I've had an Epiphany!

John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and declared to his disciples, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 ). Just before we participate in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the Lord’s Supper, we sing, “O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us” (Agnus Dei in the Service of Word and Sacrament). We sing about the Lamb. We hear about the Lamb. We taste the Lamb. We often see images of the Lamb in our churches … but not quite like the image that Jonathan Mayer has created. Jonathan is a young, Lutheran artist whose art is filled with both symbolism and realism. You can check out Jonathan’s artwork at his website, Scapegoat Studio  or on Facebook . I asked Jonathan for his inspiration for creating his Behold the Lamb of God painting. He mentioned to me that Behold the Lamb of God did not come to him with a flash of inspiration. Rather, it came about in small steps with a lot of time and effort. You can examine some...

Worship Theme: The light of the world brings sight to the blind and judgment to the blinded. Faith means seeing Jesus as Savior: like the bronze serpent, we look on him and live. We were born in the blindness of sin, and without the light of Christ we could not find a way to safety. Christ comes to shine his light into our darkened eyes that we might see him and live. Yet for those who refuse to see their Savior in Christ, the blindness of unbelief remains. He gives gracious sight to the blind who trust in him; he gives blinding judgment on those who reject him; finally, he displays the work of God in the lives of those who now walk in the light of Christ. Old Testament:   Isaiah 42:14-21 "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. 16 I will ...

Pastor Emile J. Burgess Sermon— Colossians 2:13b-14 Midweek Lent Triumph of the Cross I don’t watch the show, though I hear it’s popular. If I’ve ever caught a snippet of it here or there, the humor seemed such to only appeal to our worldly nature. But for whatever reason, last week public radio aired a clip of dialogue from this TV show. The scene is this:  the pretty girl who lives across the hall has just given the nerdy guy a gift for some occasion. “ You got me a gift? Why did you do that? ” “ Because it’s a nice thing to do, ” she says. “ No! You didn’t give me a gift! You gave me an obligation! Now I have to do something for you! ” Do you know any people like that, people who have a hard time accepting a gift, who feel like they have to somehow repay you for it by giving something back to you? Where does that come from? Is it a fear that at some later time the gift will be held against them? “ You owe me! ” Is it a compulsion to always have the charity ledger bal...

Worship Theme: For most of us who have been acquainted with Christian teachings for many years, it’s an easy question. How are we saved? Answer: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. But for thousands of years, people didn’t have the knowledge of Jesus Christ. They knew only of a Messiah to come. Nonetheless, their faith was placed in the promise of God to send a Savior, and that faith—a forward-looking faith—was credited to them as the righteousness that God demands to enter heaven. The gift of God comes by faith to all nations. Not a holy life, not acts of obedience, but simple trust in the promise of God brings the gift of living water for thirsty souls. Abraham believed God’s promise and so became not only the father of a nation, but the forefather of the Promised Seed who would bless all peoples. He had faith in God who justifies the wicked, and so God credited it to him as righteousness. By this same faith, Christ gives righteousness to all who believe a...

Genesis 3:1-15 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together an...

The Gospel lesson for the 2 nd Sunday in Lent is the account of Jesus asking for water at Jacob’s well in Samaria , recorded in John 4:4-26. Stefano Erardi (1630-1716) created the painting of “Christ and the Samaritan woman.” Stefano was a French artist in the 17 th century whose work was mainly in the Mannerism  style. This painting is now at the  National Fine Arts Museum in Malta . As you focus on the details of the painting, you notice the Samaritan woman’s reaction of surprise as expressed by her hand placed against her chest as though in disbelief. Christ points a finger – not in accusation – but to communicate His innocent request for some water. Though He is the Messiah, He still portrays an expression of humility and compassion for this woman. It is hot in the noonday sun. Christ wishes for her find refreshment by drinking deeply from the water of life He is providing her – not in Jacob’s well, but in Himself and in His words. Christ offers living water to y...

Throughout history, Christian art has used various forms of imagery to convey Scriptural events, teachings or truths. Artists have used realism aiming for simplicity and clarity. Artists have also used symbolism to express deeper meanings that are often hidden in the artwork. Both realism and symbolism have their place in Christian art. This week our Christian churches are celebrating the season of Lent – a time of repentance over our sins and reflection on the suffering of Christ for those sins. The Old Testament lesson for the first Sunday in Lent is from Genesis chapter 3, as we read about Adam’s fall into sin. Christian art doesn’t only have to be ancient, classical and well-known. It can also be modern, original and created by lesser known artists. Epiphany Lutheran Church , where I serve in Racine , WI , has been blessed with new Lenten paintings that portray the events of Adam’s sin in Eden ’s garden and Jesus’ death for sin on Golgotha ’s hill. These pai...