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It’s time to get the latest edition of the Presbyterian
Planning Calendar. All the usual features that help church leaders
plan worship services and other church events are included—lectionaries
for Sundays and other liturgical days, liturgical colors of
the seasons of the church, programmatic emphases established
by the General Assembly Council, and planning suggestions for
celebrating them and other events. We in Mission Education and
Promotion hope that in addition to these tools being helpful,
the calendar’s theme and its development will inspire and
offer encouragement and direction to all of us as we seek to
live out our mission as God’s people in the world.
Using the words of both Scripture and the Book of Order
and the exquisite artwork of artist He Qi, the new calendar
explores God’s Word at work in the world and the mission
of the church as the living witness of the Word. Twelve statements
from the Book of Order section titled “The Church
and Its Mission” articulate either aspects of the church’s
calling, such as “The Church is called to . . . [share]
with Christ in the establishing of his just, peaceable, and
loving rule in the world” [G-3.0300c.(3)(e)], or God’s
action in the world, such as “God who creates life, frees
those in bondage, forgives sin, reconciles brokenness, makes
all things new, is still at work in the world” [G-3.0300a(2)].
The Scripture verses and words from the Book of Order
come alive next to the images painted by the Chinese artist
He Qi. Mostly drawn from the life of Christ, the pictures bring
fresh meaning to the stories of Christ through the artist’s
blending of Chinese folk customs and traditional Chinese painting
with Western styles of art.
He Qi’s own story is truly a reflection of God’s
Word at work in the world. Now a professor at the Nanjing Union
Theological Seminary, a member of the China Art Association,
and a council member of the Asian Christian Art Association,
He Qi did not grow up knowing about the Christian faith. During
the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), when he was
a middle school student, he was sent to the country to do manual
labor. He got out of doing back-breaking work by painting portraits
of Mao Tse-tung, which were much in demand at the time. One
day he came across an old magazine that contained a print of
Raphael’s “Madonna and Child.” Deeply moved by
the smiling Madonna and child, he felt a peace uncharacteristic
for that time known for upheaval and bitterness. He Qi continued
to paint Mao by day, but by night he painted and drew the Madonna
and child. This first encounter with Christianity led him to
find out about the Christian faith and eventually to become
a Christian.
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