Prayer Books, Sunscreen, and a new new new Helvetica
Friends,
It has been a minute, but this time around I share a fascinating sentence I recently read about the Book of Common Prayer, an article about how sunscreen will eventually kill us all, and we meet Helvetica Now: the new version of Helvetica Neue which was the new version of Helvetica which was the new version of Neue Haas Grotesk, the iconic font designed by Max Miedinger and Edouard Hoffman in 1957.
But first…
The Exsultet
In this season of Easter, I had the honor of serving as Deacon during the Easter Vigil at Church of the Incarnation. Because it would be rough for everyone involved, someone else sang the Exsultet that night. And it was beautiful.
Here is a glimpse of the hymn:
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault, that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
(Photo of me with the Paschal Candle, taken by my talented friend Dickie Hill.)
Whether you know this (very) ancient hymn or not, pull up the lyrics and take a few (or nine) minutes to listen to this wonderful rendition some time before Easter ends.
A fascinating word about the Book of Common Prayer
Taken as a whole, the prayer book is the ritual celebration of the seasons of our lives from birth to death in the light of the gospel and the daily, weekly, and annual cycles that shape and determine our existence.
This is from a foreword to a short book on the Art of Hearing Confessions.
Will Sunscreen Kill Us All?
Maybe.
Drawing an interesting parallel between the vitamin and sunscreen industries, the author of this article is beginning to wonder whether sunscreen’s costs are greater than its benefits.
A theory about why we are so obsessed with sunscreen:
When you spend much of your day treating patients with terrible melanomas, it’s natural to focus on preventing them, but you need to keep the big picture in mind. Orthopedic surgeons, after all, don’t advise their patients to avoid exercise in order to reduce the risk of knee injuries.
Read more here.
The New Helvetica
I live with someone who loves fonts, and I still had a chuckle when I read the creator of Helvetica Now describe what he hopes will happen when designers see his new font for the first time:
“…it’s like looking at someone you love, when the light hits them the perfect way on a Saturday morning, and you suddenly see them like you’ve never seen them before. It’s like falling in love all over again.”
Too much? You can be the judge.
Personal Update
Beginning this summer, I will assume the role of Campus Administrator of the Coram Deo Academy Dallas Campus, where I will also continue to serve as the Logic School Principal. (We have lots of exciting ventures in the works, and I’m thrilled to bring on a great team of new Faculty and Staff to round out an already exceptional group.)
I am enjoying life as a transitional Deacon, and will (God-willing) be ordained a Priest some time this fall.