The Heart Behind the Art - Nov/Dec 2014

The Heart Behind the Art

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The Word Took on Flesh Experiencing the Story of Scripture

by Walking in the Footsteps of God

This booklet is created as a companion piece to the exhibit at Living Word Community Church

2530 Cape Horn Road Red Lion, PA 17313 717.755. 0089 www.lwccyork.com

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Photography by Ryan Johnson

The Gallery @ Common Grounds Living Word Community Church November | December 2014 PAGE

T r a n s f o r m i ng A r ts Each of us is created in the image of God, the Master Creator and Artist. Therefore, we too, have the ability to create beauty that brings Glory to Him and redeems the brokenness of our world. That is the real purpose of art.

Create Space | for creativity, for God, for community

for

Artists | Creatives Meets weekly on Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 pm of every-other-month (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov) Common Grounds Rooms C, D, E, F November Open [Art] Studio on Thursday, 11/6, $5 Bring your desire to grow in God and creativity in an inspiring community.

All artistic levels are welcome & encouraged to join us!

Celebrate the Arts! Thursday, 11/13 A special evening for artists, creatives, and writers of all artistic genres to bring a sample of their work (poetry, painting, knitting, wood carving, song writing, photography, etc.) to share, be encouraged, and be celebrated!

Light refreshments will be available.

Often, our “inner critic” speaks loudly in our mind. We ignore the creative longing buried deep in our heart—the desire to paint, write, sculpt, draw, whatever creative interest He’s given us. When we ignore this longing, we rob ourselves of an opportunity to develop a God-given facet that’s vital to who we are.

Art is an expression of the human heart. Creating can be a form of heartfelt prayer and worship, a time where you encounter the Creator Himself and transformation occurs in the heart of the artist.

Not only does God speak to our hearts through our own creative endeavors, He uses what we create to speak to others who encounter and interact with it.

It’s amazing, beautiful, and mysterious.

deAnn Roe deAnn Roe Infused Arts Director Living Word Community Church droe@lwccyork.com 717.755.0089 x126

I n f u s e d A r ts L e n d i n g Li b r a r y There are many books on creativity and

See page 15 for information about our Writers’ community, The Write Space.

writing available to borrow from the Infused Arts Lending Library.

Contact deAnn to check one out.

Literally.

deAnn Roe | Infused Arts Director | droe@lwccyork.com www.infused-arts.com | 717-755-0089 x126 PAGE 2

www.infused-arts.com

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Infused Arts Ministry

The Word Took on Flesh

The Write Space

My journey had been long, starting a full day and a half before, filled with a whirl of emotions, and yet I had finally arrived. As I stepped off the plane, a sensation overwhelmed me that I had not anticipated. I felt like I was coming home. It’s strange to feel at home in a foreign land that you have never been to, but always dreamed about. I suppose that we all feel this way at times; after all there is a greater world that we are a part of: the restored creation. It is the glorious work that Christ did for us and continues to do through us. We are really sojourners in a land not our own, seeking to find those rare glimpses of the new creation, hoping that our testimony will open the eyes of others to the glorious work that God is doing.

Indeed, Paul says we are citizens of heaven and called to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Perhaps, I took him too literally, yet there I was standing in the very land that God had promised to give to Abraham; the land where God chose a group of people to form a covenant with and to whom He would show His love and, at times, His discipline. I walked in the land where a young shepherd boy would rise to be King of a nation and where The King would leave His throne and come as a baby. The word made flesh! This was the land where the chosen people would rebel against their King and shout “crucify!” Yet this is also the land where that same King would rise from the grave, ushering in an everlasting kingdom where we are free indeed.

I walked out of the airport and walked over to the bus.

The sign said Jerusalem, the place I would call home for the next three weeks. The place that had always been home had finally given me the opportunity to visit. Here I was in the land of Israel.

Our writing community doesn’t meet in November, but join us in December: 12/4 and 12/11 We meet in the large conference room right off from the kitchen, beginning right at 6:30 pm.

Bring your notebook and favorite writing utensil and a desire to connect with others who enjoy the writing life.

and

2014 and 2015 Infused Arts Schedule November - The Studio (for visual artists) December - The Write Space (for writers) January - The Studio February - The Write Space March - The Studio April - The Write Space May - The Studio June - The Write Space July - The Studio Etc. [Both The Studio and The Write Space meet on Thursdays.]

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It is my hope that this exhibit will give you a taste of Israel, help you see the land in a new light, and help you gain a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. It has been said that the land is much like the fifth Gospel, it helps you understand the life of Christ in a profound and unique way. I found this to be my experience. As I toured the land, I found places that I had read about so often, but had never seen.. After seeing these places and being in the land, things began to click and Scripture came alive. It was like the story of the two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus when Jesus came to them in His resurrected form. After their eyes are finally opened to who Jesus is they say, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) My heart began to burn inside me as I went throughout the land. No longer were these places some removed location PAGE 4

About Ryan Johnson I grew up in a Navy household with strong Christian beliefs. As I went through my childhood and teen years I adopted those beliefs as my own and have been walking with the Lord for as long as I can remember. I went to the University of Mary Washington and graduated in 2007 with a degree in mathematics. My time there was deeply influential in my faith and for a few years after college I worked at Christian camps, including River Valley Ranch and Black Rock Retreat. Following my time in those camps, I felt God calling me to attend seminary. I have been at Evangelical Theological Seminary since 2011 and will graduate this December with a Master of Divinity degree. It was through my time at seminary that I was afforded the opportunity to go to Israel. Following my graduation from seminary it is my goal to enroll in a PhD program in Hebrew and Semitic languages.

