March 16: Embracing Suffering & Death for the Cause of Christ
♫ Music:
Day 32 - Saturday, March 16
Title: EMBRACING SUFFERING & DEATH FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
Scripture #1: Acts 21:13 (NKJV)
Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Scripture #2: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Scripture #3: Philippians 1:21-26 (NKJV)
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.
Poetry & Poet:
“The Martyr”
by Christina Rosetti
See, the sun hath risen!
Lead her from the prison;
She is young and tender, lead her tenderly:
May no fear subdue her,
Lest the Saints be fewer,
Lest her place in Heaven be lost eternally.
Forth she came, not trembling,
No, nor yet dissembling
An o'erwhelming terror weighing her down—down;
Little, little heeding
Earth, but inly pleading
For the strength to triumph and to win a crown.
All her might was rallied
To her heart; not pallid
Was her cheek, but glowing with a glorious red,
Glorious red and saintly,
Never paling faintly,
But still flushing, kindling still,
without thought of dread.
On she went, on faster,
Trusting in her Master,
Feeling that His Eye watched o'er her lovingly;
He would prove and try her,
But would not deny her,
When her soul had pass'd, for His sake, patiently.
“Christ,” she said, “receive me,
Let no terrors grieve me,
Take my soul and guard it with Thy heavenly cares:
Take my soul and guard it,
Take it and reward it
With the Love Thou bearest for the love it bears.”
Quickened with a fire
Of sublime desire,
She looked up to Heaven, and she cried aloud,
“Death, I do entreat thee,
Come! I go to meet thee;
Wrap me in the whiteness of a virgin shroud.”
On she went, hope-laden;
Happy, happy maiden!
Never more to tremble, and to weep no more:
All her sins forgiven,
Straight the path to Heaven
Through the glowing fire lay her feet before.
On she went, on quickly,
And her breath came thickly,
With the longing to see God coming pantingly:
Now the fire is kindled,
And her flesh has dwindled
Unto dust;—her soul is mounting up on high:
Higher, higher mounting,
The swift moments counting,
Fear is left beneath her, and the chastening rod:
Tears no more shall blind her,
Trouble lies behind her,
Satisfied with hopeful rest, and replete with God.
READY OR NOT . .
I am a barebow archer. The first time I stood at the line at my twenty yard range and heard the callout “lines hot,” the thing that came to mind for me was the story I had read as an adolescent about an execution of a young Christian in what was ancient Libya, in a hail of Saracen arrows. I have never forgotten that image, especially when confronted by the power of a thirty to fifty pound bow, compound or barebow. In studying art history, paintings and sculptures about the death of St. Sebastian (Perugino, de Ribera) it has always brought that back to me.
Because I come out of a background of childhood trauma, I have always had great difficulty contemplating the reality of the “cross.” The execution of a saint, any saint, or Christ Himself awakens deeply unsettling (and often immobilizing) feelings of vulnerability, helplessness, and an approaching, very unpleasant experience of dying. To be surprised by it is one thing. To know it is coming is something else entirely. Denial is a VERY powerful psychological defense, as evidenced by the disciples’ refusal to believe Jesus’ words about His own coming death in Jerusalem, and Peter’s inability to first deal with it at all when push came to shove.
However, our Scriptures today suggest that Paul knows it is coming. He, like Peter (eventually) has had time to think about it, perhaps for years, given an inescapable awareness of Roman brutality. Our sculptures today suggest a prolonged experience of naked exposure (Tim Hawkinson) on the one hand, and a very sudden unexpected death of (and burdens of) Bishop Romero on the other (Michael Tracy). One had time to think. One probably did not.
