In What Ways Does God Speak To Us?

In today’s readings, God speaks to His people and shows them the promises of His covenants. Before Christ, God spoke plainly to His people, with direct words and stark actions. His prophets made public spectacles of themselves; the Ten Commandments were given in stone. As Abram made clear his position before God by prostrating himself, God spoke the blessings of His Covenant. The importance of obedience and respect are foremost in the first reading.

Jesus came as mediator of the New Covenant between God and man, a covenant presented in a whole new way. Jesus spoke the conditions of the New Covenant, “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.” He promises security from the death of sin, but He does not speak in the concise way to which the Jews were accustomed. To understand and come to accept this New Covenant requires a relationship with Jesus and a wrestling with His teaching, and reveals to humankind the call of a loving God who places Himself in our midst. God comes to us as a complex person, like us in all ways but sin.

Though there is an eternal depth to the person of Christ, He still makes Himself clear to us in little ways. Sacred art parallels both the simplicity and profound depth of Christ. Careful planning, measurements, and color choices are informed by a theology researched in depth and translated into visual terms. Well-made sacred art has layers of significance that might be unpacked in prayer and contemplation before the image, but it is also effective when simply pleasing, or just awe-inspiring. In the same way, God sometimes speaks in a clear action or moment, at others with a depth of meaning and subtlety that may take years to grasp.

Paul Jentz has been training as a religious artist since 2005, with a focus in Eastern Iconography and Western Romanesque and Gothic styles. Learn more about Paul and his art at: http://www.byhandofpaul.us/