I have been enjoying the Christmas decorations at the Cathedral. Louis Bower Bannister, member of the congregation and visionary behind Cathedral in Bloom, strung evergreens as they appear in nature—with spiny fingers of varying color and texture pointing in all directions. You still have this weekend to see them—they will begin to come down on Monday, the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the Magi’s visit to Jesus.
The wildness of the decoration aligns with the Cathedral’s carvings of leaves and tendrils in stone. It feels right to me that the artists of the past who created our interior have their work shown with nature shaped by Louis, one of our artists of the present. The evergreens speak theological truth to me like the words of a sermon unfurling into the space.
When we strip ornamentation from the holiday, this is what we are left with—that, like evergreens, the birth of the Christ was humble, unremarkable as well as profound. Plants, animals, and the birth of a child are things that return us to our true selves.
Life mirrors life. That we respond to nature as if it orders us reveals the careful hand that placed us here. God’s life in the flesh in the life of Jesus directs us to ponder the Spirit’s role in our own lives.
The ancient Greeks spoke of order as the word, or logos. This is what the Gospel of John associates with Christ in its prologue, loved by many for its sheer poetry. “In the beginning was the Word……..”
I think preachers must prepare for Christmas as if it is their annual shot at defining logos—what it is really matters. On Christmas, the Dean began by speaking about the chaos that was in the beginning. Give it a listen.
His most recent sermon is a sequel in which he looks deeper into logos. “Is there a word, is there a principle?” he asks. “Or is it just sound and fury signifying nothing?” Give that one a listen too if you can.
In Christ, the light that enlightens all people is come into the world. In Cathedral Arts programs, under this light we look deeper into what calls us—art, poetry and other creative work—and find ourselves. Please check out our calendar for upcoming programs and join us sometime.
And may you find new order—inner peace—in the new year.