Our poet today, Christina Rossetti takes us inside the thinking of a saint approaching a very painful death, being burned at the stake. The language here “never paling faintly, but still flushing, kindling still without thought of dread” suggests that it is possible for the martyr to supersede helplessness with raw aggression toward meeting Jesus within traumatic circumstances. What is the accelerant here, that files off to one side the anticipation of pain? For Paul (Phil.1, Acts 21), and for Christina, it is having a clearly preconceived notion of reunion with Jesus. That sounds trite, but as a recent double heart attack survivor I can attest to the reality of such contemplation. Even so, I have not been faced with a violent death (such as known by Christians killed by Isis in Syria) so it’s pretty ingenuous to talk about this at all if I am honest.
I want to say (carefully) that the powerful rock anthem of the Sidewalk Prophets “Something Different” suggests a spiritual power in life that stands out as the exception rather than the norm. As a trauma survivor who needed considerable therapy to overcome betrayal, I think that’s one thing to say while surrounded by believers of like mind. It's quite another to experience being utterly alone like Sebastian or……Jesus.
Prayer
Dear Jesus. Help us to be prepared for meeting you again. Grant us the courage of forethought that is laser focused on your open arms and clarion words of welcome.
Amen
James Tughan (B.Th., Hon. BA, MTS/DPT cand.)
Artist, Educator, and Writer
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 Artworks #1 and #2:
Sebastian by Tim Hawkinson (L)
Cruz to Bishop Oscar Romero, Martyr of El Salvador
by Michael Tracy (R)
About the Art #1:
Sebastian
Tim Hawkinson
2015
Christmas trees, palm branches, leaves, pinecones, seed pods, coconut meat, dried potato, sunflower seeds, acorns, twine, raffia
91 x 31 x 38 in.
With this work, artist Tim Hawkinson uses two former Christmas trees and various garden and kitchen scraps to create his own version of the infamous martyrdom of St. Sebastian, a subject which has been popular with artists throughout history.
About the Artist #1:
Tim Hawkinson (b. 1960) is an American artist who mostly works as a sculptor. He received a B.F.A. from San Jose State University (1984) and a M.F.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (1989). Hawkinson′s work is mostly sculptural, ranging in scale from minute to huge. His themes include his own body, music, and the passing of time, as well as his artistic engagement with material, technique, and process. Some of his pieces are mechanized or involve sound. His installation Uberorgan—a stadium-size, fully automated bagpipe—was pieced together from bits of electrical hardware and several miles of inflated plastic sheeting. The source of inspiration for many of Hawkinson’s pieces has been the reimagining of his own body and what it means to make a self-portrait of a new or fictionalized body. These works reveal Hawkinson’s attention to detail as well as his obsession with life, death, and the passage of time. Hawkinson has exhibited at the Venice Biennale (1999); the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (2000); the Power Plant in Toronto, Canada (2000); the Whitney Biennial (2002); the Getty Museum; and the 2003 Corcoran Biennial in Washington, D.C.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hawkinson
About the Art #2:
Cruz to Bishop Oscar Romero, Martyr of El Salvador
Michael Tracy
1980–1981
Acrylic on rayon cloth over wood, horns, iron spikes,
hair, cloth braids, oil paint, and silk-covered rods
MOCRA
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, Missouri
Photo by Kevin Lowder
In 1980, while living in Mexico City, artist Michael Tracy chanced upon a copy of Alarma!, a Mexican tabloid notorious for publishing graphic photos of crime scenes and traffic accidents, left on the seat of a bus. Tracy was riveted by a picture of Oscar Romero, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, being attended to by several women moments after he was executed while saying Mass. Tracy found this image so arresting that he began to read more about Romero and the context of conflict and injustice in Central America, especially the involvement of the US government and military. In response, he created the Cruz to Bishop Oscar Romero, Martyr of El Salvador, one of a series of large processional crosses he made between 1977 and 1983. The Romero Cross became part of MOCRA’s permanent collection in 2016.
