God has gifted me with another chance to paint at church, and I'm really excited for this one.
Instead of something spontaneous, or almost spontaneous, this piece has taken more planning, and feels more like a collaboration between God and myself rather than a "verbatim interpretation," for lack of a better phrase.This painting is for a Sunday that wraps up a series on Consecration at The Bridge.
Here's a link to media from those services.
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| http://www.thebridgeportage.org/listen-and-watch-online/ |
The inspiration for it came to me two or three weeks before I am to paint (which is tomorrow, as I write this) and I really wanted confirmation from God that this was what he wanted, because if it was all my imaginings, it would fail. The subject is too epic to attempt on my own power, and I didn't have as strong of a tug that this was from God. This image would be powerful if created successfully, and an embarrassing failure if I attempted it on my own. So, until I hear strongly otherwise, it's a slight risk. I am also grateful that my church family give me the freedom to paint "whatever I want," or more precisely, does not have any contention when I say that an image is from God. I am so grateful!! Of course, if they wanted a specific image illustrated, I would be happy to oblige. :) And I know that if I fail, they have the grace and forgiveness to deal with it. That's a big gift too! \
There were two specific sections of Scripture that inspired this piece.
Isaiah 6:1-4 and Hebrews 12:8-24. They are written out in the blog post here, but you can get out your Bible too!
So I enlisted a bunch of people to pray, and answers started to appear.
I haven't felt a "no" yet. And the very verses that inspired the painting showed up in the church messages, a week after "I had the idea."
The painting would be a comparison of the old glory found in the old covenant and the new life-giving glory in the new covenant.
Mt. Sinai, doomsy clouds, a dead goat, all very scary looking, and then above it the new glory of Heaven, with God on the throne and seraphim above him. There would be angels (without wings,) and an altar, and the lamb's book of life, and us consecrated by our death with Christ approaching the throne in confidence. And the crystal sea...And all I had at the time were two 30"x24" canvases. So I'm attaching them together to make one 5' canvas. And it would be painted live during the two services.
And my first thought after "hearing" all of this is "yeah, sure, let's do all of that in two hours....."
Maybe you can see why it's so important to get God's stamp of approval for things this epic. For whatever reason God has, the seraphim are important. I asked to see one in a dream to confirm the image, but the answer was no. That's ok. They were mentioned three times in the next church service, Isaiah 6:1-4 was quoted,Isaiah 6:1-4
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke."
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty:
" Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee, casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be."
So at that point, I figured I had my answer. But that didn't make the thought of filling a five-foot canvas in two hours any less daunting, especially when we're dealing with some big theology. And lambs and clouds, both of which I have been having an "interesting" time drawing these days. But this painting will be more controlled than the others, I think. And unlike the others, I sketched it out. I knew that this one would take more preparation.
Here's the sketch!
As you can see, the everyman priest is in the center. I intend to gesso a strip of paper to it after I attach them together. You other artists can understand my pain at trying to paint over that joint. Collaboration
God was very specific about many of the elements in this one. The design started out as two canvases, one to be done for each service. But that would give each glory an equal artistic and visual importance. I worked out how I could show the six wings of the seraphim. God wanted the altar to come out of Sinai. I think it was my idea to have the angels drawn as swooshes. And there were lots of design edits to the throne.What does this painting mean?
Holiness is a very serious concept, not to be taken lightly in a world where the sacred is mocked. The old testament people understood this and were taught with lethal lessons. The first glory was terrifying. Even when God asked them to come closer, they would not.
Exodus 20:18 "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."
But the glory that comes with the new covenant is bigger and is here now. And this is what the top part of the painting is about.
2 Corinthians 3
7 Now if the ministry that brought death,
which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the
Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its
glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Hebrews 2:11 "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters."
Ephesians 3:12
"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."And so, through our communion with Christ in his death, and the sacrifice he made once and for all as the Last Lamb, we are made Holy. We no longer have to be terrified to approach God when we are cleaned by Christ, and we have become the royal priesthood mentioned in 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." and that is why the everyman in the center is dressed like a priest and holding communion. And everyman approaches God. A very Holy God. A very Beautiful and Holy God. There is Christ the Last Lamb, and the Lamb's Book of Life, where names are written. And in that book is the very name of that person who comes before God.
I write this with a mixture of reverence and joy, and they are not opposed to each other.
Hebrews 12:8-24
"8 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d]22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."
So, there is a big painting happening at church tomorrow.
Here is is!
Here is is!
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| "Glory" 24"x60" Acrylic September 21, 2014 |
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