December 23: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith II
♫ Music:
Day 21 - Saturday, December 23
Title: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith II
Scripture: Galatians 3:7-14
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Poetry:
Redemption
By George Herbert
Having been tenant long to a rich lord,
Not thriving, I resolvèd to be bold,
And make a suit unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancel th’ old.
In heaven at his manor I him sought;
They told me there that he was lately gone
About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possessiòn.
I straight returned, and knowing his great birth,
Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts;
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth
Of thieves and murderers; there I him espied,
Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died.
AS NUMEROUS AS THE STARS
Today’s paintings present us with two different views of the heavens. In Fucikova’s contemplative painting, The Promise, an aged Abraham and Sarah look skyward at the tangible manifestation of God’s covenant that their offspring will be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 26:4). The second painting, Mollie Walker Freeman’s vivid portrayal of the Bethlehem Star, is a provocative splash of color directing all its viewers—and, of course, the wise men—to come behold the Christ child, born below in the quiet, unassuming city. Put side by side, these two art pieces tell a story of the night sky tracing from Abraham to Christ. As the generations passed and Abraham’s offspring became as numerous as the stars, in the fullness of time, a single star appeared above the City of David announcing a miraculous birth: the birth of Abraham’s greatest offspring of all, Jesus the Messiah.
The faith of Abraham that enables him to believe in the covenant given by God shows a complete surrender of earthly expectations in favor of heavenly ones. God’s promise to Abraham was not simply that he, Abraham, would be the father of a great multitude—even though, in Abraham and Sarah’s old age, that would be miracle enough! The incomprehensible mystery of the covenant was also that through Abraham’s offspring “all the nations shall be blessed” (Galatians 3:7). Abraham heard the promise of God and believed, despite his old age and the miracles needed to fulfill such a promise. It was through his faith that God considered Abraham justified, and it is through the same faith that all men are redeemed: not through the works of the law, but through belief in the promise of God.
George Herbert reflects on the radical faith required of an offspring of Abraham in his poem Redemption, faith that continues many generations later trading earthly expectations for heavenly ones. Much like the Hebrews in the days of Christ, the protagonist in Herbert’s poem sets out seeking a savior who is a king, dwelling in high estate. It is only after much vain seeking that he discovers him among thieves and murderers, dying for the debts of his dependents. What appears as the antithesis to the protagonist’s earthly expectations becomes the way in which this rich lord grants the requests of his tenant.
How marvelous, how wonderful, that the ways of God are inscrutable! It is through the paths that often appear the most incomprehensible that God works His saving grace, to bring salvation to His people. In Abraham, it was the promise of an impossible multitude of descendants; in Christ, it was the promise of redemption given to the Gentiles through a salvation of faith! Let us look heavenward this night and rejoice with the Psalmist who sings “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars” that the Morning Star was born in Bethlehem to make the nations blessed!
Prayer:
Lord above; bless us with peace to contemplate your heavens, even in this busy season. Teach us anew to walk in the faith of Abraham, and remind us that we are blessed through your promise and grace.
Amen
Ellie Martin
Academic Specialist
Torrey Honors Institute
Biola University
About the Artwork #1:
Renáta Fucíková
Colored inks on paper
From Stories from the Old Testament
The Promise is an illustration from the book, Stories from the Old Testament published in France and the Czech Republic. The book was awarded a prize in the Biennial of Illustration in Tehran in 1999 and was also on the IBBY Honor List in 1988 (The International Board on Books for Young People). Here Abraham and his wife Sara look up at a night sky filled with countless stars. Abraham, standing in a gesture of prayer, undoubtedly recalls the promise of God: “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Your offspring will be that numerous.”