https://www.slu.edu/mocra/exhibitions/romero-cross.php
About the Artist #2:
Michael Tracy (b. 1943) is an American artist best known for his sculptures using the minimalist and conceptual concepts from the 80s and early 90s. Tracy’s life and career are bound up with the state of Texas. After receiving his M.F.A. from the University of Texas, Tracy moved to Galveston in the early 1970s. In 1978 he settled in San Ygnacio, Texas, a small historic border town on the Rio Grande, where he has resided ever since. He founded the River Pierce Foundation, which works to identify, conserve, and advocate for the cultural heritage of San Ygnacio and the borderlands in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. His immersion in a Latin American culture deeply intertwined with religion, combined with his own Catholic upbringing and his concern for civil rights, border issues, and oppression, results in highly expressive works laden with religious symbolism and iconography. His body of work includes painting, sculpture, photography, film, and performance. His work is found in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York); the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Art, Houston; the High Museum (Atlanta); and the Menil Collection.
https://texashighways.com/culture/art-music/artist-michael-tracy-is-latest-pioneer-fighting-to-preserve-san-ygnacio/
About the Music:
“To Live is Christ” from the album Something Different
Lyrics:
If I rise, let me rise on you,
Not on all of my successes,
My sting or my pursuits
If I lose, let me lose my life
'Cause if I belong to Jesus,
The flesh is crucified.
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
To die is gain.
If I grow, let me grow in You
Whilt the seeds of wanting more,
Ripped and pried out by the roots.
And if I'm still, let me hear You speak,
Not the tone of my transgressions
But the song of the redeemed.
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
To die is gain.
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
To die is gain.
My great desire is to be with You.
But this is the place you chose for me.
This is the place you chose for me.
To lift my cross and give everything
This is the time you gave to me.
This is the time you gave to me.
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
For me to live is Christ,
To die is gain.
I'll never be the same,
I'll never be the same,
For me to live is Christ,
To die is gain.
About the Composers:
Ben MacDonald, Dave Frey, Jonathan Lindley Smith, and Casey Brown
Ben MacDonald is a recognized performing saxophonist whose musical endeavors have propelled him to the vanguard of creative and collaborative musicianship. MacDonald has presented concerts across the United States and Europe. During his career, MacDonald has received awards and recognition in prestigious solo competitions such the Patricia Nixon Woodwind Competition and the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Solo Competition. His first-place prize in the 2018 Central Michigan University School of Music Concerto Competition earned him the honor of performing as a soloist with the Central Michigan University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr. José-Luis Maurtua. As a champion of new music, MacDonald has collaborated with the Millennium Composers Initiative, an organization of up-and-coming composers, to present concerts of world premieres written for saxophone quartets and duos.
https://benxmacdonald.com/
Dave Frey is the lead vocalist and one of the founders of the hugely popular contemporary Christian band Sidewalk Prophets. Dave and fellow founder Ben MacDonald formed the band while attending Anderson University in Indiana before they moved to Nashville to pursue their musical careers. Sidewalk Prophets have four full-length albums, beginning with their debut album, These Simple Truths. Their song “You Love Me Anyway” reached number one on both the US Christian Songs list and the US Christian Airplay list (2011). Other high-ranking songs include “The Words I Would Say” (2009), “Live Like That” (2012), “Help Me Find It” (2013), “Come to the Table” (2017), and “Smile” (2019).
https://inspiration.org/entertainment/sidewalk-prophets-dave-frey-one-great-big-family-part-1
https://sidewalkprophets.com/
Jonathan Smith is a multiple Grammy- and Dove Award–winning songwriter/producer. Smith attended Belmont University, where he developed a friendship with fellow songwriter Jason Ingram. This served as the catalyst for Smith’s first publishing deal with Essential Music Publishing (2012). Jonathan was instrumental in Zach Williams’ recording deal at Provident Label Group, ushering in 2017’s massively impactful RIAA Platinum single “Chain Breaker.” Smith proceeded to garner more songwriting success with a series of culture-shaping radio singles, including Tauren Wells’ “Hills & Valleys,” Matthew West’s “The God Who Stays,” and “House of the Lord,” recorded by Phil Wickham. In 2022 Smith was awarded the BMI Christian Song of the Year for “There Was Jesus,” recorded by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton.
