“To celebrate a festival means: to live out, for some special occasion and in an uncommon manner, the universal assent to the world as a whole.”
― Josef Pieper
GENESIS 1:26-31
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
COLLECT FOR ADVENT
Blessed Lord, who has caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of the holy word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the Blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou Hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
ART APPRECIATION
Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel from 1508-1512. His work in the Sistine Chapel is a cornerstone of the High Renaissance. The middle of the ceiling contains nine scenes from the book of Genesis of which The Creation of Adam is the most famous. In this portion of the painting, we see God’s right arm outstretched to give the spark of life from his finger to Adam’s finger. Adam’s left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God’s, a reminder that man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Notice that Adam’s finger and God’s finger are not touching. This gives the appearance that God, the giver of life, is reaching out to Adam and Adam is receiving.
1
Michelangelo (1475-1569) was born in March, 1475, in Caprese, Italy. His family moved to Florence shortly after his birth. It was Florence that Michelangelo always considered his home, which was fortuitous because Florence was considered the center of the arts during the Renaissance. Michelangelo was surrounded by great artists in many different media. His talent was soon recognized by Lorenzo di Medici, a well-known and very rich art patron who took Michelangelo under his wing and gave him a place to live in his palace. Though Michelangelo was famous for his mural painting in the Sistine Chapel, he considered himself a sculptor foremost. His sculpture of David is considered technically perfect and has been viewed by millions who visit Florence.
2
MUSIC APPRECIATION
“Hallelujah” (Chorus) from Messiah from George Frideric Handel
Handel composed Messiah without getting much sleep or even eating much food. When his assistants brought him his meals, they were often left uneaten. His servants would often find him in tears as he composed. When he completed “Hallelujah,” he reportedly told his servant, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with His company of Angels.”
3
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, Messiah (1741), and is also known for such occasional pieces as Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749). 4
- Lange, Krista, and Leigh Lowe. First Grade Enrichment: Classical Core Curriculum. Teacher Guide. Memoria Press, 2017. ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- “The History of ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.” Tabernacle Choir, Tabernacle Choir, 10 Nov. 2023, http://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/history-of-handels-hallelujah-chorus.html?lang=eng.
↩︎ - “George Frideric Handel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Nov. 2024, http://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Frideric-Handel. ↩︎
Providence School of Tifton 