January 6: A Glorious New Creation
♫ Music:
Day 35 - Saturday, January 6
EPIPHANY
Title: A GLORIOUS NEW CREATION
Scripture #1: Isaiah 65:17–19 (NKJV)
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”
Scripture #2: Isaiah 65:21–25 (NKJV)
“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord.
Scripture #3: Isaiah 66:22–23 (NKJV)
“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.
Poetry & Poet:
from “The Last Seven Words”
by Mark Strand
There is an island in the dark, a dreamt-of place
where the muttering wind shifts over the white lawns
and riffles the leaves of trees, the high trees
that are streaked with gold and line the walkways
there;
and those already arrived are happy to be the silken
remains of something they were but cannot recall;
they move to the sound of stars, which is also
imagined,
but who cares about that; the polished columns
they see
may be no more than shafts of sunlight, but for those
who live on and on in the radiance of their remains
this is of little importance. There is an island
in the dark and you will be there, I promise you, you
shall be with me in paradise, in the single season
of being,
in the place of forever, you shall find yourself. And
there
the leaves will turn and never fall, there the wind
will sing and be your voice as if for the first time.
A GLORIOUS NEW CREATION
I was raised in an American church that didn’t celebrate the liturgical year. Now, Advent and Lent are more often celebrated in churches like this, but the Feast of Epiphany still eludes many Christians. Epiphany (meaning “manifestation”) is often referred to as Twelfth Day (the number twelve often holds a deep meaning in Scripture) as it marks the end of Christmastide. Epiphany is also known as Three Kings Day to celebrate the three mysteries manifesting Jesus as God, the Son incarnate in flesh and His work to redeem and grant everlasting life to all who believe and surrender their lives to Him (John 3:16).
We can learn something from Epiphany and what the Messianic mysteries reveal in the four Gospels. Just as Jesus astonished the Jewish community and confounded the scholars and teachers of the Law with His radical wildness in both His Person and Work, Isaiah’s progressive visions in these sequential passages indicate that what we seek to understand about the material and spiritual reality of the coming New Heavens and the New Earth will be far more glorious than we could ever hope to imagine. But here at least, inspired poets, artists, and musicians can offer new ways to participate in Isaiah’s prophetic imagination through feeling, image, and sound.
As I read Isaiah 65:17-19, poet Mark Strand’s Seven Last Words strikes me with a felt experience of the glory and goodness of God. The mystery in this passage, while essentially understood, is emotionally and artistically satisfying when the inspired poet leans into the prophetic vision here:
and those already arrived are happy to be the silken
remains of something they were but cannot recall;
they move to the sound of stars, which is also imagined,
but who cares about that
The work Geheimnis: The Glory of the City of God, by American artist Kelly Kruse, illuminates Isaiah’s harmonic vision for all creation with this representational image of Earth seen in the in-between of the “here and not yet” age to come. In her artist statement, Kruse states:
“[A] foundational word for this body of work is the word Geheimnis [guh-heim-niss], which is German for secret. As I made this work, I tried to keep these things in mind: God is unseeable, and yet, he invites us to look for him. God is incomprehensible, and yet he invites us to know him.”
Kruse invites us to consider the unseen and quotes Hebrews 13:14 “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” In this work we see the old world fading away, and the emergence of the New Heavens and New Earth, united at last and rising like the golden dawn of a new day.
As I contemplate Kruse’s contemporary illumination, I recall Strand’s poetry:
There is an island
in the dark and you will be there, I promise you, you
shall be with me in paradise, in the single season of being,
in the place of forever, you shall find yourself. And there
the leaves will turn and never fall, there the wind
will sing and be your voice as if for the first time.
