Category Archives: art

Pointing to Jesus

Giovanni_di_Paolo_-_Ecce_Agnus_Dei

Ecce Agnus Dei, 1455/60
Giovanni di Paolo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29

John points to Jesus as the one who will be sacrificed to save us. Yet I like to meditate on Jesus as the one who came to be with us because of God’s great love for us; who suffered pain and understands our suffering when we are in pain; who struggled with human emotions such as sorrow and anger and understands our struggles to move through grief and let go of resentment; who patiently teaches us, prays with us, and eats with us; who died and rose from the dead to give us the hope of eternal life in perfect love and union with God.

Down at the Jordan

Adi_Holzer_Werksverzeichnis_849_Die_Taufe

John the Baptist baptizes Jesus.
Handcolored etching The baptism by Adi Holzer 1997 (Work number 849). A part of the Rosentaler Suite from the year 1997.

After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him.
Matthew 3:16

With his baptism at the Jordan, Jesus shows us our calling, our blessing, our privilege: rising into the place of Divine Union with God and the Holy Spirit.

Follow the star

Adoration_of_the_Magi_tondo_by_Fra_Angelico_and_Lippi,_detail

Adoration of the Magi (detail)
Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi, ca.1445

 

 [The magi] were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Matthew 2:10-11

I’d like to follow in the footsteps of the magi, so eager to find the Christ, so overjoyed to find him, so humbled by the experience that they fell to their knees.

We are God’s Holy Family

256px-Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_052

The Flight into Egypt
Attributed to Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons

Take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you. Sirach 3:12-14

He is so fragile, my father, and every day getting physically smaller as his Spirit outgrows his frail body.

He doesn’t know us any more, but his smile is as sweet as ever and lights up his eyes. “I love you,” he says over and over. He hasn’t lost the inner wisdom that still knows how to “put on love, the bond of perfection.”

Service

Rembrandt.fallhut

Rembrandt van Rijn, 1606-1669
Two women teaching a child to walk
via Wikimedia Commons

[Jesus said,] “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other,or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Luke 16:13

I always have a choice:
patience over impatience;
politeness over rudeness;
compassion over self-centeredness;
acceptance over prejudice;
love over indifference.

Who will I choose to serve today?

Lost

Prodigal_son_by_Rembrandt_(drawing,_1642)

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669
The Return of the Prodigal Son (1642)
drawing with pen and brush (19 × 23 cm) — ca. 1642 Teylers Museum, Haarlem
via Wikimedia Commons

He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”  Luke 15:31-32

This week I have felt lost in a maze of stuff. Medical stuff, workplace stuff, family stuff. Obligations, responsibilities, personalities. World strife, political mayhem, power struggles.

God is looking for me and looking out for me as I stumble through the maze of life. When I remember God, remember to call out to God, remember to place my life and will into God’s gentle care, I am not lost but found and that is cause for rejoicing.

 

Humble pie

The Poor invited to the feast - Luke 14:15-24

JESUS MAFA. The poor invited to the feast, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

[Jesus said,] “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13-14

I cannot imagine seeking out the poor, crippled, lame, or blind to have a meal at my home. What would I cook for them, I who am not much of a cook? Annie’s gluten free macaroni and cheese?

I think the point Jesus is making is that I must learn to overcome self-centeredness and become aware of others and their needs. I must learn to help others quietly and unobtrusively, without expecting thanks or any kind of return. I must learn to give freely, with open hands, just as God gives me love and compassion without end. I must learn to welcome everyone I meet, not just those who might be able to further my career, or those who make me smile, or those whose opinions match my own. I must learn to look at everyone with eyes and heart open to see and welcome a precious child of God, a member of God’s beloved human family. I must learn that we all have a place at God’s table and my place is not at the head.

Martha and Mary

Johannes_(Jan)_Vermeer_-_Christ_in_the_House_of_Martha_and_Mary_-_Google_Art_Project

Luke 10:38-42
Johannes (Jan) Vermeer – Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1654
Google Art Project
Wikimedia Commons

I tend to be like Martha –  keeping busy, doing the laundry, making a meal, getting the groceries, rushing to work, paying the bills, checking my email… and welcoming friends and even strangers who need a listening ear.

On the other hand, I tend to be like Mary – taking time to ponder the things of God. I love to sit on my step and look at the trees and feel the Holy Spirit wind. I love to walk on the beach and feel the rhythm of the ocean and watch the sea gulls soaring. I love to talk to friends and hear their stories and insights about life. I love having time to do nothing in particular except be.

Jesus is right: Mary has chosen the better part. But he didn’t say that Martha’s part isn’t good or necessary. I think he is giving me a gentle reminder about balance. If I am a spiritual being in human form, then I need to consciously place my spirit in the presence of God every day.

Stones

Jesus_und_Ehebrecherin

Rembrandt, Jesus und Ehebrecherin
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Reproduced in the March 2013 edition of Give Us This Day

Who did I stone this week? Did I hurl negative words? Put-downs? Blame? Scorn? Did I put on an attitude of superiority? Did I cause injury by my indifference to others’ needs?

Who stoned me this week? Was I wounded by someone’s actions or words? Did I cast stones at myself for not being perfect? Did I damage my self-esteem by comparing myself negatively with others? Who did I turn to in my shame and pain?

God loves us unconditionally and asks us to do the same for ourselves and each other. Just for today let me be intentional about building up the kingdom of God by building up all those I encounter – including myself –  with kind words, generous actions, and responsible behavior.