It’s the card gallery that’s updated, so I guess that’s not as exciting as it could be, but hey– I’m a pregnant mother of a toddler– do I have time to make much other than cards these days?  ;)  Actually I do have a few other pieces that I really should update, but that involves bugging my husband, and I don’t like to bug him too much.  Kelly needs to learn how to use computers more efficiently.

Anyway, here are the links to the most recent cards:

• A Baptism card with a shell bead and Holy Spirit charm
• A card suitable for a first communion or confirmation.  This one uses lots of gold Dresdens, as well as that nice flocked patterned paper, and a gold-printed vellum insert.  Super-fancy.
• “Gloria” Christmas card.  This uses a similar sort of flocked patterned paper as the above card, but different color and pattern.
• Exodus 15:2 card
• “Door” card with Jesus and children.  The window was created with a painted chipboard “window” frame.  The card opens up so you see the full picture of Jesus with the children on the inside of the card, along with a printed verse (1 John 3:1).
• Velvet, felt, and crocheted flower Luther Rose card.  The only thing I sewed on the card was the cross on the felt heart, which I think was a dollar store acquisition.  The red and blue backgrounds are ritzy Velvet Paper.
• “Shepherd” 1
• “Shepherd” 2
• “Shepherd” 3.  These shepherd cards were specially made for a woman in Holland, MB who apparently likes to give her priest “Good Shepherd”-themed stuff.  I think she also purchased that first Baptism card I posted here.

Eric from On the Wittenberg Trail has been writing a series of good posts that deal with issues relating to the vocation of the Christian in the arts.  Here’s an excerpt from some comments he has on Michael Horton’s book, Putting Amazing Back Into Grace.

Dr. Horton then addresses the subject of Christian vocation more specifically. He writes: “Each Christian, whatever his or her calling, serves God, and that person’s calling… is a ministry to the community on God’s behalf“ (emphasis added). He then addresses artistic vocations, concluding with these thoughts. “Painting, singing, playing an instrument, composing, writing, directing, acting, sculpting — these activities are callings which require no evangelistic justification“(emphasis added).

It is all too easy to see that doctors and nurses, firemen and policemen, even sanitation workers and milkmaids (one of Martin Luther’s favorite examples) minister to the community on God’s behalf — not by “evangelizing their workplaces,” but by simply serving others in their secular roles. We have more trouble with this concept when the vocation is artistic. Perhaps this is due to the fact that we recognize art as a medium for communication, and if what the artist communicates is not “explicitly Christian,” what good is his work for the kingdom of God? Yet, according to Dr. Horton, the effect of the Reformation was precisely the opposite. At a time when artists relied almost exclusively on ecclesiastical commissions for their daily bread, the Reformation invited artists to give expression to more universal themes and ideals.

Christians sometimes seem to be averse in principle to entertainment, and the arts can have a diversionary quality. We sometimes feel guilty spending time and money for no other purpose than to share a laugh with friends or a roomful of movie-watchers or enjoy a ball game. There are certainly times when an artist does nothing but entertain, and that does not mean he has failed in his vocation — on the contrary, in doing so he he has fulfilled it.

If the person called to a secular (non-ecclesiastical) vocation must do his work in a manner that is somehow “explicitly Christian” in order to bring glory to God in his work, then the Reformation doctrine of Christian vocation is dead. If we affirm this truth, but then make exceptions for authors, painters, musicians, and movie producers (among others), then we are all still slaves to what the Reformers called “monkery.”

In another post, Another note on SAICFF, Eric talks about Christians making films and trying to find their “evangelistic justification” for their films’ existence by taking a political issue and twisting it into a theological one.  As he rightly observes:  “This is not merely a good way to make bad movies.  It is a boring way to present perverse theology.”  Read the whole thing!

So remember, folks:  This blog may deal with liturgical and ecclesiastical arts in specific, which has a particular function in the life of the church– but let it never be said that a Christian must deal in “preachy” art only, especially for the sake of attempting to justify their vocation!

What makes this silver pendant particularly interesting is that it’s not labeled as a Luther rose pendant, but as a “stylized Tudor rose” with an added heart/cross.  The pendant is described on the site both in terms of the Tudor rose and the Sacred Heart emblem, so I just left a little message to the site saying that to me, it seems most obvious to describe it in terms of a Luther rose.  ;o)  Anyway, it’s sterling silver, made in Thailand, and very pretty.  If it wasn’t intended to be a Luther rose, it certainly is an amazing coincidence that it turned out as one.  :o)

Silver Crow has a wide variety of stuff, ranging from Dia de los Muertos products and shrine supplies (which they’re probably best known for) to vintage emphemera and craft scraps, to pagan accoutrements.  So finding what looks like a Luther rose there was quite surprising.

 *NOTE*… a lot of these links won’t work anymore, but you can find the same papers by going to the main site and searching that way.

This neat paper has a lot of “church words” on it that relate mostly to Sunday School students.  Some cute little pictures, too. 

“Good Shepherd” paper.  Someone out there read my mind when I said that more stained-glass-looking paper would be excellent!

“Songs of Praise” paper.  You’ll be happy to note that visually, this paper does not automatically associate “praise” and “rejoicing” with Top 40 light pop.

“The Lord’s Prayer” paper.  Great stuff.

A gray-tone 1 Corinthians 13:13 paper.

“Keeping the Faith” paper.

“Scripture notes” paper, with a variety of verses on it.

This paper has small crosses and a nice border.

The label on this paper mentions baptism, but the paper itself doesn’t mention it, and seems to be geared more towards baby dedications.  Of course, a baptized child has also been dedicated to God (literally), but there might be potential for confusion there.  Otherwise, very pretty paper, which could probably be used at least in part, seeing as the paper has lots of other acceptable expressions on it.

