This Advent painting ties our feelings of the dark, endless winter to the longing for Jesus' coming. Advent means arrival, and just like Israel waited for their King, and we wait for our Savior's second coming and His fully realized kingdom, we can glimpse a piece of this picture in nature. We know spring will come. We remember its promise of life, but it is not yet.
Though Christ is hidden from our eyes, he is also with us. This is represented through the tree that sustains the deer. In warmer days, deer eat leafy greens, flowers, and even fruit. When the cold comes in, and food dies back, deer turn to woodier bark for sustenance. This stripping often harms and kills the tree, and paints a beautiful picture of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It is he who sustains us. It is he who is our daily bread as we long for his return.
The Epiphany season celebrates Christ's manifestation to the Gentiles represented by His meeting the Magi. This painting celebrates Christ's Kingship and His promise to bring all things to completion for His good.
We have beautiful promises to reflect upon as we look forward to Christ's appearance to us: The sun and moon will no longer be our source of light when Christ will be our everlasting light. He shall rule from sea to sea. His love is steadfast throughout all generations and seasons. He is our Glorious Light!
As we prepare for Easter, we reflect first upon the season of Lent. Just as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness before the promised land, and just as Jesus has gone through the desert before us so that we may have new life, we as the church face a season of repentance and renewal.
This painting juxtaposes desert with garden. When we feel tempted, or alone, or thirsty for something to fill our desires, we must focus our eyes on Christ and find our full identity in what he has done for us.
As we celebrate Easter and Jesus Christ's victory over Satan, sin, and death, let us also relish in the beautiful season of spring. Now is the time where the earth bursts forth in life after winter's death, and echoes Christ's new life for us and in us.
The image of a nurse log is a small yet rich example of new life stemming from death. What lovely grace we are given that simple flowers can point us to our Beautiful Creator and Savior.
A beautiful image from the Christmas story is the contrast of God's glory appearing through his heavenly host of angels, and the humble shepherds watching their flock. One could argue angels and shepherds are at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding status and strength; the shepherds were filled with great fear! And yet, both were invited to Christ's birth, and both praised and glorified God for all they heard and saw.
This reminds us of Jesus' might and humility, his holiness and humanity, sewn together into one glorious Christ. He is the most tender King. He is both our Savior and our friend.
The Jesus Storybook Bible explains Pentecost beautifully: "Inside, in their hearts, they felt a strange heat, almost as if all the coldness and hardness were melting away. As if their broken hearts were mending. And God was giving them brand new hearts - hearts that could work properly. How it happened they didn't know, but they knew God's power had struck their hearts ablaze - and Jesus himself was coming to live inside them... ‘Make your home in me, as I make my home in you,' Jesus had said."
The growing brotherhood created by the Holy Spirit prepares us for the holy city upon Christ's return where neighbors share the peace of God's grace.