Bingo in the New Year, Yo Yo Ma, and the Visual Commentary on Scripture
Friends,
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a Happy Feast of the Holy Name to you all!
This time around I share a great episode from the Song Exploders podcast, a wonderful new resource for engaging Scripture with art, and announce a date for my ordination!
But first: New Year's (Bingo) Resolutions
As we enter into a new Gregorian year, I thought I would share an idea I encountered last week: ditching New Year’s resolutions in place of a New Year’s Bingo Card.
My 2019 Bingo Card is below. Some of these spaces are bound to be marked based on current plans I already have; others will require more intentional effort. Viv is working on hers as well. We’ll see how it goes!
I like this low-pressure, almost fun way to make and track goals throughout the year.
Song Exploder: Prelude to Bach’s Cello Suites
I occasionally listen to Song Exploder, a fascinating podcast in which “musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.”
The final episode of this season covered one of my personal favorite classical pieces: Yo Yo Ma’s (many) recordings of the Prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major.
This episode highlights the fascinating history of that piece in general, as well as Yo Yo Ma’s experience playing it for decades. You can listen to Yo Yo Ma’s final recording of the Cello Suite here. It was recorded in 2018.
The Visual Commentary on Scripture
Something worth exploring this year is the recently-launched Visual Commentary on Scripture. This growing collection offers reflections on works of art that are based on various passages in Scripture.
During Advent, the Logic School students at Coram Deo Academy's Dallas campus explored several of these pieces, including this 14th century icon and this 17th century painting that highlights the New Creation brought about by the birth of Jesus.
Read more about the Visual Commentary on Scripture here.
An Ordination Date
My ordination to the Diaconate will be on Saturday, February 2nd at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas. You can read more about what all this means here, or view the invitation here.