In the choral music of Carl F. Schalk, Isaiah’s third text Isaiah 66:22-23 is given beatific sound in the work, I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth. Harmonic voices begin with a hushed and reverent approach as if the singers are physically and spiritually drawing near to the mystery of the New Creation. Theologically, the way in which the male and female singers engage in a collaborative call and response anticipates the fulfillment of God’s desire that “all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” and points to the New Testament’s teaching of the priesthood of all believers. One day, all children of God will be unhindered in songs of praise and worship before God Himself Who will dwell in their midst and will make Himself at home in their hearts and everlasting lives.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Who You are and Whose we are because Jesus came to deliver us from the curse of sin and death. Your word makes plain that our worst enemy is not external forces but ourselves. We confess that all creation suffers under our brokenness and rebellion. We can barely make sense of the mystery of the glorious New Creation yet these passages and the hundreds of specific Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled reveals that Your love is more extravagantly unbound and borderless in every possible way. So, we who belong to You, yield and long for You in prayer, May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
In Jesus’s mighty name we pray,
Amen.
Alexandra Jean Davison, M.Div , M.Litt.
Director for Culture Care with
Artists in Christian Testimony International (A.C.T. Intl.)
Houston, Texas
Artists in Christian Testimony Intl
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
Geheimnis: The Glory of the City of God
Kelly Kruse
Acrylic ink, mica powder, metal shards, marble dust, acrylic, and gold foil on canvas, mounted on wood
36 x 36 in.
Below is an edited version of artist Kelly Kruse’s thoughts and inspiration regarding her painting entitled Geheimnis: The Glory of the City of God .
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’" –––Revelation 21:2–4
Babylon, Nineveh, Persepolis, Alexandria, Rome, Jerusalem, Athens: these are all ancient cities whose splendor, wealth, and glory seemed eternal. Some are lost altogether, some have been destroyed by time or war, and others have slowly evolved over the centuries with an ebb and flow of influence. Cities have the power to be places of light. They are often a hub for bright ideas, innovations, and culture. Flourishing art, beauty, and civilization are gifts of God’s common grace, but they are no guarantee for eternity. Cities, too, have the potential to be places of deep darkness, for in them you will find oppression, poverty, sickness, and misery. These are problems that no city in any era of human history has solved in any kind of meaningful way. The Bible says that God has a city for us. It is an eternal city, an anti-Babylon, and we get glimpses of it in the Old Testament in Psalm 87:3, Psalm 46:4–5, and Isaiah. Jesus spoke to his followers in the Sermon on the Mount and said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 Jesus self-sacrificially made it possible for us to reenter the space where heaven and earth overlap. And the place is made available in part to us now, not in some distant future. This is why Jesus calls his followers, collectively, a city set on a hill. In this city, there is hope for security, beauty, peace, and joy.
About the Artist:
Kelly Kruse (b. 1985) uses her work to explore the painful, beautiful experience of human transience, longing, and suffering. As a response to her battle with depression, she developed a visual devotional practice, through which she wrestles with beauty, history, and theology. Kruse describes her work as contemporary illumination. Like the Medieval monks who perfected the art of illuminated manuscripts, she seeks to awaken in the viewer a sense of spiritual contemplation. Her first exposure to the idea of illumination came when she studied Medieval and Renaissance music in Italy. Her background in classical music and opera puts her in a unique position to explore the intersections between Scripture, poetry, musical works, and the visual arts. She has exhibited her work at galleries and institutions across the country and her work is featured in collections around the world. In addition to her painting practice, Kelly is an active classical musician and maintains a private studio as a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
www.kellykrusecreative.com/
About the Music:
“I Saw a New Heaven and New Earth” from the album Christ Be Our Seed
Lyrics:
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
And I saw a new heaven, a new earth.
For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
And the sea was no more,
And the sea was no more,
And the sea was no more,
And the sea was no more,
And the sea was no more.
And I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem,
Coming down out of heav’n from God,
Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard the voice from the throne saying,
“Behold the dwelling of God is with men.”
He will dwell with them and they shall be His people.
And God Himself shall be with them.
He will wipe away,
He will wipe away,
He will wipe away,
He will wipe away every tear,
Every tear from their eye.
And there shall be,
And there shall be,
And there shall be,
And there shall be no more,
Death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning,
Or dying or pain any more.
For the former things have passed away,
For the former things have passed away,
For the former things have passed away,
For the former things have passed away,
For the former things have passed away,
For the former things have passed away,
Have passed, have passed away.
For the former things have passed away.
