Supper with Emmaus

Supper at Emmaus

A wonderful painting of the scene at Emmaus where the two travellers recognised Jesus as the Resurrected Christ (Luke 24:13-32) is a favourite theme of Rembrandt. He frequently returned to this scene in his sketches and paintings. This oil painting titled The Supper at Emmaus completed in 1648 during his so-called ‘mature’ years was in complete contrast with another painting one the same theme that was done during his ‘younger’ years.

The simplicity of the composition is what make this painting powerful. Jesus breaking bread during a meal with two fellow travellers. Someone is serving them. The central focus is Jesus with his calm features and the warm light radiating from him; illuminating Jesus Himself, the bread and the table. There is a look of shock on one of the traveller’s face as he recognised Jesus. The sense of shock is illustrated by the posture of the other traveller. The meal seems to be in a large cavernous hall. Jesus’ radiance seems to be driving back the darkness in the archway and doorway. This painting conveys the shock of revelation in a calm and controlled way.

Spiritual knowing or revelation is often shocking as it challenges our worldviews. Yet it should not be noisy and chaotic. Spiritual revelation often occurs in a calm and controlled environment. Like during an ordinary meal, walking in the park or quiet in our prayer cell. It is not dramatic. There should not be theatrics involved. There is no sense of hurry. The revelation would unfold in its own time.

Compare that to our busy, hurried and noisy world. Interconnectivity, television and the Internet have created a generation with short attention spans. All information should be conveyed in 5 seconds sound bites by talking heads. There is no place for serenity and peacefulness. We are always in a hurry. God is not in a hurry. Rembrandt tried to show us as Jesus revealed Himself as fully God and fully man, it was done in a calm and peaceful way.

Many of us would have scanned the painting before reading my words. Look at the painting again but this time spends more time with it. Look at different parts of the painting and let it talk to us. Imagine during dinner with a friend. He seems vaguely familiar but you just cannot place him. Suddenly he looks at you and smiled. Instantly, like a flash of lightning, you recognise him as Jesus Christ! He continues to smile in a gentle and compassionate way and offers you a piece of his bread. There seems to be a radiance emanating from him. This is my body broken for you. There is a strong feeling of peace, rest and refreshing in his presence. Come to me you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Let the light from Christ embrace us.


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Random Glimpses of My Desktop

This limited edition sculpture of Conan was created by William Paquet of Quarantine Studio in 2011.

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Random Glimpses of My Desktop (24)

St Peter carved from olive wood from Bethlehem

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Nathan Greene's Paintings

I love these three paintings by Christian artist Nathan Greene.

Chief of the Medical Staff

An original oil painting commissioned by the Versacare Corporation to demonstrate the care of Jesus in human suffering.

Difficult Case Paper

In Good Hands

view more of his works here

Till We have Faces

saw this interesting sculpture in the ward. Did not know who was the artist and the name of the sculpture. Reminds me of C.S.Lewis' book Till We Have Faces.

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Images and Our Nous

An interesting article published by The BioLogos Forum.

Andrei Rublev, "The Holy Trinity,” ca. 1411. Tempera, gold leaf on panel, 56” x 45”. (Collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.)

Today's essay was written by Frederica Matthews-Greene, a prolific writer and speaker, especially on the applicability of the most ancient modes of Christian faith to the modern world. As an adult convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, she came only reluctantly to an Eastern understanding of the way icons represent the connection and overlap between the material and spiritual facets of reality. But that understanding may be very helpful as we consider how and why we “know” the world through both science and Scripture, for, as she has said, “the world is evangelizing you in images constantly” (Christianity Today interview with Dick Staub. September, 2003). In other words, a fully human, deeply Christ-centered approach to the creation will recognize that the world as we find it will speak to us of the Lord, but not in the same, explicit way that the Bible speaks to us of Him. As you read her explanation of the way icons in the Eastern Church tune our attention to God, consider that nature may be seen to work in exactly the same way—neither the object of worship or a direct “picture” of God, but a revelation of His presence, nonetheless.

