November 5, 2011 · 3:47 pm

Advent Lesson Two: The Gift of Time

Detail of  “Advent and the Triumph of Christ,” a painting by Hans Memling,  A.D. 1480, which depicts the Life of Christ and the journey through the Church Year,

from Advent to Christmas, from Lent to Easter and Pentecost.

Dear Class,

Welcome to Advent Lesson Two!

Advent Lessons are for anyone who truly desires to “reclaim Advent.”  The lessons are on-line and there is no fee or tuition!  I ask only that you read all the entries, in sequential order.

In Advent Lesson One, we learned that the purpose of the Church Calendar is for God’s people to collectively rehearse and reenact the Grand Drama of Redemption.  Today I will provide some practical tips to assist you, in preparing for the Season of Advent.

Please get out a sheet of three-ring college-ruled paper.  Grab a ruler and a black Sharpie pen.  Draw a “box,” to highlight the margins of the sheet, left, right, top, and bottom.  Inside the box, write the words: “The Gift of the Season of Advent.”     Label the margins,  “Everything Else.”  Post this sheet on your refrigerator or bulletin board.

You have just taken the first step in “reclaiming Advent.”  To properly approach the Season of Advent, we must first view it as a gift which we receive:  It is a treasure, so cherish it, anticipate it, and be thankful!

Please do not view the Season of Advent as yet another “thing” to add to your already-full schedule.  This is the year to receive the gift so — prepare to open a window or door to a  means of grace!

Are you ready for that “breath of fresh air?”  OK, from the list below, add the following dates onto your personal or family calendar:  The Season of Advent, the Season of Christmas, and the Season of Epiphany:  Those are the first three “Acts” in the our corporate reenactment of the Grand Drama of Redemption.  [I have included the entire Church Year, so that you can see it in context.]

I imagine that some of you dear friends are hesitant to continue with the Advent Lessons:  “I just do not have time; maybe next year,” I can hear you saying.  Hmmm . . . may I remind you of the Mystery of Faith?

“Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.”

The Mystery of Faith is the irreducible minimum of what Christians believe, of what we corporately believe.  Implied in the Mystery of Faith is the historical fact that Christ has come!  God with us, Emmanuel, the Incarnate God, the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Savior,  the Deliverer has invaded both time and space!

The Mystery of Faith:  Christ has done all of this for us and yet we “just do not have the time” to observe the Season of Advent?

“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”  [Romans 8.32, NEV]

All time rightfully belongs to the Triune God.  It is one of the “good things” that He graciously gives to us.  This year, receive the gift of time.  Receive the gift of grace.

Coram Deo,

Margot

The Church Year 2012

These are the major dates of the Christian Church Year for 2011 – 2012, beginning with Advent in 2011.

The Season of Advent (November 27- December 24, 2011)

First Sunday of Advent: November 27, 2011
Second Sunday of Advent: December 4
Third Sunday of Advent: December 11
Fourth Sunday of Advent: December 18

The Season of Christmas (December 25, 2011 – January 5, 2012)

Christmas Day: December 25, 2011
First Sunday of Christmas: December 25, 2011
Second Sunday of Christmas: January 1, 2012

The Season of Epiphany (January 6 – February 21, 2012)

Epiphany: January 6
Baptism of Our Lord: January 8
Transfiguration (Last Sunday in Epiphany): February 19

The Season of Lent (February 25 – April 11, 2012)

Ash Wednesday: February 22
First Sunday in Lent: February 26

Holy Week  (April 1 – April 7 [8], 2012, including Palm/Passion Sunday)

Palm/Passion Sunday: April 1
Maundy Thursday: April 5
Good Friday: April 6
Holy Saturday: April 7

The Season of Easter (April 8 – May 27, 2012, including Pentecost)

Easter Sunday: April 8
Ascension: May 17
Pentecost: May 27

Ordinary Time/Season After Pentecost (May 28 -December 1, 2012)

Trinity Sunday: June 3 (some traditions include with Pentecost)
All Saints Day: November 1
Christ the King: November 25

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November 3, 2011 · 8:29 pm

Advent Lesson One: The Language of Time

This painting, by Hans Memling in A.D. 1480,  depicts the Life of Christ and depicts the journey through the Church Year, from Advent to Christmas, from Lent to Easter and Pentecost.

