Bible, theology, culture, etc.
Awake, glad heart! get up and sing! It is the birth-day of thy King. Awake! awake! The Sun doth shake Light from his locks, and all the way Breathing perfumes, doth spice the day. Awake, awake! hark how th’ wood rings; Winds whisper, and the busy springs A concert make; Awake! awake! Man is their high-priest, and should rise To offer up the sacrifice. I … Continue reading “Christ’s Nativity” by Henry Vaughan
Jesus holds out a cup towards us and says, "Taste this blessing." Yet, when the cup comes around to Jesus, there is no blessing, there is only wrath.
Out of the night that covers me,Black as the pit from pole to pole,I thank whatever gods may beFor my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstanceI have not winced nor cried aloud.Under the bludgeonings of chanceMy head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tearsLooms but the Horror of the … Continue reading “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
The painting below, Charles Lutyen's Crucifixion, is one of the more jarring depictions of the death of Christ. The fear, pain, and utter bewilderment are powerfully etched on the faces of the mourners at Christ's feet. Not only are they witnessing the death of who they thought was their Messiah, but they are witnessing the death of … Continue reading Art Explained: Crucifixion
When I consider how my light is spent, Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bentTo serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide; “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” … Continue reading “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” by John Milton
Does Art still matter today? In the vast tubes of the internet, I stumbled across this incredibly thought-provoking long-form essay, "Enter the Supersensorium: The Neuroscientific Case for Art in the Age of Netflix" by neuroscientist Erik Hoel. It is just over 7,000 words (about a 45-minute read), and wades into some dense neuroscientific jungles (gamma-aminobutyric … Continue reading Entertaining Ourselves to Death: The Supersensorium
Art, beauty, aesthetics--these do not provide much for us in the way of utility and functionality, at least if we are thinking of those terms in their strictest of definitions. And yet, God seems to have filled our world with an abundance of beauty. We are naturally drawn to create art, to order our world … Continue reading What’s the Point of Beauty?
Am I a stone, and not a sheep,That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross,To number drop by drop Thy blood’s slow loss,And yet not weep? Not so those women lovedWho with exceeding grief lamented Thee;Not so fallen Peter, weeping bitterly;Not so the thief was moved; Not so the Sun and MoonWhich hid their … Continue reading “Good Friday” by Christina Rossetti
Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back Guilty of dust and sin.But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack From my first entrance in,Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning, … Continue reading “Love (III)” by George Herbert
Art...is a wonderful gift from God. Just as the Lord Himself is not truth and holiness alone but also glory, and one who spreads the beauty of His name abroad over all His works, so it is He, too, who by His Spirit equips the artists with wisdom and understanding and knowledge in all manner … Continue reading Bavinck on the Gift of Art
Marc Sims 