And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
He is the Son of God!
“I did not know him but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down & remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen & testified that he is the Son of God.”-John 1:32
The Gift
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Circles of her life.
I love this painting by Miriam Escofet of her own mother. She seems to be reflecting my own feelings of awareness of how fleeting life is. She is in tune with the present and seems to be lost in memories.
Perhaps she is feeling nostalgic, missing the noisy chatter of children and grandchildren at breakfasts past as she sits alone at table, finger tracing the circle of her cup.
Like her cup, her mind goes round in circles as she remembers years of meals and late night cuppas shared with her husband as they discuss news du jour and their children. Or waited for them to come home.
With years of devotion to her family and endless prayer, she raised her brood and was matriarch and beloved wife- yet now that busy life has come full circle and she sits at tea alone.
No calls to see how she is going, no cards to remember her on Mother's Day- her endless love and bountiful giving now return to her void- a lonely circle.
Her sharp mind continues, her kind heart endures, but her body once strong now too has come full circle as her strength disappears.
She sees no one now and her love and wisdom is rejected by those who themselves were very wanted, and who started their own life in the nurturing circle of her womb.
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. Psalm 71:9
Love was given a name: Jesus!
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
The trial of faith
Ruth and Orpah
…verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence...and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20
THE STORY IN THE PAINTING
This painting depicts Naomi's widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, as they prepare to depart Moab after the death of their respective husbands. Though both girls initially decide to follow Naomi to the land of Judah, Orpah heeds Naomi's persistent entrities that the two return to the land of their nativity. Orpah's descision to turn back cuts her off from the precious opportunities afforded Ruth, who endures the trial of her faith, refusing to leave Naomi in her time of need. Ruth is "steadfastly minded to go with [Naomi]" (Ruth 1:18) and completes the journey to Beth-lehem, willingly accepting the suffering and privations of Naomi's life of poverty. Because of Ruth's faithfulness and virtue "full reward [is] given [her] of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings [she had] come to trust" (Ruth 2:12) and she was privileged to be among the ancestors of the Savior of the world.
Note: Some may wonder at the youth of the girls depicted in the painting, but the scriptural narrative refers to Ruth as a "damsel" (Ruth 2:6) and a "young woman" (Ruth 4:12). Both words are derived from the Hebrew word "naarah," denoting a girl between infancy and adolescence (Strong 79).
SYMBOLISM OR SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS IN THE PAINTING
RUTH (pictured right)
The viewer sees the artist's interpretation of the differences between the two girls' decisions: Ruth's steadfastness to the God of Israel allows her to completely divorce herself from her previous, familiar circumstances and way of life and, instead, "come unto a people which [she] knewest not" (Ruth 2:11). She leaves her previous religious beliefs and culture behind and trusts in the Lord whom she has come to trust. That willingness to accept the trial of her faith and step into the uncertainty of her future life with Naomi is represented in this image through the visual darkness which surrounds the figure. Indeed, Ruth seems more distant from the viewer than Orpah, as though she is already separating herself from Orpah's decision to turn homeward.
Ruth's willingness to "lose" her life for the Lord's sake (see Luke 9:24) allows the Lord to endow her with eternal blessings. This principle is represented in the image by the enveloping golden robe she wears, simple compared to Orpah's finery, but more rich in the material itself and not outwardly showy, symbolic of the "robe of righteousness". Her jewelry reminds the viewer of the Lord's words to Malachi, that those that fear Him “shall be [the Lord's] in that day when [He makes] up [His] jewels” (Malachi 3:17). Ruth's future abundant blessings from the hand of the Lord are represented by the large bunch of grains lying before her. Included among the grains are barley, the grain Ruth is willing to glean from Boaz' fields, and millet, a grain also grown anciently (Woods 42).
