Lessons & Carols: Peaceable Kingdom

Digital Illustration

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The Fourth Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-3a; 4a; 6-9

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

With righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,

and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

Go Tell It

18"x24" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...

...let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

Growing up, my Cumberland Presbyterian church family richly embraced Appalachian carols during Advent and Christmas. The sanctuary, filled with evergreens and candles, was especially warmed by the heart-felt strains of fiddles, hammer dulcimers and the upright bass. The refrain “Go Tell It on the Mountain” ran through our hearts like a mountain stream and lifted us up to higher ground. 

For this Advent’s art, the image is a sunrise on Isaiah’s “mountain of the Lord.” The sun is breaking over the ridge and beginning to overcome the dark. Our diverse and colorful world, which once appeared as a mass of shadow, is being beautifully revealed. 

May we all climb up to the mountain of the Lord and be illuminated by the Word of God. May we shout that gospel Word for all to hear. May it echo all the way down to the deepest valley—over the hills and everywhere.

"My Eyes Have Seen Salvation"

OK. I know for most of us Christmas is so 2009. But for many Christian traditions, the Incarnation of Christ is still being celebrated. This piece was created to to help celebrate the Advent and Christmas season of 2009/2010 for my church. It went with a series of sermons that were themed together under the title "People of The Promise".

This painting is set in the context of a story in Luke 2:21-35 where Jesus is being presented in the temple. It is the moment when Simeon holds Jesus and gazes on The Promise fulfilled. In the background, the witnesses are other figures of Jesus’ past, present and future, who’s eyes have also “seen salvation.”

From left they are:

Jeremiah (holding a staff intertwined with a vine sprouting a new shoot)

John the Baptist (placing a comforting hand on the shoulder of his mother)

Elizabeth

Mary (looking motherly towards Jesus. She also leans slightly towards Elizabeth hinting at a sense of closeness that only they can share.)

Joseph

Simeon (hunched over to bring the baby Jesus into view of his weary, aging eyes)

I love how this juxtaposes the timeline of events around Jesus. I also love the intergenerational nature of this piece. And when you think about it, this piece also has a lot of baptismal significance.

The story of Simeon is one of my favorite Christmas stories. But it is seldom read in worship. I think that is a major reason why I like it so much. When the rest of the world has had their fill of mangers and shepherds, it's nice to know there are still some Christmas surprises left in the scriptures.