel accounts, and to do so in a Balinese context, as though Jesus had lived and taught in Bali. In this way, painting became Ketut's means for telling of Jesus and proclaiming the Good News.

During our stay in Bali, my wife and I were able to visit Ketut in his home in Denpasar. His "studio" was located in his home, and there he had displayed the many paintings he had done that told the story of many aspects of Jesus' life. Particularly impressive to us were his paintings of Jesus' birth, baptism by John, last supper and crucifixion. With Ketut's permission, I took digital photos of his paintings.

On the Eve of the Baptism of our Lord, it seemed a good time to share Ketut's Balinese rendition of Jesus' baptism. I hope his rendition provides you with new insights into the Biblical account of Jesus' baptism.