About the Artist #1:
Renáta Fucíková (b. 1964) was born in Prague, Czech Republic. She graduated in illustration and graphic design from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Czech Republic. She has illustrated the fairy tales of Brothers Grimm, H.C. Andersen, Oscar Wilde as well as The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. She has produced various authored books, such as Vypráníze Starého Zákona (Stories from the Old Testament), Vyprávníz Nového Zákona (Stories from the New Testament), Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Jan Amos Komenský , in which her dramatic literary-visual style was utilized to narrate the life stories of some of the key figures of Czech and European history. Her opus magnum, the voluminous Historie Evropy (The History of Europe), traces crucial events in European history in the form of evocative word/image combinations. Her latest project is the comic-book biography of Czech composer Antonín Dvorák.
About the Artwork #2:
Bethlehem Star, 2014
Mollie Walker Freeman
House paint & paper collage on board
24″ x 30″
God’s promise to Abraham from Genesis 22:17 (“..blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven...”) is echoed in the promise pointed to by the star of Bethlehem.
About the Artist #2:
Mollie Walker Freeman is an abstract artist who attended Kansas City Art Institute and works with her husband Scott Freeman. Of her art making, she states: “I began making pictures almost before I could talk. I’ve never really stopped. In art college, I learned about seeing and painting, as well as other artists. In the years since then, I’ve raised 5 creative kids, along with my artist husband, Scott Freeman. We make our home in lovely Loveland, Colorado. People remain my favorite subject. They say you “can’t take it with you,” but I believe that relationships with other people, and with God, are all that we can actually take with us into eternity.”
About the Music:
“All Shall Be Well” from the album Good News
Lyrics:
He called him into the night, said,
Abram, count the stars so bright.
Through you true peace will come,
To every tribe and tongue.
Though no one knows my Name,
Blessing is coming all the same.
And all shall be well.
Now many years went by,
Of withered hopes, unanswered cries.
Till one night a virgin heard,
A cry that broke the silence of God.
That star above them bright,
Had shone for Abram that night.
This child so weak, so small,
Brings peace and rest to all.
And all shall be well.
The years unending seem,
Here in this in between.
“Peace on earth, Good for men”
Seems like it came and went.
The wars they linger on.
The darkness overcomes.
We need not stars but sun.
Break in O, Coming One.
Sometimes we cannot tell,
That You will make all well.
And all shall be well.
About the Composer:
Jill McFadden, a member of the musical group Ordinary Time, grew up playing music with her three younger sisters in Panama City, Florida. She studied music at Furman University and Theology & Culture at the Trinity Forum Academy in Maryland (a residential fellowship program started by Os Guinness) before heading to Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, to study Theology & the Arts. Jill wrote “All Shall Be Well” after struggling to find the right Advent song for a Lessons and Carols service she was leading. She ultimately created an eschatological song referencing the Abrahamic covenant and showing Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s calling. Jill and her husband Ian have two children and are church-planting in Baltimore, Maryland.
About the Performers:
Acoustic folk trio Ordinary Time is comprised of musician-scholars Peter La Grand (guitar, banjo, dobro), Ben Keyes (guitar, piano, mandolin), and Jill McFadden (guitar, violin). All three studied music independently before meeting in the Theology & the Arts program at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Together they bring a rich blend of intricate vocal harmonies, mature musicianship, and Americana/Bluegrass influences to create unique interpretations of beloved hymns, as well as thoughtful new songs.
About the Poet:
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest. Herbert’s poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets and he is recognized as “a pivotal figure: enormously popular, deeply and broadly influential, and arguably the most skilful and important British devotional lyricist.” Throughout his life, Herbert wrote Christian poetry with a precision of language and a masterful use of imagery. Some of Herbert’s poems have been turned into hymns and are still in use today.
About the Devotional Writer:
A San Francisco Bay area native, Ellie Martin moved to Los Angeles to attend the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University and complete her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. Currently, she is an academic specialist working for the Torrey Honors Institute. She spends her free time reading Russian literature, studying and stretching her faith, playing the piano, and trying as much third wave coffee as she can get her hands on. Ellie lives in Tustin, California, with her husband, Kyle.