The Good News tells how, for the world’s Redemption,

God entered into history:

The Eternal came into time,

The Kingdom of Heaven invaded the realm of earth,

in the great events of the

Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection

of Jesus, the Christ.

~~~F. F. Bruce

The Language of Time:

“The calendar is the foundation of most of Christian worship . . . There is no better place to begin our investigation of the basic structures of Christian worship than with an introduction to the way Christians use time as a language through which to express their worship . . . 

 

History is where God is made known.  Without time, there is no knowledge of the Christian God.  For it is through actual events in historical time that this God is revealed.  God chooses to make his divine nature and will known through events that take place within the same calendar that measures the daily lives of ordinary women and men. 

 

Christianity talks not of salvation in general but of salvation accomplished by specific actions of God at definite times and places.  It speaks of climactic events and a finale to time.

 

In Christianity, the ultimate meanings of life are not revealed by universal and timeless statements but by concrete acts of God.  In the fullness of time, God invades human history, assumes our flesh, and heals, teaches, and eats with sinners.  There are specific temporal and spatial settings to it all . . .

 

And when his work is done, Jesus is put to death on a specific day, related to the Passover festival of that particular year, and rises on the third day.  It is all part of the same time we inhabit — time that is measured by spatial device, the calendar . . .

 

The centrality of time in Christianity is reflected in Christian worship.  This worship, like the rest of life, is structured on recurring rhythms of the week, the day, and the year.  In addition, there is a lifelong cycle.  Far from trying to escape time, Christian worship uses time as one of its essential structures.  Our present time is used to place us in contact with God’s acts in time past and future.  Salvation, as we experience it in worship, is a reality based on temporal events through which God is given to us.

 

The use of time enables Christians to commemorate and experience again those very acts on which salvation is grounded . . . Christianity builds on the natural human sense of time as a conveyor of meaning by fluently speaking the language of time in its worship.”

~~~Excerpts are from the book, Introduction to Christian Worship, Third Edition, James F. White, Abingdon Press, 2000.

Margot’s Commentary:

Therefore, we, as the Body of Christ, might envision ourselves as “historical re-enactors,” as we observe the Church Calendar Year [see Color Wheel below.]  Each year is an opportunity for us to corporately rehearse the mighty acts of the Triune God and to collectively re-enact the events of our salvation history.  These historical events are linked together seamlessly into the Grand Drama of Redemption, in the same way that Shakespeare composes a play with a specific number of “Acts.”  The Church Calendar Year is a visual encapsulation of the Drama of Redemption:  it is the Language of Time.

The Church Year begins with the observation of Advent, the First Coming of Christ.


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November 1, 2011 · 2:59 pm

The Abolition of Tears



The Feast of All Saints – All Saints’ Day – 2011

Dear Faithful Family & Friends,

Today we remember all who have died.  We especially remember all who have died during the past year.  I am praying today for all those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.  May the Holy Trinity comfort them in their affliction.  To those who sorrow, I offer this brief meditation:

Coram Deo,

Margot

The Abolition of Tears

 Revelations 21.1-4 [NASB]:

 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

 And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

 And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

 Reflection:

 As I compose this, I await the birth of my granddaughter.  As the “Doula,” I will offer my daughter every comfort, as she endures the suffering of labor.  Finally, her tears of pain will cease, as she witnesses the birth of a new life.

This pattern echoes that in the above passage, which focuses upon the Final Act of the Drama of Redemption.

“He will swallow up death forever.  The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.” [Isaiah 15.6-8]  At the end of the age, the Risen Christ will appear upon the earth but He will not literally “wipe away every tear,” as with a soft handkerchief.  Rather, He will dramatically enforce a radical and permanent solution to the problem of pain and suffering:

At his Second Coming, the Lion of Judah, the Warrior God, the Refiner’s Fire will wield His mighty instruments of Justice, Judgment, and the Sword of His Word.  The Victor, the Conqueror, the Vanquisher will obliterate every result of the Fall and He will terminate every evil, until He defeats the final enemy, Death.

Our Victorious Redeemer, the Author and Finisher, the Alpha and Omega will stand upon the earth.  We will kneel, bow, and worship Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  We will witness both the Death of the Old Order, with its grief and sorrow, and the Birth of the New Order, offering eternal life and joy.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.” [Isaiah 65.17]  Christ will reconcile the two worlds — the two spheres – and we will live forever in His presence!

And, finally, there will be no tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Written by Margot Blair Payne, All Saints’ Day 2011]

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October 27, 2011 · 10:38 am

Welcome to Advent Lessons & Carols!

Dear Family & Friends,

“Advent” is the season of preparation before Christmas; “Lessons” are Scripture Readings and “Carols” are Songs.  Together, “Lessons and Carols” comprise a beautiful liturgical Worship Service.  I will explain more about that history later.

