40 Days: Day 37: The Basin and the Towel

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

And the call is to community

In an upstairs room, a parable
Is just about to come alive
And while they bicker about who's best
With a painful glance, He'll silently rise

Their Savior Servant must show them how
Through the will of the water
And the tenderness of the towel

And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility, to take the vow
That day after day we must take up the basin and the towel

In any ordinary place
On any ordinary day
The parable can live again
When one will kneel and one will yield

Our Saviour Servant must show us how
Through the will of the waterAnd the tenderness of the towel

The space between ourselves sometimes
Is more than the distance between the stars
By the fragile bridge of the Servant's bow
We take up the basin and the towel

And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility, to take the vowThat day after day we must take up the basin and the towel

-Michael Card

-- LISTEN TO THE SONG --

John 13:1-17

Faith (Parable of the Mustard Seed)

30"x36" Oil on Gallery Canvas

SOLD

What is the kingdom of God like?

Jesus explains it to us using the imagery of a mustard seed. They are the smallest of seeds and produce trees large enough for birds to find rest in their branches. Jesus doesn't stop there. Later, in two gospels, Jesus uses the imagery again to explain the nature of faith. When his disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, he tells them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they could do wondrous things.

This painting tries to illuminate both teachings. Here you can see the scale of this paradox. The great tree has grown form the tiny seed and is host to a diversity of birds. As our faith grows, we become something greater than ourselves. We become the shelter, nurture and sustenance for others. You can also see roots in the soil—reaching deep to underground waters. These represent the "behind-the-scenes" mysteries that nourish our faith. Our baptism and the nurture of the church gives our faith the best conditions for growth. 

We need not discourage ourselves for our lack-luster feelings of faithfulness. Our limitations and shortcomings are not what defines us as people of God's kingdom. It is only the miraculous grace of God that transforms us from mediocrity into sainthood. 

May your faith so bloom.

Let the Children Come

“Not now, I’m Busy.” How many times have we adults and parents brushed away a child asking us for something or inviting us into their world with words like these? We can get so caught up in our busy lives that we all too often think we have too little time or patience for children. Our tasks can seem so important compared to a child’s seemingly trivial concerns. If there was any adult who had so much “important” work as to not have time for children, it would have been Jesus. But, in the midst of his journey towards Jerusalem, when the pressure to get his message out was great, Jesus made time for children. When his disciples scolded their parents for bothering the Master with someone so trivial as children, Jesus rebukes them by saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Children are like lights. They sparkle with wonder, imagination, love and faith. The second we take the time to stop what we’re doing and welcome a child into our heart, we become illuminated by their light. And for a moment, our worries go away and our burdens are lightened. It is this magic that I tried to capture in paint.

Although the scene here is not literal to the context of the story, I believe the message still speaks. Jesus often went off by himself to pray. I imagined him taking such a rest under a tree in the heat of the day. Some children, who may have been playing near by, happen across Jesus. More children of different ages approach Jesus. Some are reserved. Some frolic and prance, some tug and play with his cloak. Jesus welcomes them all. The scene is speckled with light dancing through the trees. And the Kingdom of God is displayed.

So the next time a child comes to you to show you their drawing, tell you what they’ve discovered, asks you for help, or invites you to play tag, take a moment and welcome them into your so busy and complicated life. You just might be enlightened by a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.