Greetings!
We made it to the New Year! I hope you have had some gentle times in these holidays/holy days and nights. Such a deep mystery as we move from the longest night to following the star of inspiration and new epiphanies! May your new year bring new possibilities born out of deep darkness!
I had a full season, and am cherishing the creativity that has come through these pandemic times.
Have you checked out our Prayer Cycle Podcasts at Abbey of the Arts? Our seven days of Morning & Evening Prayers include scripture, song and movement that honor gifts of Earth! To celebrate the completion of our series, we will have a live celebration (featuring Christine Paintner, Simon de Voil, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan and me!) on Sunday January 17th at 12:00 noon Pacific Time. Check Abbey of the Arts for more info. in the next few days!
The Gift of Angels and Shepherds
I have always enjoyed the juxtaposition of glittering bright angels with the earthy, smelly shepherds of our Christmas story. I especially loved visiting the Shepherd’s fields just outside of Bethlehem on our trip to the Holy Land, and imagining the bleary-eyed herders being awed by revelations in the night sky. At our home parish in Seattle, the youth always help portray the Gospel on Christmas Eve, and this year we had to be extra creative in figuring out how to do this online. Enjoy our rendition of shepherds and angels – filmed over zoom. May the delight of this story bring a burst of joy to your life … as we celebrate our final days leading to Epiphany. Happy 11th day of Christmas!
With love,
Betsey
Betsey Beckman, MM