Today, I am announcing the beginning of my “Advent Lessons,”  in which I will provide ON-LINE lessons in the  Art of the Reclamation of Advent.  

My qualifications:  I have successfully reclaimed the Advent Season, for six years.

Proviso:  This Series is not for everyone!  It is intended only for those who sincerely want to Recover, Reclaim, and Revision the Advent Season.

We will begin lessons next week:

~Sign up for class by “Commenting” on this entry.

~Bring a pencil/pen and college-ruled three-ring paper.  That is your first assignment.

Coram Deo,

Margot

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October 22, 2011 · 7:16 pm

Lucy’s Birth Day

Dear Family & Friends,

Lucy Elanor Stewart arrived this on the morning of 10.22.11, Saturday, at about 5.00 am.  She weighed 6 pounds & 14 ounces and was 19.9 inches long.  She has a headful of very dark brown hair and steel-gray-slate-blue eyes.  The pediatrician declares her to be perfectly healthy.

Haley endured intermittent labor, at home, for about 24 hours, with strong, erratic contractions.  She and Daniel arrived at hospital  at 2.00 am and the midwife arrived about 3.30 am.  “Doula Marmee” arrived about 4.15 am and had merely unpacked her comfort aids before Haley had four strong contractions, in quick succession.

Suddenly, Haley experienced the overwhelming urge to push and the baby’s head crowned.  Daniel and I were the only ones in the room at the very moment, although the nurse and midwife were nearby.  Daniel was preparing to catch the baby, when the nurse and midwife came running into the room.  Within a matter of seconds, Lucy’s head emerged, and she slithered out, in one swift movement.  It quite made my head swim.

The first sound that Lucy heard, besides our voices, was a recording of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.  What a glorious morning!

Haley is doing very well and both mother and baby will go home on Monday.

Here is Benjamin with his new little sister:

Thanks for your prayers!

Coram Deo,

Margot

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October 19, 2011 · 3:24 pm

Marmee and “Mr. Manners”

Dear Faithful Family & Friends,

While we continue to await the birth of Lucy Elanor, I will share another story about my grandson, Benjamin, if you will humor me.  By the way, did you notice that I wrote, in my previous update:  “the birth of our first granddaughter?”  I was, perhaps, inspired by “Marmee” of “Little Women” and her four daughters . . . .

While we wait, Marmee has been enforcing good manners in her home.  It began innocently enough:  I told Benjamain [2 & 1/2  years old] that, when I was growing up, my father did not allow any of his children to say, “I do not like this!” when considering a home-made offering at the dining table.  Our father taught us what his father taught him:  “If your mother made it, it is good!  Now, be quiet and be thankful!”   My father and mother raised four children on one modest income and my mother was the Queen of Casseroles, Soups, and Stews.  As for me, I had a healthy appetite and never met a food I did not like.

Anyway, I offered choices to Benjamin, suggesting “Thank you but I do not care for this”  or “I do not prefer this but I thank you” or “Thank you but I am not hungry at this moment.”

Benjamin caught on quite rapidly to the language of polite nonconformity.  Soon, he developed the art of defying instructions with exquisitely good manners, as he charmingly refused to pick up toys, take his bath, and settle down for a nap.

I realized, too late, that I had perhaps gone too far in my Etiquette Lessons, when Benjamin’s father, Daniel, related to me this recent conversation:

Benjamin:  “I would like to watch another ‘Construction Site’ DVD.”

Daniel: “No, you have watched enough DVDs.  You may play with your toys or we can read a book together.”

Benjamin:  “Thank you for your offer . . . but I would prefer to watch another Construction Site DVD.”

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October 13, 2011 · 2:54 pm

Waiting for Lucy Elanor

Dear Faithful Family & Friends,

Today is the original due date for our first granddaughter, Lucy Elanor Stewart.  Yes, that is spelt exactly as Tolkein spells it, in “The Fellowship of the Rings.”  I am reading that work of literature for the first time and a few days ago I came across the word, elanor, the name of a flower.  Evidently, Elanor is also the name of the daughter of two Hobbits but I have not yet reached that part.

The days have gone swiftly by because our grandson, Benjamin, 2 & 1/2, has stayed with us for several days.  He was exposed to a virus and, in order to protect Haley and Lucy, we quarantined him until he developed and recovered from the virus.  While he was here, he amused me by some of the funny things he said.  Thank you for humoring me, by reading this, while I rest and recover from several days of Marmee Duty.