ORPAH (pictured left)
Orpah, on the other hand, is not firm in her decision to follow after Naomi and is content to go "back to her people, and unto her gods" (Ruth 1:15). Like Lot's wife, Orpah "looked back" (see Genesis 19:26) to her familiar past and shut herself out from the rich blessings made possible for all those who "trust in the Lord will all [their] heart; and lean not unto [their] own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Therfore, the artist depicts her surrounded with the culture of her past, decked in her dowry (the gold coins encircling her forehead) and ornately embellished clothing, clinging to Ruth's hand instead of distancing herself, like Ruth, from her past using faith to give her courage to face the future. Unlike Ruth's abundant sheath of grains, Orpah is separated from this abundance by an empty vessel which symbolizes the principle taught by the Savior Himself, that "whomsoever will save his life shall lose it" (Luke 9;24) and that "whomsoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whomsoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he hath" (Matthew 13:12 JST added). The Trial Of Faith by Elspeth Young
Blessings and comfort, Glenys
An unborn baby's prayer
I love being so close to you Mummy,
I was lulled to sleep when you were walking today, the gentle warm waters rocked me so.
Did you feel me kick today Mummy?
I have been practicing so long for you to feel me, I want you to know I am well and growing.
I have hiccups tonight,
I just can't stop them coming and it feels so strange-I hope they don't keep you awake too.
I did a somersault for you Mummy,
I turned over and back again cos I found I can still do it, I won't be able to soon but I s'pose that will make you glad!
Today I heard for the first time, Mummy-
I heard your heart beating slow and steady next to mine; will your heart always be close to me?
You have a lovely voice
that I will recognise at once, for I woke and heard you singing-will you sing to me when I'm cradled in your arms?
You must have been in sunshine today,
for I saw red colours shining through my fused eyelids. I want so much to see you and the colours you wear.
O how I wish I could always be this close, Mummy,
protected and stretching and growing under your heart, but I know you tire easily so I must be in your arms!
I want you to love me forever, Mummy-
I've prayed God will make my skin really velvety soft, so you will want to touch me and cover me in kisses.
God's told me He's preparing me as a gift for you,
He's shaping me in a secret place known to just us three…
I've asked God to help you love me, Mummy,
to make me the best baby just for you- He whispered," Just relax and be yourself, that's all you have to do"
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
"The Work Of His Hands" © 2004 Gary B Clark www.garybclark.com Used With Permission
Face of God?
As you know, I love collecting graphics and looking at artwork. Of course in my travels through the art world, I look at representations of faces Of God, especially of Jesus Christ. And as expected, there are literally thousands of images of artists' impressions of what He looks like. Frankly, it makes me a little uncomfortable.
I feel that if God wanted us to know with a surety what His Son looked like, He would have given us a description of Him in scripture. Whereas we know from scripture only that He was a normal man with no particular distinguishing or even handsome features. Certainly nothing that would cause envy among men or cause women to turn their heads. He was to all accounts, visually just a man with a beard.
Another thing that makes me uncomfortable is that in trying to capture the likeness of God, the viewer is limited to the imagination of the artist. Often this can lead to our own perceptions of the face of God being different, and we can either love or loathe the Christ represented.
Now, I know that in posting pictures of Christ, it will sometimes conflict with your idea of what He looked like: but we are limited to representing the Divine in human visible form through art and film. My favourite pictures of what is to me the representation of the Divine may conflict with yours.... it depends on my idea of what is attractive and manly and godly.
I have this painting in my entry hall because to me, this is most likely what Jesus would have looked like. Why do you not have others? you ask. Because they are not appealing to me. That is my point.
It is of no small significance that God in His Wisdom did not give us a detailed description of His Son in the scriptures. I believe that this was intentional. Knowing how fickle humans are, God knew that some would reject Christ based solely on the fact that He had a bulbous Jewish nose or that He was of a different skin tone or eye colour than what we fancied. If we doubt that we are fickle in this regard, we have only to think of Hollywood, cosmetic surgery, and designer babies!
No, obviously the outward appearance is not of great consequence to God, but the heart and spirit of a man are. And we find much about those qualities in relating to who Christ is in scripture. Finally, to all of us who love the LORD, the actual facial features are not that important: we love the Man and King of Kings regardless! Painting is Prince of Peace by Akiane painted at age eight
I feel that if God wanted us to know with a surety what His Son looked like, He would have given us a description of Him in scripture. Whereas we know from scripture only that He was a normal man with no particular distinguishing or even handsome features. Certainly nothing that would cause envy among men or cause women to turn their heads. He was to all accounts, visually just a man with a beard.
