'Life from Death’, that was the prompt for an Easter exhibit a few years ago. I love deep thoughts, abstract concepts, spiritual stories with spiritual meanings. But, I don’t always know how to take a Biblical principle and translate it into a concrete piece of art.
So, I started with death. Jesus’ death. He was buried in a stone cave, the tomb of his day. In my country at this time in history, it is common for the dead to be placed in the earth. To me that seems warmer than a stone tomb. Jesus’ burial place must have been so dark, and damp, and cold. Cold surfaces aren’t my favorite. I’m not a fan of glass tables or marble countertops. But our Savior was laid to rest on something cold. In something cold. No light. No warmth. Just death.
I then started thinking about life. What is life? It’s light, and warmth, and growth. There’s life in a warm handshake, a lush garden, a sunny beach . Life moves, perseveres, breaks through, grows, changes, becomes.
And so, a little seed started to grow in my mind. The image of a seedling growing through the cracks of the dark tomb. All around was cold death, but life was happening. Small at first. Slowly at first. But still alive.
In the Christian worldview, life wins, death loses. Every time.
“Oh death, where is your sting?’