https://essentialmusicpublishing.com/writer/jonathan-smith/
Producer and songwriter Casey Brown has made a name for himself in the Nashville music community. He graduated from Belmont University (2010) and found early success in collaborating with fellow songwriters Russell Dickerson and Parker Welling. They celebrated multiple number-one hits together, including Russell’s first hits “Yours,” “Every Little Thing,” and “Blue Tacoma,” all of which Brown co-produced. Brown has played in bands on the road, including For King and Country and Rascal Flatts. He honed his production skills, working on projects for Russell Dickerson, Chase Rice, and Lauren Alaina. He now has written and produced several hits with Megan Moroney, Dierks Bentley, Tyler Hubbard, Lauren Alaina, and Dustin Lynch, just to name a few.
https://www.taperoom.com/writers/casey-brown
About the Performer:
The Sidewalk Prophets is an American contemporary Christian music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band was formed by lead singer Dave Frey and rhythm guitarist Ben MacDonald when they were attending Anderson University in Indiana. After an encounter with Audio Adrenaline's Will McGinnis led them to sing in front of twenty thousand people, the group landed a deal with Word Records. They have toured with Jeremy Camp and Audio Adrenaline on the strength of independent albums, then rode the popularity of their first release, “These Simple Truths,” to a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year, and in 2011 they received another Dove nomination for Group of the Year. This winter (2023) they are touring with their Great Big Family Christmas tour.
https://sidewalkprophets.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewalk_Prophets
About the Poetry and Poet:
Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was a Victorian poet who is known for her simple, lyrical work. She published poems in the feminist periodicals The English Woman’s Journal and Victoria Magazine, as well as in various other anthologies. Today her poetry is regarded as some of the most beautiful and innovative of the period. Critical interest in Rossetti’s poetry was renewed in the last decades of the twentieth century, a resurgence largely generated by the emergence of feminist criticism. Her work strongly influenced the work of writers such as Ford Madox Ford, Virginia Woolf, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Elizabeth Jennings, and Philip Larkin. Critic Basil de Selincourt stated that she was “all but our greatest woman poet…incomparably our greatest craftswoman…probably in the first twelve of the masters of English verse.” Rossetti’s Christmas poem “In the Bleak Midwinter” became widely known after her death when it was set as a Christmas carol, first by Gustav Holst and then by Harold Darke. Her poem “Love Came Down at Christmas” has also been widely arranged as a carol.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christina-rossetti
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Rossettihttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christina-rossetti
About the Devotion Writer:
James Tughan (B.Th., Hon.BA, MTS/DPT cand.)
Artist , Educator, and Writer
James Tughan, in his own visual work as one of the world’s foremost pastel artists, has developed the style dubbed “Cartographic Realism,”a marriage of aerial visual mapping, natural symbolism, and a Christian theology of the person. This style of imagery respectfully draws metaphors for the seen and unseen world of spirit from the natural surface topography of the visual subject matter itself. It exploits amazing detail and surface patterning, texture, colour, lighting and narrative possibilities. This style infers that there is more to see than immediately meets the eye that is suggested by mapping, the mapping of ideas. His work has been commissioned by major corporations throughout North America and such magazines as Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Saturday Night and House & Garden. As an educator, he has served on the faculty of Redeemer University College (Ancaster), and Tyndale Seminary and University (Toronto) Sheridan University Institute, Oakville, Kings Christian Collegiate, (Oakville), The Kingsbridge School of The Arts, (Burlington) and the Halton Waldorf High School, (Burlington). He is the founder of the Semaphore Fellowship and co-founder of the Flagship Gallery, (Hamilton), and its current offspring the Portage Arts Group, with its mental health in art focus. James is also currently enrolled in the MTS/DPT graduate program at McMaster Divinity College where he is artist in residence. Most recently he has become a published poet and author in CONTACT: The Artistry of Christ in Nine Faces, available at Book Baby’s Bookshop website, and on Amazon.ca
See his work at Tughansemaphore.wordpress.com