How do we as Christian celebrate the seasons including secular celebrations?

Today, I was stopped in my tracks by 4 artpieces which I now find are related.  I began by feeling drawn to picking up and rereading a section in a book which has inspired so much for me – “The Passion in Art” by Richard Harries.  (Which collects a variety of depictions of Christ’s crucifixion over the centuries).

Then my email mentions a lady new to me,  whom I googled and found singing this tiny fragment – less than a minute in length:

“Teach us Lord to love others, like you want us to love, this is our prayer…”

Then the computer algorithms of Youtube suggested another piece recorded at the same church the lady singer was visiting – he looked familiar – it was the actor who played Christ in the Mel Gibson film.  He describes the filming of the crucifixion, how strange and physical an experience it was for him – and how it was like being at the centre of a storm.  And in his quiet unemotional voice I found I was in Easter all over again.

Then I find this brief brief jazz piece performed in Saint Peter’s church, New York

“Give us, Lord, a new heart.”

Such a perfect expression for the date the music was performed on: St Valentine’s Day and also the first day of Lent in 2016…. what a gorgeous piece, calling us to deep transformation.  Deeper than chocolate boxes and smaltzy cards.

And we’re back again at the first video clip, hearing and singing “Teach us Lord to love others”….