Have passed away.
About the Composer:
Carl Flentge Schalk (1929–2021) was a noted Lutheran composer, author, and lecturer. Between 1965 and 2004 he taught church music at Concordia University Chicago. During this time he guided the development of the university's Master of Church Music degree, which has since graduated more than one hundred forty students. Schalk was a member of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, which produced the Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978. Schalk graduated in 1952 from Concordia University Chicago with a B.S. in education and proceeded to earn a M.Mus. from the Eastman School of Music and an M.A.R. from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis. Schalk is well-known for his numerous choral compositions as well as his hymn tunes and carols, which number over one hundred. Schalk's hymn tunes may be found in modern Christian hymnals of various denominations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Schalk
About the Performers:
American Repertory Singers (ARS) with Washington Symphonic Brass
The American Repertory Singers (ARS), under the musical direction of Dr. Leo Nestor, is a professional vocal ensemble resident in Washington, D.C. First established in 1994 to record new-issue releases for E. C. Schirmer Music Company, the ensemble has become one of America’s premier chamber choruses. Their singing has authority, conviction, and an impressive display of exquisite choral sound. Works by David Conte, Richard DeLong, Frank Ferko, Daron Hagen, Jane Marshall, Leo Nestor, Daniel Pinkham, Carl Schalk, and Gwyneth Walker are well represented in the recording repertoire of ARS. Live performances have also included works by Brahms, Britten, Desenclos, Durufle, Fissinger, Felciano, Howells, Hurd, Mozart, Near, and Vittoria, as well as plainsong chant. Although ARS performs music of all periods, the chorus particularly espouses American music of our day.
https://www.singers.com/choral/americanrepsingers.html
The Washington Symphonic Brass (WSB) is composed of some of the finest professional musicians in the Washington/Baltimore area. While the members are in constant demand for orchestral, solo, and chamber music performances, they have assembled to play some of the great works written for large brass ensembles. Individually, the members of the WSB have performed with many of the nation's best orchestras, such as the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, among other illustrious institutions. Specializing in compositions written for large brass ensemble and percussion (four trumpets, four horns, four trombones, euphonium, tuba, timpani, and percussion instruments), with organs, choruses, and other instruments optional, the varied repertoire of the Washington Symphonic Brass covers five centuries.
https://www.wsbrass.com/
Leo Nestor (1948–2019) was among the four founding members of the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians. As founder, conductor, and artistic director of the American Repertory Singers, a professional vocal ensemble specializing in the performance and recording of contemporary literatures, Dr. Nestor produced eight recordings on Arsis Audio, notably Come to Me: Love Songs by American Composers, along with many seasons of new-issue recordings for ECS. He taught at Mt. St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, and served as professor of graduate conducting at St. John's University, Collegeville. From January of 1984 through July of 2001, Dr. Nestor was music director at Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He was commissioned to compose works for the US visits of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Commissioned works increasingly formed a significant part of Prof. Nestor’s output.
https://www.giamusic.com/store/artists/leo-nestor
About the Poetry and Poet:
Mark Strand (1934–2014) is recognized as one of the premier American poets of his generation, as well as an accomplished editor, translator, and prose writer. The hallmarks of his style are precise language, surreal imagery, and the recurring theme of absence and negation. Named the US Poet Laureate in 1990, Strand’s career spanned five decades, and he won numerous accolades from critics and a loyal following among readers. In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection Blizzard of One.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mark-strand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Strand
About the Devotion Author:
Alexandra Jean Davison, M.Div., M.Litt.
Director for Culture Care with
Artists in Christian Testimony International (A.C.T. Intl.)
Houston, Texas
https://www.actinternational.org/welcome
Alexandra Jean Davison is an artist and the director for Culture Care, a ministry department of Artists in Christian Testimony International (A.C.T. Intl.). Her Culture Care blog and work equips churches to show Christ in hospitable explorations in faith, imagination, and artistry. She received a M.Div in Apologetics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. She then went on to receive a M.Litt in Theology, Imagination and the Arts at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. She lives in Houston, Texas, USA.
For more information, see www.culturecarerdu.com