Love

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dream

 

 

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

The Angel Visiting Joseph in a Dream

LA TOUR, Georges du Mesnil de

1628-1645

Musee des Beaux-Arts

Nantes

France

 

Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year A:  This image depicts the theophany of Joseph, when an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, telling him of the virgin birth.  The image reflects the lectionary text from Matthew.

 

http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20161213584014892&code=act&RC=46742&Row=20

 

 

Georges De La Tour painted ‘The Dream of St Joseph’ around the year 1640. Until 1913, it was believed to be the work of Rembrandt, even though De La Tour‘s signature was in the top right-hand corner of the painting. Apparently, due to the beauty and magnificence of the painting; many sought a famous name to place on it. It displays a young child in biblical clothing standing before an old man who is still holding on to his book after falling asleep. The artist’s dramatic use of lighting gives the room a supernatural atmosphere and creates a feeling of serenity.

Interpretations of the Painting

The most common interpretation of ‘The Dream of St Joseph’ suggests that the elderly man in the painting is Joseph, and that he is dreaming of a visit from an angel who is announcing to him the upcoming arrival of his blessed son. 

Another theory is that the young child is Samuel, who has been summoned by Eli, his priest. When Samuel arrives to find Eli sleeping, he realizes that the voice he heard was in fact the voice of God calling to him. The child’s hand gestures and the intricately detailed curve of his fingers add powerful meaning to the scene. The arm covering the flame of the candle causes an illumination of the face that results in a dream-like aura found in very few masterpieces of the era. 

Analysis and Reviews

“Georges de la Tour's works can be distinguished most especially through the unique use of lighting in his nocturnal scenes. The paintings are lit with a candle, a nightlight, or a torch, which are sometimes visible or are, at other times, hidden behind a subject's hand or object. As for his less numerous and less popular daylight scenes, the figures are rendered with an acute eye to detail and a simplicity within the scene that is not found in the works of any other artist at the time.” (Misty Amanda Vandergriff – Sweet Briar College study page)

‘The Dream of St Joseph’ is currently located at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Nantes, France.

http://www.aaronartprints.org/delatour-thedreamofstjoseph.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening,

we will be judged on love.

~ St. John of the Cross

 

 

 

 

 

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength,

and whosoever loves much performs much,

and can accomplish much,

and what is done in love is done well.

~ Vincent Van Gogh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sculpture Evergreen

Monday, December 13, 2016

Christmas Party

Karen (golfing buddy) and James Hume hosted the party in their lovely home.

 

 

Beautifully decorated home!

 

 

Anna Marie Nelson, President of Sculpture Evergreen (golfing buddy), 

with Martha Zavodsky.

 

 

We celebrated Joan Evashevski’s birthday at Willow Creek on Tuesday evening.

 

 

Center for the Arts Board Holiday Party

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Becky Guy and her husband with their son, Atticus.

 

 

Atticus loved to dance!

 

 

Dine Around Holiday Party

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Don and Marty Unger were our hosts in their beautifully decorated home.

 

 

Annette Bradley, Carolyn Alexander, Jeff Brekke, Gretchen MacArthur

 

 

At our Rotary Club meeting Friday morning, we were treated to carols

by 15 members of the Evergreen Chorale.

 

 

Drive-Through Nativity

Church of the Hills Presbyterian

Evergreen, Colorado

Saturday, December 17, 2016

The subzero temperature was —6 degrees!

 

 

My shutter kept freezing and I had to keep putting the camera

inside my jacket.

 

 

We even had camels, sheep, goats, burros, and more!

 

 

Then it was off to a lovely party.

 

 

The Vickstrom’s home

 

 

Mark and Anne Vickstrom

 

 

Carolyn with Philip Yancey and another guest.

Philip is a popular Christian writer and has authored many books.

 

 

 

 

 

  

The more one judges,

the less one loves.

~ Honore de Balzac

 

 

 

 

 

December 18, 2016   Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

 

 

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:1-7

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

comic

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

 

Image may contain: cloud, sky, outdoor, text and nature

~ Richard Rohr quote on a photo by Mark Vickstrom

(Thank you, Mark!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25