Gospels in Art, Music and Literature

The Story Of Salvation In Three Media Lectionary Year A

David Stancliffe

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9780281069491
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

For all who wish to reflect on the Gospels for each major Sunday and festival, this ebook offers extra dimensions of art, poetry, literary excerpts and music with a commentary by David Standcliffe. These extra resources can inspire and broaden the imagination and understanding.

1

Advent to Presentation: the Incarnation

The First Sunday of Advent

Christ in Majesty, St Climent de Taüll (National Museum of Art, Catalonia)

© Album/Kurwenal/Prisma/Album

Mark 13.24–37

Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come

But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.

The reading in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is the last paragraph of the same passage.

Other readings: Isaiah 64.1–9; Psalm 80.1–7 [16–18]; 1 Corinthians 1.3–9

Recommended music

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William Byrd (c.1540–1623): Vigilate

Click on the link to hear the music (click off as soon as it ends). If you do not subscribe to Spotify, you will be asked, on your first visit, to sign in and choose a password for free but advertisements might pop up. Spotify subscribers will not see the adverts.

Fagiolini, I – Liber primus sacrarum cantionum (Cantiones sacrae): Vigilate

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Vigilate, nescitis enim quando dominus domus veniat, sero, an media nocte, an gallicantu, an mane.

Watch, therefore, for you know not when the lord of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

Vigilate ergo, ne cum venerit repente, inveniat vos dormientes.

Quod autem dico vobis, omnibus dico: vigilate.

Watch, therefore, lest coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping.

And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.

Reading from literature

At the round earths imagin’d corners

At the round earths imagin’d corners, blow

Your trumpets, Angells, and arise, arise

From death, you numberlesse infinities

Of soules, and to your scattred bodies goe,

All whom the flood did, and fire shall o’erthrow,

All whom warre, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,

Despaire, law, chance, hath slaine, and you whose eyes,

Shall behold God, and never tast deaths woe.

But let them sleepe, Lord, and mee mourne a space,

For, if above all these, my sinnes abound,

’Tis late to aske abundance of thy grace,

When wee are there; here on this lowly ground,

Teach mee how to repent; for that’s as good

As if thou hadst seal’d my pardon, with thy blood.

(John Donne (1572–1631))

Reflection

The stern face of Christ in Majesty from St Climent de Taüll looks down from its apse these days on the visitor to the National Museum of Art in Catalonia, having been rescued from the crumbling church in Taüll in 1919. Christ’s right hand is raised in blessing, and in his left he holds the open Gospel Book inscribed EGO SVM LVX MNDI – I am the light of the world. This millenarian figure retains the vivid colours and sharply stylized details characteristic of the Catalonian school of fresco paintings. ‘Watch out, you never know when I might be coming. To those who are ready, this will be a blessing; and to those who are not . . . ?’

It was not so much the constant consciousness of personal wrongdoing that preoccupied our forebears at the turn of the first millennium so much as the fear that they might be found unprepared when the kingdom finally came. And this is the essential Advent message: the King is coming, but you know neither the day nor the hour. The rush of adrenalin that keeps us awake is conveyed by Byrd’s setting of ‘repente’ – ‘lest he come suddenly’. At Byrd’s time, the Litany prayed: ‘From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord, deliver us.’ This is the true Advent note, and John Donne is neither the first nor the last to beg a moment more to sort his life before his Maker.

The Second Sunday of Advent

Dandelion Field by George Tute (National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)

Photo © David Stancliffe

Mark 1.1–8

The voice of one crying in the wilderness

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight”’,

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean count...

Table of contents

• Cover page
• About the author
• Title page
• Imprint
• Table of contents
• Acknowledgements
• How to use this book
• 1. Advent to Presentation: the Incarnation
• 2. Sundays before Lent – Ordinary Time
• 3. Ash Wednesday to Pentecost: the paschal mystery
• 4. Sundays after Trinity – Sundays of the year – Ordinary Time