Two things:
1) several years ago a friend gave me a copy of an icon, "Our Lady of the Sign," In which the infant Jesus is sitting on the BVM's lap, and her hands are in the "orans" position. According to my friend, now an Episcopal priest and a Wise Woman if I ever knew one, in Eastern iconography Mary is never depicted without Christ, and in this icon she is presenting him to the world, as the priest presents His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
2) In a lecture this past fall a respected scholar and UMC elder made the point that the Incarnation is the best argument for the ordination of women. If Mary, a woman, could carry the Body and Blood of the Lord in her womb, why should a woman not hold the same Body and Blood at the altar?

Correction: the icon of Christ is in front of Mary, and the Child is not sitting on her lap, but the position of the hands is the same. This is a beautiful icon, and there are several articles on it on the Web. Google suggested.

The Child is actually within Mary, a depiction of the Virgin as Theotokos, God Bearer.

The leadership of the Diocese of Fort Worth exists in a world beyond parody.

According to our former rector, the point is the 3 gifts, and they represent a Passion Gospel in a nutshell: gold for kingship, incense for deity, myrrh for death. A king, who is God, who will die.
A particularly beautiful interpretation of this story is the Carol-Anthem, "Here is the Little Door," words by Frances Chesterton, music by Herbert Howells. If you can listen without crying, you have a lot more self discipline than I have.

I see no gifts depicted; were the three people in the picture actually intended to be the Magi? They could just as easily have been three Bethlehem women who came to help out the new mom.

If you wish to personally send a bishop the card here's the link.

http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/jmepi.html

DC, I notice the narrative on the card says these magi bear three gifts: love, presence and bread. I see the first two. Not sure about the third.

The artist, as artists should be, is subversive. Here's another of her images,
http://www.bridgebuilding.com/narr/jmjep.html
Here's the description:
"Narrative: “Jesus of the People simply came through me. I feel as though I am only a vehicle for its existence. Jesus stands holding his robes, one hand near his heart, and looks at us – and to us. He is flanked by three symbols. The yin-yang symbol represents perfect harmony, the halo conveys Jesus’ holiness and the feather symbolizes transcendent knowledge. The feather also refers to the Native American and the Great Spirit. The feminine aspect is served by the fact that although Jesus was designed as a man with a masculine presence, the model was a woman. The essence of the work is simply that Jesus is all of us.” — Janet McKenzie

Judge Sister Wendy Beckett, an art expert, author and television personality, selected Jesus of the People as the winner of the National Catholic Reporter Jesus 2000 competition. The competition, which sought a powerful portrayal of Christ at the millennium, drew nearly 1,700 other entries from around the world.

In the words of Sister Wendy, “This is a haunting image of a peasant Jesus – dark, thick-lipped, looking out on us with ineffable dignity, with sadness but with confidence. Over His white robe He draws the darkness of our lack of love, holding it to Himself, prepared to transform all sorrows if we will let Him.”"

This is really embarrassing.

I don't mind when brother and sister Christians are more conservative than I am. I do mind when they are publicly act like such flaming jerks.

It's okay if you don't much care for +Katharine's card, though I myself think this one is pretty cool. I receive a lot of Christmas cards that I don't much care for, for one reason or another or just personal taste. I just lay them quietly in the card basket and do not make a public fuss about them, and if I see the sender I say "Thank you for your card."

Incidentally, if you go to the BridgeBuilding web site you can send this card by e-mail as a free e-card. It comes through quite nicely.

As I've noted on another forum on this topic, what +Katharine's Christmas Card defied was not explanation but patriarchy ... and it boggles the mind that in 2008 there are still those who put embrace theologies that prioritize Gonads over Grace.

Susan Russell