Risen Tide
Canvas: 20” x 24”
Theme: Risen Tide
Date: Easter Sunday—April, 4th, 2021
Cost: $300
“He is not here; he was raised, just as he said. Come look at the place where he was placed.” –Mathew 28:6 [The Message]
Doug Glynn, a pastor at Hope Covenant Church, talked about the Bible’s account of the resurrection of Jesus and aspects that assure him it’s true. Such as: The Bible listing two women as the first witnesses to the resurrection at a time when men of power didn’t accept the testimony of women; the disciples portraying themselves as cowards; the disciples themselves doubting the first reports that Jesus had risen (even thinking that the body must had been stolen); a member of the Jewish Counsel, Joseph of Arimathea, taking the risk of getting permission to bury Jesus in his own tomb. At the end, Doug gave an invitation to accept the amazing gift of Jesus’ life by believing in Jesus and his finished the work: dying our death on the cross and raising us to life in him three days later.
For the image, I was inspired by a rousing gospel piece sung at the beginning of the service which gave me a picture of a man leaping in exuberant joy. I also saw a powerful force exploding and catapulting him forward. So, I went to work on the figure, but I wasn’t sure what form could represent this “force.” Then I saw a wave. In the Bible, water is a symbol for both death (The Great Flood), and life (“living water”=Jesus). So, the wave crashes down and kills our old Do-It-Yourself-identity. But, right after, an effervescent foam blasts out vibrant new Life!
Within the past 2 weeks I have felt as though I, myself, was being crushed by a stressor in my own life. It brought me quickly to a place of fear and feeling far from God—I broke down in tears at one point. I eventually said, “This life is yours, Jesus. Do with it what you will.” From that point, I have experienced a lightness, calm and even greater sense of control. This, for me, is even more proof still that Jesus is RISEN indeed, and that we are ALL risen WITH him!! We just have to believe it to experience it.