January 3: The Gift of Children
♫ Music:
Day 34 - Friday, January 03
Title: The Gift of Children
Scripture #1: Genesis 1:28a (NKJV)
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
Scripture #2: Psalm 127:3-5a (NKJV)
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
Scripture #3: Mark 10:14b-16 (NKJV)
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
Poetry:
“Children”
by Patricia Kathleen Page
More than discovering for the first time, they renew
an acquaintance with all things as with flowers they saw in
dreams.
And delicate as a sketch which they have made, through being,
they merge in a singlar way with their own thoughts,
drawing an arabesque with a spoon for fork
casually on the air behind their shoulders
or talk in a confidential tone as if
their own ears held the hearing of another.
Legs in the dance go up as though on strings
pulled by their indifferent wanton hands
while anger blows into them and through their muslin
easily as sand or wind.
Older they become round and hard, demand
shapes that are real, castles upon the shore
and all the lines and angles of tradition
are mustered by them in their eagerness
to become whole, fit themselves to the thing
they see outside them,
while the thing they left
lives like a caul in some abandoned place,
unremembered by fingers or the incredibly bright
stones which, for a time, replace their eyes.
THE GARDEN DANCES AROUND THE CHILDLIKE HEART
When peering into the moment painted by artist John Singer Sargent, my gaze doesn’t necessarily linger with the children in the image. This surprises me as I expect them to be the focal point of the painting. Their faces without much expression may not have necessarily been the focus of the artist’s brush. Sargent draws us into the garden perhaps more even than the girls’ interactions with the garden. We enter just during the moment of change from the light of the sun to the light of the lanterns. Dusk. That beautiful time of day when our hearts may still at the glimpses of creation’s gentle visual whispers.
Those whispers are heard also in the voices of the St. Olaf Choir singing “What kind of love the Father's given, that we be called Children of God.” I’m writing this just after hearing news about my dad’s sudden passing. The flood of pictures of my father’s caring eyes turned towards me flash like polaroids through my mind. It is not lost on me that it is a privilege to be able to grieve so desperately the loss I feel because of the incredible gift this man was––both as a father and a friend. The words from today’s music performed by the St. Olaf Choir are so close to the call of my heart, “Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord His children sever; unto them His grace He showeth and their sorrows all He knoweth.” Sargent’s canvas takes the dimming light of day and transitions us beautifully by the traveling glow of the lantern lights to the surrounding garden and children.
Our Scriptures for today begin with the charge for Adam and Eve to “fill the earth and subdue it” with the children who “are a heritage from the Lord.” The final verses from Mark 10 give us Christ’s words to “let the children come” as this is “the Kingdom of God.” Jesus goes further with his words, though, and says if anyone “does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child” he will “by no means enter it.” So, we watch the children drawn to the illumination of the lanterns. The light and color, the shapes, and patterns, all become the focus and purpose of the harmony in this dusk dusted moment.
This convergence of the garden with the children makes me consider the perfection, innocence, and beauty of the Garden of Eden. P. K. Page’s poem traces the journey of a child’s imagination at play in the garden, only to lose the dreams the child carries for need of things outside of herself as she ages. I wonder if this is some of the heart behind the words of Christ, that the Kingdom of God can be lost if we abandon the innocent pursuit––children, drawn by dreams towards an awe of God as His garden dances in the subtle light of the lanterns. I long to dance through His gardens in Heaven with my earthly father.
Perhaps attention to the art itself instead of ourselves could be a way for us to move like innocent children towards the Creator as we are captivated by his painting. Perhaps the heavy loss of the perfect garden disappears as we come simply, like children, towards the light of life. We aren’t the focus of the painting. He, the artist, is. So, we come.
Prayer:
All-seeing, all-knowing, all-loving Heavenly Father, we thank You for your father’s gaze towards us. As we find more and more freedom in You, I pray we will see the handiwork of Your creation around us and joyfully enter into the worship of You. May we long for the day when we’ll enter into Your Heavenly Glory and dance through Your gardens with those who have gone before us.
Amen
Tamara J. Welter, Ph.D.
Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media
Baylor University
Waco, Texas
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 Artwork:
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
John Singer Sargent
c. 1885–1886
174.0 × 153.7 cm.
