DAVID J. HETLAND * LITURGICAL & PUBLIC ART

     Shout the Glad Tidings is the mural for the 72nd annual Concordia College Christmas Concert, a festive celebration, a journey from the dawn of time through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus christ -- who is God in our midst.
     We are witness to the creation of order from the vast void -- heavens and earth; day and night; water and dry land; trees bearing fruit and seed; shimmering sun, moon, stars and all the planets of the universe; swarming birds and creatures of the sea; animals of every kind. Finally, god breathes into us the gift of life.
     With Isaiah's proclamation of hope and reconciliation -- "a branch shall grow" from Jesse's roots -- Jesus is born in a lowly Bethlehem manger amid ox and ass, part of the traditional barnyard menagerie. Over the stable framed by a Messianic rose, a heralding angel positions the Nativity Star. Nearby shepherds receive the proclamation of the good News as approaching Magi near the end of their long journey to greet the King of kings.
     A glimpse of Revelation's "holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God," is offered within the shape of a descending dove, a sign of the Holy Spirit at work in and among us. Saints acknowledge this presence with symbols representing the beginning and end (Alpha and Omega), Christ's monogram (Chi Rho), the Holy Trinity (equilateral triangle), and the Day of Pentecost (seven-tongued flame).
     Mourners stand at the foot of Calvary's empty cross with a banner proclaiming the glad tidings (Alleluia) of the risen Christ -- whose earthly crown of thorns changes to reveal an arching rainbow -- and the promise of eternal life.

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