Hope
Be Alert! Be Wakeful!
[Jesus said:]
"But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and
glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four
winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender
and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see
these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I
tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when
the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home
and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper
to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master
of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at
dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to
you I say to all: Keep awake."
Mark 13:24-37
Last Judgment Triptych: 1467-71
MEMLING, Hans
National Museum
Gdańsk, Poland
The
central panel shows Jesus sitting in judgment on the world, while St Michael the Archangel is
weighing souls and driving the damned towards
Hell. (The sinner in St. Michael's right-hand scale pan is a donor portrait of Tommaso Portinari.) On the left
hand panel, the saved are
being guided into heaven by St Peter and
angels. On the right-hand panel, the damned are being dragged to Hell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Judgment_(Memling)
Interpretation of Last Judgment Triptych
This impressive triptych altarpiece by the German-born
Flemish painter Hans Memling is one of the greatest Renaissance
paintings of 15th century Flanders. A student of Roger van der Weyden, one
of the most influential pioneers of Flemish painting, Memling specialized
in creating harmonious compositions out of numerous figures and carefully
observed details, beautifully enhanced by the three-dimensional modelling of
his forms as well as the hues of his rich Renaissance colour palette.
Painted in his late thirties, only a few years before the sublime Donne
Triptych (1475-80, National Gallery, London) it is Memling's most
monumental work of religious art. One might say that it stands at the
point of transition between Gothic art (like that of Hieronymus
Bosch) and the Florence Renaissance. The work was painted in Bruges then
shipped to Italy. En route, however, it was seized by pirates and carried off
to Poland. It now resides in the Muzeum Narodowe, Gdansk.
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/last-judgment-memling.htm
Last Judgment Triptych (detail) Left Panel
The picture shows a detail of the left wing. Several of
the male redeemed souls have clearly personalised features, suggesting that
acquaintances of the donor had their portraits included.
http://hoocher.com/Hans_Memling/Hans_Memling.htm
We are faithful disciples not
when we focus on the future and
obsess about the end of the
world but when we commit our lives, here and now,
to the great work of God,
repairing this world, shaping a new creation
of beauty, grace, justice,
and joy, leaning into the reign of God.
~ Kathryn Matthews Huey
To announce, however, that the Liberator is
sitting among the poor
and that the wounds are signs of hope and that
today is the day of liberation,
is a step few can take.
But this is exactly the announcement of the
wounded healer:
“The master is coming - not tomorrow, but
today, not next year, but this year,
not after all our misery is passed, but in the
middle of it,
not in another place but right here where we
are standing.”
~ Henri J. M. Nouwen
On my way home on Monday, I spotted his young elk with a
defective antler,
possibly from a fight injury when he was younger.
His right antler sticks straight out in front of him.
The only way he can eat is to kneel down.
We have a mountain lion in the neighborhood.
I should think this elk would be terribly vulnerable.
Mimi Nelson spearheaded our First Annual Rotary Thanksgiving
Luncheon on
Tuesday at Church of the Hills.
Twenty-five Rotarians helped to prepare and serve a free
Thanksgiving meal
to between 90 and 100 seniors from our community.
(Most of us who cooked and/or served are also seniors; our
younger
members were all working at their places of employment.)
Mimi gave everyone instructions on exactly how each food item
was to be placed on the plates.
Holly Brekke serving hors d’oeuvres.
Linda and Sam Smith serving a guest.
We intentionally had a wide range of guests … from those who
live in subsidized housing
to those who live in lovely homes on Upper Bear Creek.
Above is a veteran of WWII; he was in the 10th Mountain Division
and once spoke to our Rotary Club.
These men were VERY appreciative!
Rev.
Jim Reid, our Interim Pastor, joined us for lunch.
The woman on the right won the bouquet at her table.
We were entertained by Caroline and Elizabeth Vickstrom,
and their dad, Mark Vickstrom.
Thanksgiving, 2014
The table was ready for our small gathering.
Vicki Hall
Sue Wolff and JAK in the background
Mary Carlson and her doggie, UE, relieved me for bell-ringing
this afternoon.
It was a warm but very windy day to ring the
bell.
Let us be alert then,
and wakeful,
and be sure not to miss the
signs, or the promise,
or the hope we have been
given.
~ Kathryn Matthews Huey
November 30, 2014 First
Sunday of Advent
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the
permission of www.agnusday.org
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37