Break of Dawn,

Acrylic on Canvas, 24x36”

When I do "live prophetic" paintings for churches, I usually have a very short amount of time to create a whole image. But I often feel the Holy Spirit is with me, and I paint much faster, and with a different style, than I do in my studio! Sometimes I know what I'm going to paint beforehand, other times I trust Him for each color and brushstroke. A motif I have often seen when painting live is the dawn of Christ literally cracking through the darkness of the "night" of sin. This theme fits especially for Christmas, and with a shorter time to create this piece than normal, I also created the "crack" in the image before the service-- with gold metallic foil, a material I use to symbolize faith and the presence of God. Creating this element before the service can symbolise how God also goes before us, and how his plans for us reach farther into the past and future than what we can see. Since I often finger paint, splash paint, and tear off tape for dramatic effect, watching the painting process is also important as the creation of the piece can tell part of the story. I do remember not knowing if the ground would be a simple "town of Bethlehem" but the hills turned into the Christ child- Jesus, who has been there since the beginning. I hope that this image will be a clear, simple reminder, that Christmas is when we celebrate the hinge of history; we no longer have to live in the oppressive "night" apart from Christ, for He has overcome the world.

En Gedi Church Kalamazoo December 15, 2019

An article on the CRC website about the song written for advent here.

YouTube of Emmanuel (Rejoice) here.