The Tate Britain
London, England
Public Domain
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent depicts two young sisters dressed in white who are lighting Chinese paper lanterns in the magical twilight time of day. They are in a garden, a kind of garden of Eden, strewn with pink roses and accents of yellow carnations, and white lilies behind them. The painting is dominated by deep blue-green foliage, with no horizon or other horizontal line to give the viewer a sense of depth. It’s an image of complete childhood innocence and purity. The two subjects of the painting are the daughters of the illustrator Frederick Barnard, a friend of Sargent's. The title comes from the refrain of a then-popular song, "Ye Shepherds Tell Me" by Joseph Mazzinghi, a pastoral chorus for a trio of male voices, which mentions Flora wearing "a wreath around her head, around her head she wore, / Carnation, lily, lily, rose."
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sargent-carnation-lily-lily-rose-n01615/audio-description-carnation-lily-lily-rose
About the Artist:
John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly nine hundred oil paintings and more than two thousand watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. His oeuvre documents worldwide travel, from Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, Spain, the Middle East, Montana, Maine, and Florida. Born in Florence to American parents, he was trained in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter. From the beginning, Sargent's work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for its supposed superficiality. His commissioned works were consistent with the grand manner of portraiture, while his informal studies and landscape paintings displayed a familiarity with impressionism. In later life Sargent expressed ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work and devoted much of his energy to mural painting and working in plein air.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent
About the Music:
“Children of the Heavenly Father” from the album Great Hymns of the Faith, Vol. 1
Lyrics:
Children of the heav'nly Father,
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.
God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
Tho' He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
Pure and holy, pure and holy.
About the Composer:
Caroline W. Sandell Berg (1832-1903), better known as Lina Sandell, the "Fanny Crosby of Sweden," was a Swedish poet and author of gospel hymns. Berg was the daughter of a Lutheran pastor to whom she was very close; she wrote hymns partly to cope with the fact that she witnessed his tragic death by drowning. Many of her 650 hymns were used in the revival services of Carl O. Rosenius, and a number of them gained popularity particularly because of the musical settings written by gospel singer Oskar Ahnfelt.
About the Performers: St. Olaf Choir with Anton Armstrong, conductor
The St. Olaf Choir, with seventy-five mixed voices, is the premier a cappella choir in the United States. For over a century, the choir has set a standard of choral excellence and remained at the forefront of choral artistry. Conducted since 1990 by Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Choir continues to develop the tradition that originated with its founder, F. Melius Christiansen. Since its founding in 1912, the St. Olaf Choir has set a standard in the choral art, serving as a model for choirs of all levels. The ensemble’s annual tour brings its artistry and message to thousands of people across the nation and around the world. The St. Olaf Choir has taken fourteen international tours and performed for capacity audiences in the major concert halls of Norway, France, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the Twin Cities.
https://wp.stolaf.edu/choir/
Anton Armstrong is the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Chair in Music, professor of music at St. Olaf College, and conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, a position he assumed in 1990. A graduate of St. Olaf College, Armstrong earned a M.A. at the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Dr. Armstrong is widely recognized for his work in the area of youth and children’s choral music. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. In 2005, the St. Olaf Choir shared the stage with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in presenting the finale concert for the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association at the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, California. In 2006, Baylor University selected Anton Armstrong from a field of 118 distinguished nominees to receive the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching. He spent February–June 2007 in residency at Baylor University as a visiting professor. In 2014, the St. Olaf Choir and Dr. Armstrong received a regional Emmy for the PBS special entitled Christmas in Norway with the St. Olaf Choir.
https://www.stolaf.edu/profile/armstrong
About the Poetry & Poet:
Patricia Kathleen Page (1916–2010) was a Canadian poet, novelist, scriptwriter, playwright, essayist, journalist, librettist, teacher and artist. She was the author of more than thirty published books that include poetry, fiction, travel diaries, essays, children's books, and an autobiography. As a visual artist, she exhibited her work as P. K. Irwin at a number of venues in Canada and abroad. Her works are in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Burnaby Art Gallery. By special resolution of the United Nations, in 2001 Page's poem "Planet Earth" was read simultaneously in New York, the Antarctic, and the South Pacific to celebrate the International Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._K._Page
About the Devotion Author:
Tamara J. Welter, Ph.D.
Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media
Baylor University
Waco, Texas
Dr. Tamara Welter is currently serving as research faculty at Baylor University in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media. Prior to joining the faculty at Baylor, Tamara served as faculty at Biola University for almost twenty years. Welter’s research focuses on how people see, specifically looking at how culture influences the reading of meaning in images. She believes visual media is one of the most powerful vehicles for communicating messages of truth and impacting societies around the world.