Category Archives: art

The Refiner’s Fire

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While reflecting on Malachi’s strange metaphor of  the refiner’s fire, Via Lucis’  post “Stillness Crieth Out” (re-posted here last week) re-focused the sermon. Here are the words from Malachi:

“Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way for me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap….” – Malachi 3:1-2.

Thank you, Dennis Aubrey and PJ McKay, for you splendid insights to to these grand Romanesque and Gothic sacred spaces that still bring the soul to stillness and wonder.

Hee-Haw

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“Just put the burro here,” he said,

“She’ll calm the horses of the folks

inside the inn.”  And so they tied

me to the pole above the trough.

…

I was surprised he later led

a man and girl into the stall

and pointing to the straw, he said,

“Sleep here,  this simple space is all

that’s left tonight, and if the child

is born the cries won’t wake the guests.”

… 

He grimaced, but she somehow smiled

and sank down to the ground.  Their rests

did not last long.  Her labor soon

began and then the baby, wrapped

and warm, was laid under the moon

light bright where we, the stock, were trapped

and fed.  I brayed when shepherds dumb

barged in and said a king had come…

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Dec. 11, 2012

The Nativity, Martin Schongauer, c. 1470/1475, National Gallery Collection

The Nativity, Martin Schongauer,
c. 1470/1475, National Gallery of Art Collection

 

Motion Pictures

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Movies, films, the cinema:

Art of, for, and from our time…

Images that change-in-time,

(Move, meld, shock, surprise), that may

Well arouse, inflame, inform

Only the senses– ignore

Mind and reason, logic.  For

Our eyes, ears, alive with time

Live entirely between past,

Future…imagination.

Reason and then reflection

Come only after the rest

Fades.  We are what we recall.

We know more than we can tell.

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, November 26, 2012

An English Friend in Norman Coutances (Dennis Aubrey)

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This lovely post from Via Lucis was almost deleted in the avalanche of campaign soliticitations in this morning’s in-box. Scroll down for the post. It lifted my spirits, prompting the following thank you:

Dennis and PJ, Your post gave me a lift this morning. Such grandeur. I am so weary of campaign television ads, phone calls, and internet solicitations that reduce the human spirit to its smallest proportions. I need the height, the soaring arches, the clean lines – and the reminder that sometimes even barbarity recognizes something else worth preserving. Beautiful shots and great commentary.

An English Friend in Norman Coutances (Dennis Aubrey).

Their post took me to the psalms, and psalm paraphrases set to music. One is Christopher L. Webber’s “I will give thanks with my whole heart,” a paraphrase of Psalm 138 set to the music of Cantionale Germanicum (1628) arranged by J.S. Bach (c. 1708).

All kings on earth who hear Your words,

O Lord, will give you thanks and praise

And tell how great Your glory is,

And they will sing of all Your ways.

…

The Lord is high, yet scornes the proud,

Protects the lowly on their path;

Although I walk in trouble, Lord,

You keep me safe from my foe’s wrath.

…

Lord, Your right hand shall save my life

And make Your purpose for me sure;

Do not forsake what You have made;

Your love forever will endure.

– Third, fourth and fifth stanzas

Spirit Tree, Urbana, IL (a Tree City)

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…with thanks to John David Mooney

Falling Leaf

It’s best to see at dawn or dusk.

Pines and firs and spruces guard

the tiny park.  The walk of brick

(light and dark) leads to the sound

of falling water.  Then the lights

(L-E-D) that shift and change

from orange to blue lift eyes and hearts,

joining high above a branch,

(no, two or three or four) that point

up and up and up.  The sound behind

Spirit Tree

of running water pulls our sight

from the tree to leaf.  We find

the silver kissing leaves that drip

drops into the pool:  breathe…feel…

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, Oct. 29, 2012

Color and Saint Austremoine (PJ McKey)

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Via Lucis often makes my day. Today was one of them. Click and enjoy.

Color and Saint Austremoine (PJ McKey).

