MBCC Blog

Why is there a light bulb in front of our Advent "wreath"?

Lo and behold, Advent is upon us once again.  Amazing how the year disappears.  And so, it is one of those times in the liturgical calendar that MBCC shakes things up.  So next time you come to church (should be it be before Christmas), you will find some different and perhaps perplexing things.  So here is a breakdown.

Advent Theme: The Word Made Flesh (see the first chapter of the Gospel of John)

Advent "Wreath:" Each week we light a candle as we get closer and closer to the coming of the Christ child.  Traditionally, the first three weeks, (symbolizing hope, peace and joy) the candles are purple and the last week's candle (love) is pink.  The Christ candle, lit on Christmas Eve, is white.  True to MBCC form, our manifestation of his tradition isn't quite like that.  The love candle is blue (couldn't find a pink one).  And though many (most?) churches use a wreath, we are using a kinda basic candle holder.  Each week, an elder (or elder to be) will light the candle and tell a story of their experience of the Word made flesh.  These stories, and our sermons for the season, will be made flesh through symbols added to the table around the "wreath".  If you were not in church last week, ask Eliz to here her story and find out why she put a light bulb on the table.

Liturgical Colors:  As Bruce reminded/taught people in his sermon, the "Church" (who exactly chose the colors I do not know) has particular colors for particular seasons.  Advent is traditionally purple.  So when you see lots of purple in church this December and it seems odd, that is why :)

Decor: There is a lot of fabric hanging and there is a reason.  The long version of that reason is here but the short breakdown... Jesus, the Word made flesh, is often discussed as the light of the world.  And so as we wait in the dark night for his coming, we find bits of light that bring us hope that God will fulfill his promise and dwell among us.  The representation of "night" in the sanctuary will change as we get closer and closer to the coming of Emmanuel.  Look out.

One more thing... You will notice that mirrors of varying sizes are throughout the decor and surrounding the Advent "wreath".  Look into one and what do you see? Your reflection.  As we are reflected in the mirrors, as the mirrors reflect the light, we reflect Jesus.  And so, after Christmas, when the Word is made flesh, we will ask the MBCC peeps in the pews to make  covenant with their community, (and if is not too much to presume... God) about how y'all will reflect the light of Jesus to world, be the Word made flesh in the community in the coming year.  During that service, you will exchange the covenant for a mirror.  The mirror will remind your of your commitment and the covenants will be placed in the living room as a part of our communal history.

I hope that I have not confused you (let me know if I have) but rather have given you somethings to ponder throughout this season and next time you come to MBCC to worship.

we need you!

For Pentecost in a couple of weeks, we will be filling our worship space with the spirit of the day, including the phrase..."I will pour out my spirit on all people"... in as many languages as I can get.  So, if you speak any language other than English and want to help out with this endeavor, translate this phrase and send it to me at agkkaiser@gmail.com

Thanks! 

is God in art?

On Saturday, some of us went to see Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005 at the Legion of Honor.  It was a huge show, with almost two hundred photos, and it was so busy.  I was surprised how many people wanted to see art on such a beautiful Saturday. 

The photographs spanned all kinds of photography.  Family portraits were hung next to images documenting wars which were hung next to celebrity cover shots. 

I was in my element.  I love looking at art... and everywhere I looked, I saw God in her photographs.  There was a pair of photos of Annie's partner Susan Sontag's collections, one of shells, one of stones.  A testament to the beauty and variety of creation.  She had been to Rwanda in 1994, either during or just after the genocide.  There was a picture of bloody hand and foot prints, evidence of the massacre of dozens of children in a school.  I saw God weeping, suffering, along with God's children who were tragically murdered.  There was a portrait of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis (though without a label, it wouldn't have been identifiable as such) during Demi's first pregnancy.  It was the most beautiful testament to the beauty of a partnership that brings a child into the world that I have ever seen in art (okay, I exaggerate, but it was incredible).  To me, God was there too.

In art museums, I am notoriously slow.  So, though I started with some of the other MBCC folks, by the end, everyone (besides my faithful husband who is used to my museum pace) was long gone. 

And I always long to hash out art with other folk...

So... if you have seen this show, either with some of us on Saturday, or on your own... what do you think?  Was God present in this artwork?  Were their any theological images?  It is even possible to read the work that way?  Comment... start a discussion.  Or just email me... agkkaiser@gmail.com.

Mission Bay is on youtube!!!

Visit us at www.youtube.com/missionbaycc!  Miss any of the videos that have been used in worship?  Want to share them with folks you know?  Now you can!  And please, let us know if you are interested in contributing videos to worship... email me at agkkaiser@gmail.com

Follow up to "The Art of Forgiveness"

For those of you who were at worship today, you were able to participate in the art installation by Katherine and Tiffany.   I really appreciated folk's willingness to be open to different ways to experience God in our midst.  As folks dropped their "confessions" into the cups and dipped their hands in the water to remember the service of Christ I was reminded that we must experience God in a variety of ways and through a variety of senses.  Be sure to check out the pictures on [Flickr] or get the  [Sermon Download] if you want a refresher.  Thanks all.