I took him to the John Deere Tractor Store and he saw all kinds of new and old tractors and attachments.  He saw the service men test-driving them, hauling them in, hauling them out, and repairing them.  They invited Benjamin to climb into the seat and “steer.”  He has told me this before but, after this “field trip,” with new admiration, he said, “Marmee really knows what little boys like!”  

Afterwards, he agreed that  “Looking at tractors makes a little guy really hungry!”  So, I told him we would go to Captain Pete’s Greek Restaurant and get a GYRO.  When we arrived, he walked in and said, “I want an ARROW.”

On another day, I came downstairs, after my morning shower and shampoo.  Benjamin said: “Marmee, your hair is kind of crazy but I love you, anyway!”  [Everyone in my family:  Stephen, Garrett, Haley, Daniel, and Benjamin has straight hair and I alone have curly/wavy hair.]

We have been watching the musical DVD, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Sunrise, Sunset” has become one of his favorite lullabies.  He also enjoys “Matchmaker” and says, “When those girls sing about matches, they are not singing about making puzzles or fires.”

I told him a true story of his visit to Beech Mountain, NC, at our Summer Reunion, when he was only 18 months old.  I should mention that the three Blair sisters, Susan, Margot, and Amy, look very similar, each with short, curly/wavy hair and each wears glasses.  Before the trip, I rehearsed with Benjamin the names of the three sisters, using a photograph.

Here is the story that I told him:

“When you arrived at Beech Mountain, Aunt Susan was already there and she came out to greet you.  

We said, ‘Benjamin, who is this?’

And you said, ‘Aunt Susan.’  

We said, ‘Very good!  That is correct!’

Then, Aunt Amy arrived and came to greet you.

We said, ‘Benjamin, who is this?’

You said, ‘Aunt Susan.’

We said, ‘No, but that is close.’

An hour later,  Aunt Amy came into the room, and we said, ‘Benjamin, who is this?’

And you said, ‘That is Close!'”

When I told Benjamin that story, he immediately caught the humor, guffawed, and asked me to repeat it four times.  Then, he rehearsed it as he went down for a nap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope to have news soon of the birth of Lucy so keep checking!  And please pray for an uncomplicated labor and delivery and for safety, protection, and health for both Haley and Lucy.  Haley will be in a hospital setting and will have a midwife, Daniel, and a doula [me] assisting her.

Coram Deo,

Margot

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September 28, 2011 · 4:37 pm

“We’re All Just Guys,” by Frank Deford

Written by Frank Deford and read by the author, on NPR, September 28, 2011:

As best as I know, I own the distinction of being the first human being to call our national attention to a linguistic phenomenon.

This was back in 1972, in an article in Sports Illustrated about Robyn Smith, who was then the best female jockey in the land. Smith referred to married couples as “you guys.” I was so bemused that someone might actually refer to a woman as a guy that I felt obliged to mention it in the piece.

So, that was 39 years ago. But now, my friends, guy has just taken over. There are no men and women left, no males or females, let alone ladies and gentlemen or boys and girls. It’s just guys. Even down South, “y’all” is being replaced by “you guys.” Recently, even the president ended his press conference, saying “thank you, guys.”

How did females become guys? How did everyone become guys? Remember, too, that a male guy was something of a scoundrel. And a wise guy was a fresh kid, a whippersnapper. In its most other famous evocation, men in Brooklyn said “youse guys.” Damon Runyon referred to hustlers, gamblers and other nefarious types as guys.

Now every mother’s son is a guy and every mother’s daughter, too. If they wrote the musical now, it wouldn’t be called Guys and Dolls –– just Guys and Guys.

What accounts for the guy-ification of America? Maybe it has to do with the fact that men had to stop calling grown women “girls.” Gals kind of went out, too, so there wasn’t anything else available. In sports, for a long time, even after it was gauche for anyone else to call adult females “girls,” female athletes still referred to each other as “girls,” but that just won’t do anymore.

Now, the only place where we allow females to remain forever young is where love is involved: girlfriends and (with males, too), boyfriends. We’ll have reached the nadir when it’s just guyfriends and guyfriends.

Now that guy has been appropriated by women, men have started to use “dude” a lot more, but that remains mostly in he singular, as a form of address, like “sir” used to be. Like someone will say, “Yo, dude, who are the guys on your team?” Still, nobody addresses anybody as guy. We’ll say, “Dude, you’re a good guy,” but nobody says, “Guy, you’re a good dude.”

