The Journey Continues

 

Christ Bearing the Cross at Calvary

Andrea Da Firenze (1365-68)

Lent 2015 things that make me laugh (or not)

 

A modern painting 'Christ in Gethsemane' 

by Michael D O'Brian.

I am struck by the pain and agony that seems to be on Jesus' face as he thinks about what is to come. 

I should have posted this last year, maybe I did. Technology does funny things sometimes. It's not always easy to laugh sometimes pain and tears get in the pain. Laughter and tears perhaps belong together as part of the creative tension of life. Being human, and indeed being God, is not always easy.

Psalm 139

O Lord you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you (v1-3)

O search me, God, and know my heart.
O test me and know my thoughts.
See that I follow not the wrong path
and lead me in the path of life eternal (v23-24)

Grail Translation, Paulist press)

 

The Sheltered Path

By Claude Monet 1873 

Light of the World

 

This is my favourate Holman Hunt painting, 'Light of the World'.  We have a copy of it on the wall at John street Baptist Church, Stroud.  I also have my own copy of this wonderful painting and often find myself reflecting on it.  I love the way the moon casts a halo around Jesus' head.  

Jesus knocks at the door but the door handle is on our side of the door.  Unless you choose to open the door of your heart to Jesus he cannot and will not enter.  This is the free choice that God gives us - we can either accept Him or reject him.  Your choice....

Today is the start of Lent.  In past years I have joined with my Anglican Friends at college for their traditional Ash Wednesday service.  I have missed that this year.  Baptists are not terribly good at marking this point in the Christian callender; perhaps we should!

The shadow of death

I have been reflecting on this painting, 'The Shadow of Death' by Holman Hunt today.  As Jesus stretches his arms the evening light casts a shadow against the back wall and the tools hung on the back wall form a cross bar.  Although we do not see the woman's face we know that it is Mary who is opening a chest full of the gifts brought by the Magi at Jesus' birth.  But she is not looking in the box her eyes are stuck by the shadow that seems to be predicting what is to come.  

The painting  holds much more but I will leave you to ponder the significance of it in your own time... it's much more fun that way!

Holding hands with God

As the rain hides the stars,

as the autumn mist hides the hills,

as the clouds veil the blue of the sky,

so the dark happenings of my lot

hide the shining of thy face from me.

Yet, if I may hold thy hand in the darkness,

it is enough. Since I know that,

though I may stumble in my going,

thou dost not fall.

(Celtic, unknown)

This prayer was posted by Living Wittily recently http://livingwittily.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/02/  

I like the idea of holding hands with God as I stumble in the dark.