Marriage and Old Love

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Minnesotans will vote in November whether to amend the MN State Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. This beautiful video of “old love” features couples in long relationships here in Minnesota. The music and the pictures speak for themselves. Some of the faces are from a congregation I once served. Enjoy.

The Line

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In the Company of Hysterical Women from New Zealand published “Live below the Line: Day One” this morning as we in Minnesota, USA are launching a press release to announce  the screening of a film on the new face of poverty in America. Click HERE to read In the Company of Hysterical Women’s post.

Here is today’s press release for “The LINE: Poverty in America. It’s not what you think”:

CHASKA, Minn., Sept. 24, 2012 – The new face of poverty in America is the subject of a new documentary film called The Line. The public is invited to a free screening of the movie at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minn. on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. CST in conjunction with the premiere in Washington D.C. and sites all over the United States.

Logo for “The Line”

The Line is a groundbreaking documentary from Sojourners, a national Christian, non-partisan organization committed to faith in action for social justice, and Emmy Award-winning producer Linda Midgett. It features real people, their struggles, and their inspiring and creative responses to the challenges they face. The goal of the film is to break through traditional political divides, foster honest dialogue, and refocus our society on the common good.

Shepherd of the Hill Pastor Gordon C. Stewart will host a discussion immediately following the 40-minute film as part of First Tuesday Dialogues, a community forum held at the church from October through May each year that examines critical public issues locally and globally.

“Poverty is a faith issue. When I learned about the film I thought we should show that here. It fits our First Tuesday Dialogues program mission,” said Pastor Stewart. “What is more critical than poverty? The middle class has been slipping for a long time now. The problems are structural. Hand outs – traditional Christian charity – don’t address the deeper problem.”

Working through Sojourners magazine, Sojourners’ website sojo.net, public speaking events, media outreach, educational resources, books, advocacy, and trainings, Sojourners is an internationally influential voice at the intersection of faith, politics, and culture.

Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church is located at 145 Engler Blvd. in Chaska, Minn. 55318.  www.shepherdofthehillchurch.com

Poverty in America

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YOU’RE INVITED!

A new film, The LINE – Poverty in America: It’s Not What You Think premieres Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in Washington, D.C. and across the country at host sites.

The LINE documents the stories of people across the country living at or below the poverty line. They have goals. They have children. They work hard. They are people like you and me. From Chicago’s suburbs and west side to the Gulf Coast to North Carolina, millions of Americans are struggling every day to make it above The Line.

Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church is pleased to be one of the host sites to this film the attention it deserves.
Click this LINK to trailer for “The Line” to see Sojourners’ description, view the trailer, and find a host site near you on October 2.
If you live the Twin Cities metro area, you’ll be welcome at Shepherd of the Hill, 145 Engler Blvd. in Chaska.
TUESDAY, OCT. 2 at  7:00 P.M.  Send an email to info@shepherdofthehillchurch.com with questions or to let us know you’re coming. Or come on the spur of the moment…and spread the word to your friends across the country for a location near them.

Oblivious Dreaming

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Little 6’8″ Steve on his motorcycle with Studebaker Hawk behind

Honda Dream CB 150 Hawk

…

The motorcycle was too small for me,

but was what I could buy with part-time work.

Not loud and rough like the big bikes Harley-

Davidson made, the slim Honda Dream Hawk

would start not with a kick, but with the push

of a button…  Quiet, purring, and clean–

liked even by my mother–I would ride

130 miles to college, then

come  home the next weekend to see my bride-

to-be.  

         The bike was under-powered, meant

for in-town rides, so on the roads I’d draft

behind a semi-truck to reach a speed

of 65.  The truckers hated that

I stuck so close behind out of their sight,

but I, oblivious, dreamed on my steed…

– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, host of “Keepin’ the Faith” on Illinois Public Radio WILL at the University of Illinois.

Now he spends his time on the prairie looking for a draft of wind to fly his kite.

Steve waiting for a truck?