Understand, I have nothing against women becoming guys, too. I’m just tired of everything being guy-ish. Now we’re all just … guys. All guys are created equal. God is a guy now. Your father is just another guy. So is your mother. Guys, start your engines. Happy Valentines, my guy. A pretty guy is like a melody. We’re all the same guys under the skin.

Yo, dude, let’s stop guying.

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September 13, 2011 · 11:06 am

An Invitation!

Dear Tallahassee Friends,

Stephen & I have secured two extra seats at a banquet for this Thursday evening.  The speaker will be Eric Metaxas, the author of the books featured above. The first two persons to reply to this blog update or to my FaceBook status update will be the winners of those seats!  However, act quickly!  Bonus: You get to sit at the same table with us!  If you are NOT the lucky winner/s, you can still attend!  There is no charge for the banquet but you must RSVP ASAP!

Here are the details:

“You are cordially invited to attend

A Woman’s Pregnancy Center Celebration of Life Benefit Banquet

As Our Guest

Thursday, September 15, 2011 at the University Center Club

Seating and Registration Begin at 6.00 PM

Dinner and Program 6.30-8.30 PM

There will be an opportunity to give during the banquet.

RSVP 850.297.1174 or awpc@awpc.cc

Sincerely,

Stephen & Margot Payne

 

 

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September 10, 2011 · 7:04 pm

Where Beauty and Grace Reside

One of the things I appreciate most about having adult children is the opportunity to learn from them, especially about thoughtful books and films.  A few years ago, our son, Garrett, introduced us to the sleeper film, The Painted Veil.  Ironically, only a few days later, our daughter, Haley, telephoned me from Texas and said, “You and Dad have to see this film!”  

During September, our wedding anniversary month, I think about weighty quotes, on the nature of love and marriage, that are substantial enough to ponder and to share with you, my Faithful Readers.  While re-watching The Painted Veil, I found them.

The Painted Veil film is based upon the same-titled novel, by W. Somerset Maugham [pronounced, “Mom”], English dramatist & novelist (1874 – 1965).  The title, in turn, is based upon the Sonnet, Lift Not the Painted Veil, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792-1822.

Here is the sonnet, since it is very short:

Lift Not the Painted Veil

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Lift not the painted veil which those who live
Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there,
And it but mimic all we would believe
With colours idly spread,—behind, lurk Fear
And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave
Their shadows, o’er the chasm, sightless and drear.
I knew one who had lifted it—he sought,
For his lost heart was tender, things to love,
But found them not, alas! nor was there aught
The world contains, the which he could approve.
Through the unheeding many he did move,
A splendour among shadows, a bright blot
Upon this gloomy scene, a Spirit that strove
For truth, and like the Preacher found it not.

Here is a very brief summary of the book:  The Painted Veil, W. Somerset Maugham, 1925:

“A quiet, uncluttered, straightforward book in its rendition of the pitfalls of adultery. When Walter Fane discovers his wife Kitty’s involvement with another man, Charles, he takes her to Mei-tan-fu, a far off place in China during a cholera epidemic. Kitty, brought up never wanting, raised to marry well, shallow and ignorant of sacrifice and devotion discovers what and how it is to be compassionate as she faces unimaginable poverty, hardship and death in this ‘painted veil called life.’ ” [From A Thousand Books and Quotes, a blog]

I hope the following quotes [from the book] will encourage you to read the book and watch the film, in whichever order you prefer.  As for me, I watched the film first and  I read the book later and, as I recall, the two were slightly different.  Watch the film because it is visually  stunning.  Read the book because the language is masterful.

Proviso:  The film is achingly beautiful but it is intense.

The Painted Veil may challenge your assumptions about the nature of love and marriage.  It will certainly provide “food and drink” for hours of rich conversation with one, two, three, or more persons.

I would love to read your thoughts on the book and/or film.  Submit a Reply to me and we can converse!

Quotes from the book:

‘One cannot find peace in work or in pleasure, in the world or in a convent, but only in one’s soul.’

‘Remember that it is nothing to do your duty, that is demanded of you and is no more meritorious than to wash your hands when they are dirty; the only thing that counts is the love of duty; when love and duty are one, then grace is in you and you will enjoy a happiness which passes all understanding.’

‘Beauty is also a gift of God, one of the most rare and precious, and we should be thankful if we are happy enough to possess it and thankful if we are not, that others possess it for our pleasure.’

‘I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.’

‘Each member of the orchestra plays his own little instrument, and what do you think he knows of the complicated harmonies which unroll themselves on the indifferent air? He is concerned only with his small share. But he knows that the symphony is lovely, and though there’s none to hear it, it is lovely still, and he is content to play his part.’

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