Another thing that makes me uncomfortable is that in trying to capture the likeness of God, the viewer is limited to the imagination of the artist. Often this can lead to our own perceptions of the face of God being different, and we can either love or loathe the Christ represented.
Now, I know that in posting pictures of Christ, it will sometimes conflict with your idea of what He looked like: but we are limited to representing the Divine in human visible form through art and film. My favourite pictures of what is to me the representation of the Divine may conflict with yours.... it depends on my idea of what is attractive and manly and godly.
I have this painting in my entry hall because to me, this is most likely what Jesus would have looked like. Why do you not have others? you ask. Because they are not appealing to me. That is my point.
It is of no small significance that God in His Wisdom did not give us a detailed description of His Son in the scriptures. I believe that this was intentional. Knowing how fickle humans are, God knew that some would reject Christ based solely on the fact that He had a bulbous Jewish nose or that He was of a different skin tone or eye colour than what we fancied. If we doubt that we are fickle in this regard, we have only to think of Hollywood, cosmetic surgery, and designer babies!
No, obviously the outward appearance is not of great consequence to God, but the heart and spirit of a man are. And we find much about those qualities in relating to who Christ is in scripture. Finally, to all of us who love the LORD, the actual facial features are not that important: we love the Man and King of Kings regardless! Painting is Prince of Peace by Akiane painted at age eight
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2
Established in the faith
Then came [Paul] to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him...And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Acts 16:1-5
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2 Timothy 1:5
THE STORY IN THE PAINTING
This painting depicts Eunice, the mother of the New Testament disciple, Timothy, a Jewess who believed in Christ (see Acts 16:1) and nurtured her son in that faith. Eunice is extolled, along with Timonthy's grandmother, Lois, as a mother possessing "unfeigned faith" (2 Timothy 1:5). It is this faith which Eunice passes on and first "established" (see Acts 16:5) in Timothy, thus laying the foundation for her son and any blessed through his own missionary efforts, to "[fight] a good fight...[finish the] course..[and keep] the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). Likewise all righteous women who strengthen their familiies and raise children in the faith leave indellible legacies of faith for all generations to follow.
Eunice is an example of of parents who teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God...baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands...to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. Such mothers and fathers establish the foundations of faith in their children, allowing faithful leaders, like the Apostle Paul, to build on the testimonies they planted in the home. Such foundations also enable their posterity to "be not...ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8), and to "Hold fast...in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13).
Eunice was able to engender this reliance on and trust in Christ "in" her son (see 2 Timothy 1:5), despite the "wholly Gentile and pagan culture" in which her homeland was steeped and a husband who, presumably, did not share her faith (see Acts 16:1). This remarkable mother's "unfeigned faith" nurtured her child to become what one Bible Dictionary describes as "Paul's most trusted and capable assistant"
The fact that Eunice's faith enabled her to raise her son in such protective righteousness gives hope to each of us that, amidst the backdrop of secularism and aethism in which we find ourselves, we too can raise a posterity who is true to the faith.
SYMBOLISM OR SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS IN THE PAINTING
Eunice's home, Lystra, was a city within a Roman colony in present-day Turkey; one in which, according to one Biblical scholar, "Paul was unable to assume that his audience had any knowledge of the true God" (Zondervan 332). Within this painting, Eunice is, therefore, compositionally surrounded by architectural elements which represent her culture. The seemingly informidable stone architecture is a visual reminder of the political, social, and religious circumstances in which she would have to endeavor to raise a righteous family.
Symbolically, the only pure light visible in the image is found touching her person. It does not extend to the elements represnting the culture of the world. The brilliant white hightlights bathing her hair in beauty represents the light with which faith in Christ bathes the possessor of it. It is this light which enlivens her being, just as the light of Christ enlivens all who have their eye on Gods' glory.
The color of the Roman-style "palla" draped about her shoulders was produced anciently by using a dye extracted from the madder root. Here, this reddish color is intended to remind the viewer of the atoning blood of Christ, which enables those obedient to His commandments to be clothed with purity, even with the robe of righteousness, even when he or she may be surrounded by the threatening influences of the world. The gold embroidery visible on her palla was fashionable in Rome prior to Eunice's day.by Elspeth Young
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