March 24: “I Will Send the Helper to You”
♫ Music:
Day 36- Wednesday, March 24
Title: “I WILL SEND THE HELPER TO YOU”
Scripture: John 16:5-15;23;33
But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (The Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Poetry:
Peace
by Agnes Lee
Suddenly bells and flags!
Suddenly—door to door—
Tidings! Can we believe,
We who were used to war?
Yet we have dreamed her face,
Knowing her light must be,
Knowing that she must come.
Look—she comes, it is she!
Tattered her raiment floats,
Blood is upon her wings.
Ah, but her eyes are clear!
Ah, but her voice outings!
Look—she is here, she lives!
Beauty has died for her.
Soon where shrapnel fell
Petals shall wake and stir.
I WILL SEND THE HELPER TO YOU
In John 16 Jesus repeats his promise to send the disciples a Helper, an offer usually met with gratitude. I think of the time I was ill and my mother moved in to care for my children. Or, when I was overwhelmed with the need to meet a deadline and a colleague offered to complete some of the tasks. I greatly welcomed these helpers. But in our passage today, this offer is met with confusion, even resistance, as it meant Jesus would be leaving them.
We, who know the “rest of the story,” would want to assure the disciples that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would truly be beneficial to them and to all who are believers. We know this Paraclete to be our comforter, teacher, a source of power, and so much more. But the disciples would be more likely to interpret a Paraclete as one who offers legal assistance, as in a defense attorney or advocate. Because they could not know the scope of this Helper’s role, Christ gives them a few examples of what they should expect.
As I studied this passage in light of today’s artwork by Makoto Fujimura, various aspects of the Helper’s promised role came alive. According to the artist, he named this piece Pentecost to evoke images of the tongues of fire experienced when the Holy Spirit descended, as well as the burning bush in Moses’ confrontation with God. That can be clearly seen. For me, however, in light John 16, the splashes of red were not fire, but images of the blood shed by Christ, as foretold in his “going" (verse 7). The undercoating of black that breaks through speaks of the conviction of sin that the Helper would bring (verse 8). The mysterious, flattened gold reflects the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit, to glorify Jesus (verse 14). And, finally, I see the hope of heaven promised in the white horizon of the right corner.
The promise of peace (verse 33) is reflected in the poetry of Agnes Lee, written at the end of WWI. We are reminded that even though death had claimed Beauty, the resurrection made the world new, and peace reigns. The disciples could not see through to a time when the renewal of creation would be a result of Christ’s death. Urban Doxology picks up on Christ’s promise that the Helper will “purify our love, ignite in us your power,” and place us in a “holy place of God.”
The question remains, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in my life during this Lenten season? Am I allowing him to glorify Jesus through me?
Prayer:
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend that is holy;
Guard me then, O Holy Spirit, that always I may be holy.
(St. Augustine of Hippo, AD 354—430)
Dr. Dianne Collard
Alumna of Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University
Founder of ArtsCharlotte in North Carolina
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:
Pentecost
Makoto Fujimura
Mineral pigments and gold on Kumohada on board
2008
From the CD Images of Faith, CIVA
Makoto Fujimura is known for his use of traditional Japanese Nihonga techniques and his passion for reconnecting Christian faith with fine art. Noted artist and critic Robert Kushner has written: “The idea of forging a new kind of art, about hope, healing, redemption, refuge, while maintaining visual sophistication and intellectual integrity is a growing movement, one which finds Makoto Fujimura’s work at the vanguard.” Fujimura fuses traditional Nihonga painting with the techniques of Western Abstract Expressionism. He has a particular affinity for using stone-ground minerals such as gold, platinum, malachite, azurite, and cinnabar. Fujimura believes that the minerals—particularly gold—allow for a fuller exploration between the essential flatness of abstraction and the interior space of representation. “Gold is that paradox: it creates space (by being semi-transparent) and remains flat (by being mirror-like) at the same time,” he says. His art, while largely abstract, is never remote or cold. Rather, it always brushes against the edge of mystery, inviting us in, asking us to trust that there is order behind chaos and grace behind pain.
https://imagejournal.org/artist/makoto-fujimura/
About the Artist:
Makoto Fujimura (b. 1960) is a leading contemporary artist whose process driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.” Fujimura is also an arts advocate, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer. Fujimura's paintings are a combination of the traditional Japanese painting style known as Nihonga and Abstract Expressionism. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. Fujimura's journey of faith is recounted in his book "Silence and Beauty.” When he was in Japan studying traditional methods in Japanese art, Fujimura was searching for deeper meaning and purpose in life. It was not until he read the poems of William Blake, where he found new meaning in Christianity and began his journey of faith in Christ. His books Refractions, Culture Care and Art & Fatih; A Theology of Making reflect many of his views on arts advocacy and faith. Fujimura founded the International Arts Movement (IAM) in 1992 and IAMCultureCare in 2011, which oversees the Fujimura Institute. In 2011, Fujimura launched the Four Qu4rtets project, a collaboration between painter Bruce Herman, Duke theologian/pianist Jeremy Begbie, and Yale composer Christopher Theofanidis, based on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. He is a recipient of four Doctor of Arts Honorary Degrees from Belhaven University in 2011; Biola University in 2012; Cairn University in 2014; and Roanoke College, in February 2015. Fujimura’s art has been featured widely in galleries and museums around the world, and is found in collections including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo; The Huntington Library in San Marino, California; as well as Tikotin Museum in Israel.