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Musings about the Transfiguration

This Sunday is an auspicious day. Not only is it Transfiguration Sunday, it is Valentine Day and the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Like Paul Long's sermon preparation Let’s not miss the point of Jesus’ transfiguration, I am preparing a sermon I will preach this Sunday. Found some interesting facts about Raphael's painting, "The Transfiguration of Jesus."



The upper part The Transfiguration of Jesus by Raphael is an event reported by three of the Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (one is Matthew 17: 1-9). Jesus became radiant, spoke with Moses and Elijah, and was called "Son" by God. Peter, James and John were with Jesus upon the mountain. The transfiguration put Jesus above Moses and Elijah, the two preeminent figures of Judaism. The lower part is a different scene from the Bible, in which the disciples fail to cure a sick boy.

Half-Finished Painting
A. C. Dixon tells us that when the great artist Raphael died at the early age of 37, some of his friends and relatives carried his marvelous painting “The Transfiguration” in the funeral procession. It was only partially finished, and they felt that because of his youth and the limited time he was allotted to use his creative genius, it was a symbol of life’s shortness. But the completed picture has a deeper meaning—a message that should impress itself upon all of us: life’s sojourn is fleeting and death sometimes terminates even our best efforts.

Ten Great Church Buildings in the World

From oodee.com, an interesting website featuring many oddities in the world.

Harajuku: Japanese Futuristic Church

This futuristic protestant church is located in Tokyo and it was first unveiled by the design firm of Ciel Rouge Creation in 2005. The ceiling is specially made to reverberate natural sound for 2 seconds to provide a unique listening experience for worshipers and tourists.

Saint Basil's Cathedral: The Red Square's Colorful Church

(photo: Lst1984) The St. Basil's Cathedral is located on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. A Russian Orthodox church, the Cathedral sports a series of colorful bulbous domes that taper to a point, aptly named onion domes, that are part of Moscow’s Kremlin skyline.

The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. In 1588 Tsar Fedor Ivanovich had a chapel added on the eastern side above the grave of Basil Fool for Christ, a Russian Orthodox saint after whom the cathedral was popularly named.

Hallgrímskirkja: Iceland's Most Amazing Church

(photo: Stuck in Customs) The Hallgrímskirkja (literally, the church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran parish church located in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres (244 ft), it is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674), author of the Passion Hymns. State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937; it took 38 years to build it.

Temppeliaukio Kirkko: The Rock Church

The Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church) is a thrilling work of modern architecture in Helsinki. Completed in 1952, it is built entirely underground and has a ceiling made of copper wire. It was designed by architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and completed in 1969. They chose a rocky outcrop rising about 40 feet above street level, and blasted out the walls from the inside. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Helsinki and frequently full of visitors.

Cathedral of Brasília: The Modern Church of architect Oscar Niemeyer

The Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida in the capital of Brazil is an expression of the architect Oscar Niemeyer. This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, seems with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. On 31 May 1970, the Cathedral’s structure was finished, and only the 70 m diameter of the circular area were visible. Niemeyer's project of Cathedral of Brasília is based in the hyperboloid of revolution which sections are asymmetric. The hyperboloid structure itself is a result of 16 identical assembled concrete columns. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 t, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven. The Cathedral was dedicated on 31 May 1970.

Borgund Church: Best Preserved Stave Church

The Borgund Stave Church in Lærdal is the best preserved of Norway’s 28 extant stave churches. This wooden church, probably built in the end of the 12th century, has not changed structure or had a major reconstruction since the date it was built. The church is also featured as a Wonder for the Viking civilization in the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.

