TSOC 121810 RING OUT THE BELLS + RING OF BELLS

TSOC 121810 Ring Out the Bells + Ring of Bells
December 18, 2010
Saturday

“Once again, the story begins
Bringing good news in the night
Ring out the bells Christmastide”
Ring Out the Bells by Peter Mayer

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Just one week from today is Christmas Day! Tomorrow night, Sunday the 19th, our congregation Bethany Lutheran Church www.bethany-denver.org will host Peter Mayer, Maggie Estes and R. Scott Bryan. If you live in the Denver area or have loved ones in the Denver area, you are most welcome to join us. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Doors open at 6:15pm

I always look forward to these encounters since people leave the concert full of joy and hope. When you come to a Peter Mayer concert one catches a glimpse of sacred stars and perennial promises.

Peter sings,
“Once again, the story begins
Bringing good news in the night
Ring out the bells Christmastide”

The ring of bells on the front door was designed by Delia Stewart. She is bringing about 35 of her angels to grace the windows and stage of the concert area on Sunday night. She likes to call her creations, “heavenly metal.” As you can see Harmony the angel is already dressed up and ready to go. I love her angels made out of “junk” because she sees beauty in the rusted, busted, twisted and broken. Delia knows that her art is a reflection of God’s marvelous design in transforming we humans who get “rusted”, busted, twisted and broken. It’s all about being “redeemed, recycled and repurposed” to be angels for God.

The “story of Christmas” is told in many ways. The picture right above this paragraph is from a copy of Luther’s New Testament published in 1525. I snapped the photo last February at the newly renovated Victoria and Albert Museum in London. One of Luther’s many gifts was his ability to bring it to the people. He was fond of asking the question “what does this mean?” I like to say that question is similar to “does it play in Peoria?”
In other words, “what Sunday School take-home is there?” The comedy of the gospel is brought home when we realize that the impractical message of God’s holy love is meant to be practiced practically by every boy, every girl, every women and every man so that all might hear the bells of Christmastide and find their way home.

Joyfully,
rtg