Artists respond to God’s promises in Christ

I love to see the beauty that is created when people meet Jesus Christ. Throughout Christian history, the gospel has inspired some of the most beautiful art, music, and literature that the world has known. In our church, we try to value the artistic gifts that God generously gives. One of the ways that we are doing this in our CASKET EMPTY series is by inviting local artists to create banners in response to each letter of God’s redemptive story.

During my first meeting with the artists, they asked me directly: “Do you want us to depict the icons on the timelines or are you really inviting us to be creative?” I knew that one answer was right. I paused for a moment just to make sure. The answer was obvious. Here were artists asking for permission to respond creatively to God’s Word. I answered with a smile: “Be creative!” Their body language relaxed and I felt assured that I had answered from the Lord.

I have been deeply moved to see their artistic expressions in response to the promises of God. They have created large, original banners that now hang in the sanctuary. Each one has a story behind it. In this post, I will share two. One member of our community, Dawn, teaches art in a local high school. She was deeply moved in reflecting on God’s promises to Abraham. She depicted Abraham’s response of worship in anticipation of the cross.

Another member of our community, Kit, serves as a missionary in Thailand. She created the Sinai banner, depicting the ten commandments with ten different types of material. God calls to his people at the bottom in Hebrew letters Shema Israel: “Hear, O Israel.” The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deut 6:4). We are to love him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. His commandments are to be upon our hearts. We are to teach them diligently to our children. Kit has no biological children of her own. Yet, she has worked for more than ten years rescuing young women from the evil of human trafficking. She has baptized hundreds of these young women in the name of Christ. These are her children. They are descendants of Abraham. They are shining like the stars.

Dr. David L. Palmer