Guardian angels paper.  So-so.

Moving along to a different product line, this paper has the “pure in heart” beatitude on it with the word “Love” at the top.

This paper has the “Train a child in the way he should go” verse from Proverbs on it.

This just says “Wonderfully Made” with a little plant in the corner; very elegant and simple.

“Grace & peace be yours” with a leaf print on the left side.

“Rooted and established in love” with roses.

Pink, with “She speaks with wisdom” verse from Proverbs.

“Wisdom verses” from Proverbs on green paper.

Christmas paper with Isaiah 9:6.

Christmas paper with Luke 2:10-11.

And a different product line again… this is baby girl paper with a variety of Bible verses about children, as well as a couple song lyrics, by the looks of it.  This is sold per 25 sheets on this site.

This Australian site looks like it has loads of neat stuff, and here’s just a sample:  baptism paper in pink and blue; and hand-stitched Bible verse embellishments.

This is my most recent creation; a new banner for Trinity Lutheran. The phrase “Trinity in Unity” is derived from the Athanasian Creed, and the overall design is to convey the idea that the unity Trinity has as a congregation is from the Word and the Lutheran Confessions, which point us to Christ alone.  We first used it in church on Trinity Sunday, and I figured it might also work well for Reformation Sunday.  Anyway, it’s colorful enough to fit just about any season…

“For All the Saints” is currently up at the Holland, MB Tiger Hills gallery.

A bunch of updates to my own art site are coming soon, including (but not limited to) some new galleries for all these cards I’ve been making lately.

Speaking of Baptism (as per the previous post), I’m the last person to think of baptism in terms of a fashion statement, but since this is a discussion forum about the connection between theology and its expression in liturgical arts… I strongly suggest going here to view some of the most beautiful baptismal garments you’ll see anywhere.  And yes, there are lots of cute babies on this page, too!  If you click on any of the pictures, you get multiple photos with different views.

I also need to come up with a way to show off some of my friends’ sewing skills with the various clothing, vestments, etc. that they’ve made.  It is, after all, one of the main points of this web page to encourage such behaviors!

And by the way, the banner I’m cutting and gluing together for our church in Winkler is coming along pretty well… something else I need to post a photo of.

Has anyone ever noticed that if you walk into a typical, general Christian book/gift store and browse the cards for Baptism (if there are any), practically none of the cards actually make any sort of reference to Baptism?  Now, I myself don’t mind making blank cards to let the writer pen in their own message, but I’m talking about the sort of card that seems desperate to avoid the topic.  Like:  “As you celebrate your baptism, remember that this is all about you showing God how committed you are to him”; or “Baptism isn’t just a ceremony; it’s a time for parents to make promises to God”; or “We rejoice with you as we remember the new life you received when you asked Jesus into your heart!”  And when Bible verses are printed in these cards, most of those verses are not the ones that reference Baptism, either.

I suspect that this is because the many Bible passages about Baptism all seem to just come out and say that Baptism is about having your sins washed away, believing and being baptized for salvation, receiving the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit, being made a disciple of Christ, dying and rising with Christ, putting on Christ through Baptism, and so on.  And all that stuff doesn’t easily mesh with a theology that doesn’t like people talking about Baptism in those terms, even if the Bible itself does.

I do find it a little off-putting that so many of these stores will have tons and tons of cards for all sorts of secular occasions from Father’s Day to birthdays to “hey, let’s get together and go shopping,” but very few cards for actual observances of faith in the Christian life.

Ever come up with what you think is a good, original idea, only to find out it’s been done… a lot?  :)  For quite awhile I’ve envisioned making some church banners with batik fabric pieces against a black background, to make it look like stained glass.  Well, now that I know it’s been done, I can poke around for some more ideas.  :)  Here are some links to stained glass quilting, banners, or other fabric art.  I’m not necessarily totally crazy about all of the projects I’m linking to, but it seems cooler to have stained glass fabric art in Lutheran churches, as opposed to hippy Pentecostal banner art. 

Very colorful series, with beautiful possibilities.  You can buy patterns from their website, too.

Some holiday banners from Poiema Banners.  Nice design.

Calling all Lutheran quilter ladies… someone make a Luther rose window with this idea, please!

Drool.  This verse from the beatitudes is just great.

Okay, so this is not exactly stained glass quilting– they’re embroidery designs with some stained glass motifs, as well as various other Christian imagery.  Just ignore the first couple samples, as well as some of those saint invocations further down, and check out the good stuff–particularly, certain evangelists and saints, the Lord’s Prayer, and “Come Lord Jesus” (which should be awfully familiar to you Lutherans).

This isn’t a very clear picture, but apparently these “stained glass windows” at the front of the church are actually fabric.  The site involves an ELCA Lutheran/Presbyterian church combo in North Dakota; a page with more pictures, and some more stained glass fabric art, can be seen here.  (I’m still trying to figure out how the “Evangelical denomination” or the “Plan of Salvation” links made it onto the sidebar there.  Come to think of it, Alex and I have probably driven past this church before while cruising through Langdon.)

Just imagine… portable, less expensive, and yet relatively durable stained glass windows.  And I’m sure a similar technique could be used with paper.

A new blog has been created that is entirely devoted to the Weimar altar painting by the Cranachs.  Go here to check it out!

I must have missed this post from Pr. Cwirla’s blog originally, but it’s a good find.  Here’s how he describes the pictures he posted: 

“Holy Trinity’s resident artist, Judy Greenlees, created a series of marvelous panels combining calligraphy and Celtic art to interpret the O Antiphons.  These grace the walls of our sanctuary during the season of Advent (and sometimes a bit longer).  Enjoy.”

By the way, I’d love to post more photos or links from Lutherans who have some church-related art to share, either from their own churches or private collections.  Contact me!!