https://www.makotofujimura.com/
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/early-church-history/pentecost/where-did-pentecost-come-from.html
ttps://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/pentecost-resource-guide-slideshow
About the Music:
“Spirit Send Your Fire” from the album Bread for the Journey
Lyrics:
We want Your Kingdom, rule and reign
Our divisions keep us chained
Our sins so great we can’t ignore
You’re the One that can restore
Spirit send Your fire
Purify our love
Ignite in us Your power
A holy blaze from God
Spirit Send Your fire
Buildings crumble all around
Broken systems weigh us down
Divided people, rich and poor
You’re the One that can restore
Spirit send Your fire
Purify our love
Ignite in us Your power
A holy blaze from God
Spirit Send Your fire
You got that fire, I know You got it
You are the hottest,
Just being honest, often forgotten
The enemy plotting won’t stop at trying to extinguish me
From the God who promised not to relinquish me
From His plans,
Though I admit I don’t really understand
Been captive to sin, afraid of what people will say
If I really lived my life to see people saved
But, the mission is written look at the lyrics in Scripture
We’re called to be different, not to be bound by division
So Lord we need vision, hope for a system
That protects the oppressed, Jesus is our ignition
But we gotta have a purified army
Holy Spirit send ya F-I-R-E
We need you, We need you to send it!
We need you, We need you to send it!
We need you, We need you to send it!
We need you, We need you to send your fire!
About the Composers and Performers:
Urban Doxology and Rashad “Shad E.” Lowery
Urban Doxology is a ministry that writes the soundtrack of reconciliation in the racially diverse neighborhood of Church Hill, Richmond, VA. The band evolved out of the Urban Songwriting Internship Program that is a partnership with Arrabon and East End Fellowship. Most of the band members are an active part of East End Fellowship, a community that endeavors to be a faithful presence seeking God’s joy and justice for their neighborhood out of love for Christ. Urban Doxology is a ministry of Arrabon. Many members of the group collaborated to compose this song: founder David Bailey, vocal director Jessica Fox, Elena Aronson, and guest musicians Mary Hall, Matt Howdershell, Cassy McKenzie, Kevon “KP” Purdie, Kyle Thornton, and Brooke Winters.
http://www.urbandoxology.com/about
David M. Bailey has spent the last fifteen years using music as a tool in the reconciliation process. David is the founder of Arrabon, a nonprofit that helps communities understand diversity and reconciliation through the vehicles of cultural training and music. He is an active member of a multicultural Christian faith community that endeavors to be a faithful presence for both the poor and rich in the neighborhood of Church Hill. Over the last five summers, he has conducted an urban songwriting internship to create new songs with people of diverse ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds in order to tell new stories and create spaces of belonging in his community. David is the author of Arrabon: Learning Reconciliation through Community and Worship Music and the producer of Urban Doxology. His greatest honor in life is to be married to his wonderful and beautiful wife, Joy.
http://2015.tedxrva.com/speaker/david-bailey/
Elena Aronson is the Director of Training for Arrabon and the Program Director of Urban Doxology Songwriting Internship, a Christian ministry that seeks to equip Christian leaders and their communities with the resources to effectively engage in the work of reconciliation. She is an aspiring academic and writer with a M.A. in Theology and Culture from Kilns College, as well being a skilled classical pianist, choral accompanist, and church choral conductor.
https://arrabon.com/what-is-arrabon/
Jessica Fox is a composer and, along with singers Joseph Clarke and Mariah Hargrove, is a member of the a cappella trio called Resound. The three singers quit their jobs in 2018 to devote all their time to music and just two years later they performed on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. When they started performing, the group sang gospel music because it was familiar to them, as they were each a member in their respective churches. “As time went on, we wanted to spread hope and joy, but we never forget our gospel roots,” says Hargrove. “We are an inspirational group. We believe in hope, love, and bringing people joy.”
https://richmondfamilymagazine.com/justjoan/what-the-world-needs-now-is-resound-on-americas-got-talent/
In 2011, Rashad “Shad E.” Lowery, a youth pastor at East End Fellowship in Richmond, Virginia, started to explore using hip-hop in congregations to build bridges between diverse cultures and generations. Rashad began rapping as a teenager and released his first album under the moniker Shad-E. Rashad has discovered common ground in the lyricism of hymns and hip-hop, blending the sounds of folk, rock, and rap to create an entirely new expression of sacred song.
https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/12984
http://www.eastendfellowship.org/
About the Poet:
Agnes Lee (1868–1939) was an American poet and translator. Born Martha Agnes Rand, she used various pen names throughout her writing career. The second daughter of William H. Rand, of map publishers Rand, McNally & Co., she was educated in Switzerland. In her accessible, formally shaped poems, Lee often explored the natural world. In 1890, a reviewer for The Atlantic described the poems in The Legend of a Thought as “pleasing, unpretentious verses.” In addition to her debut collection, The Legend of a Thought (1889, published under the name Martha Agnes Rand), her books of poetry include The Border of the Lake (1910), The Sharing (1914), Faces and Open Doors (1922), and New Lyrics and a Few Old Ones (1931). She was the author of a collection of children’s verse, The Round Rabbit (1898). Lee published frequently in Poetry Magazine and in 1926 won the magazine’s Guarantors’ Prize, which had previously been won by poets Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/agnes-lee
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Dianne Collard
Alumna of Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Founder of ArtsCharlotte in North Carolina
Dr. Dianne Collard received her M.A. and D.Miss. from the Cook School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University. She has served as a cross-cultural missionary for over thirty years. Currently, she is the Europe Ministries Director for Artists in Christian Testimony International and the Founder/Director of ArtsCharlotte in North Carolina. Dianne’s book, I Choose to Forgive: An Intimate Journey with God, which is about the healing freedom of forgiveness in the aftermath of her son’s murder, has been published in sixteen languages and has been made into a short film called Abstraction.