pastor || writer || speaker
Horace Pippin, Christ Crowned with Thorns; oil on canvas; 1938. Good Friday is a time when we in a serious and focused way turn our eyes upon Jesus our Messiah crucified. It is a time when remember the cost of our salvation in the grisly death of Jesus. Isaiah the prophet speaks to us: "Surely he …
Continue reading "Look at Him :: Horace Pippin, “Christ Crowned With Thorns”"
Marc Chagall, Anne invoque l'Eternal, etching; France: 1931-39, 1952-56. Lent brings us face to face with our own sins and brokenness, but also with our deepest desires. We all long for things, but many times we are afraid to voice them aloud. One of the most moving stories of Scripture arises within a marriage bereft of …
Continue reading "Calling Out with Longing to God :: Marc Chagall, “Hannah Prays to God”"
Theodore Prescott, All My Sins; Cherry, lead, hand-blown glass, paper ash, and silicon; 1996. When I was a new believer, I hungered for a deeper relationship with God. I followed the example of a mentor in my life who had taken a focused time to work his way through past sins as a means for …
Continue reading "Bringing Our Sins to the Cross :: Theodore Prescott, “All My Sins”"
Fra Angelico, The Annunciation; tempera on wood; between 1433 and 1434. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.From now on all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-48) "Love is blind." At least, that's how the saying goes. The …
Continue reading "Encountering the Merciful Love of God :: Fra Angelico, “The Annunciation”"
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Oil on canvas; 1668. One of the strangest things about us as people is how much we want to be close to people and also how easily we run away from relationships with others. Why is it that we both want to be known but also want …
Continue reading "Returning to God :: Rembrandt van Rijn, “The Return of the Prodigal Son”"
Matthew Erickson 