Las Lajas Cathedral: A Gothic Church Worthy of a Fairy Tale

(photo: Jungle_Boy) The Las Lajas Cathedral is located in southern Colombia and built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara River. According to the legend, this was the place where an indian woman named María Mueses de Quiñones was carrying her deaf-mute daughter Rosa on her back near Las Lajas ("The Rocks"). Weary of the climb, the María sat down on a rock when Rosa spoke (for the first time) about an apparition in a cave.

Later on, a mysterious painting of the Virgin Mary carrying a baby was discovered on the wall of the cave. Supposedly, studies of the painting showed no proof of paint or pigments on the rock - instead, when a core sample was taken, it was found that the colors were impregnated in the rock itself to a depth of several feet. Whether true or not, the legend spurred the building of this amazing church.

St. Joseph Church: Known for its Thirteen Gold Domed Roof

The St. Joseph The Betrothed is an Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Chicago. Built in 1956, it is most known for its ultra-modern thirteen gold domed roof symbolizing the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ as the largest center dome. The interior of the church is completely adorned with byzantine style icons (frescoes). Unfortunately the iconographer was deported back to his homeland before he was able to write the names of all the saints as prescribed by iconographic traditions.

Ružica Church: Where Chandeliers are made of Bullet Shells

Located over the Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade, Serbia, the Ružica Church is a small chapel decorated with... with trench art! Its chandeliers are entirely made of spent bullet casing, swords, and cannon parts.

The space the church now occupies was used by the Turks as gunpowder storage for over 100 years and it had to be largely rebuilt in 1920 after WWI. Though damaged by bombings there was an upshot to the terrible carnage of The Great War. While fighting alongside England and the US, Serbian soldiers on the Thessaloniki front took the time to put together these amazing chandeliers. It is one of the world's finest examples of trench art.

Chapel of St-Gildas: Built into the base of a bare rocky cliff

The Chapel of St-Gildas sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. Gildas appears to have travelled widely throughout the Celtic world of Corwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the chapel.

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HT: Peter Coburn

Three Laughing Men by the Tiger Stream

Song painting in the Litang style illustrating the theme "confucianism, taoism and buddhism are one". Depicts taoist Lu Xiujing (left), official Tao Hongjing (right) and buddhist monk Huiyuan (center, founder of Pure Land) by the Tiger stream. The stream borders a zone infested by tigers that they just crossed without fear, engrossed as they were in their discussion. Realising what they just did, they laugh together, hence the name of the picture,Three laughing men by the Tiger stream.

Source: from www.npm.gov.tw

Following the Footsteps of St.Paul (22)

Great Paintings from the Great Meoteron (3)

sanctification of the water

prayer

listening

Following the Footsteps of St.Paul (21)

Great Paintings from the Great Meteoron (3)

painting icons

holy relics

Holy Communion

Following the Footsteps of St.Paul (20)

Great Paintings from the Great Meteoron (2)

the Divine Liturgy

confession

the choir

Following the Footsteps of St.Paul (19)

Great paintings from The Great Meteoron (1)

studying the Holy Scripture

Kostas Adamos is a talented painter who painted his deep appreciation of the Greek Orthodox faith and tradition. His paintings are a reflection of this and is displayed in the Theological Galery of the Holy Monastery of the Great Metereon.

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Albert Durer's Visual Exegesis

Home > 2008 > August (Web-Only)
Christianity Today, August (Web-Only), 2008
Slideshow
Albrecht Dürer's Visual Exegesis
The Museum of Biblical Art showcases the artist's work and the apocalyptic concerns of Renaissance-era Germany.
Compiled by Susan Wunderink posted 8/28/2008 11:17AM



see slideshow here

Origami in Narita Airport

Phew, finally made it back home to Johor Bharu. It was a long trip from Honolulu to Narita airport, Tokyo (8 hours), then a layover and a delay (3+5 hours) and then from Honolulu to Singapore (7 hours). We were delayed for 5 hours in Narita airport!!!

Here are some exhibits from the Origami Museum in Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan

Fantastic what can be done with a piece of paper other than writing upon it. More about origami may be found here, here and here.