When it comes to photography I have always enjoyed it, but over the last few years that enjoyment has turned into a love for the art. Whenever I have my camera, it is a deeply contemplative time where God and I are simply able to have a conversation and I’m given the opportunity to see His creation in a new way. Being able to take pictures in Israel was simply a blessing that I cannot begin to describe. It is my hope that you enjoy this exhibit and that it will be a blessing to you.

~ Ryan Johnson | rjohn8hf@gmail.com Visit Ryan’s blog: longing4passionatesurrender.blogspot.com

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The Word Took on Flesh

conveying awful news. These things are part of our normal experience and we try to make plans to the best of our abilities, but God promises us something in the midst of all this. He promises that our future is ahead of us and that He is with us.

The story of the conquest is often looked at as a violent occurrence in the history of Israel, and it is, but it’s also the fulfillment of God’s promise for Israel. It is the story of a people deeply loved by God establishing a nation whose purpose is to declare their faith and trust in God so that all may join in worship of Him. It is this call that we take with us through the haziness of our futures and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

to me, they were real destinations that now have concrete experiences tied to them. They took me further into Scripture and made it come alive. As you navigate the exhibit, it is my hope that you will be able to picture the land in a new way and see yourself in the Scriptures. To facilitate that experience, we have purposely laid out the exhibit to mirror the geography of Israel.

Each group of photos is designed to bring specific regions to life.

In the remainder of the booklet, I’d like to recount a few stories of my experiences there and show how they relate to the Scriptures. Each story that I share will tie into some of the pictures so that as you look at each group of photos, you can begin to see how the land can shape our understanding of Scripture and can draw us deeper into our relationship with God.

Jerusalem

~ Ryan Johnson

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The Word Took on Flesh

For the vast majority of my time in Israel, I stayed right outside the Old City, which is surrounded by walls dating back to Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled the Ottoman empire during the 15th century. Parts of the walls, however, date back much further and are made of bricks from before the time of Christ. The Old City itself, as you might guess, is where the Jerusalem of the Bible was located. It is here that artifacts and ruins date back to well before the time of Christ. In some locations there are archaeological finds that are believed to be from the time of David.

With so much of Scripture taking place in Jerusalem, it is hard to describe how I felt while I was there. When Moses approached the burning bush in Exodus 3, the Angel of the Lord told Moses to remove his sandals for he was on holy ground.

That is how I felt walking through the streets of Jerusalem. Despite the numerous tourists and busy street vendors, I couldn’t help but feel captivated by the profound sense of God’s presence. So many experiences stand out in my memory, but I will settle for recounting two brief stories of my time there.

My first story happened about halfway through my trip.

It was a Saturday evening and the group that I was with had a free night to explore the city. The next day we were leaving early for Galilee, so having church the next morning would be impossible. A few of us decided that we wanted to engage with some of the other forms of Christianity while we were there.

There are very few Protestant churches in Israel, the vast majority are Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other various ancient forms of Christianity. A group of us decided that attending a service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was a

Mt. Nebo The last part of my journey in the land of the Bible was actually in Jordan. There are many places in Jordan that are referenced in the Bible, including Edom, Moab, and Ammon. The very last stop was at a place called Mt. Nebo. It is here that Moses was granted a glimpse of the Promised Land and where his body was laid to rest. From the top of Mt. Nebo, Moses was able to see throughout the land. Indeed, on a crisp, clear day one can see the northern region of Israel all the way down to the southern areas. On an especially clear day one can catch a glimmer of the Mediterranean. The day we were there, however, there was a haze over the land of Israel. We could see the distant hills of the wilderness, but beyond that it was difficult to see.

My professor then went on to tell us something that I will never forget. He said that for many of us our futures looked very similar to what we saw in front of us: vast and uncertain.

Yet despite all the uncertainty ahead of us, the Promised Land remains where it is. Joshua may not have had the ability to see the land in front of him as he went forward to lay hold of God’s promises, but he trusted that it was there. He had faith that God was with him and that motivated him into the Promised Land and to lay hold of his future and the future of the nation of Israel.

The same is true of us. Our future is always uncertain.

We live in a world where things seem to fall apart in the blink of an eye. A routine medical test comes back with unexpected results. An accident on the way to work changes the way you do life forever. A phone call comes in the middle of the night

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waves. Sitting on the shores of the Sea of Galilee reminded me that our faith and hope is in Christ alone and sometimes He calls out of the boat to do things that we can’t do on our own.

necessity during our stay in Jerusalem.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher lies outside the original walls of the city of Jerusalem, though inside the current walls of the Old City. One of the most common phrases that we used while on our tour was that this is the place where we celebrate such and such event from Scripture. The truth is that most of the places are hard to pin down, so the sites are approximations of where certain events took place. Some, however, have very credible evidence as to the authenticity of the site. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one such place. There is evidence that suggests that Christians celebrated this place prior to 50 AD as the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. Celebrating a service on the very site where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again was deeply meaningful to all of us in the group.

You would expect such a location to be highly ornate and stand out from the rest of the city, however, is not the case.

There is a small courtyard in front and two domes on top, but neither dome is visible from the street level. It is packed in with several other buildings and you can easily go past it without realizing its significance. Upon entering, however, you are immediately struck by the veneration taking place. It is currently controlled by six different sects of Christianity. While there have often been disputes between these different sects, the fact that six very different forms of Christianity occupy a single building in relative peace was a powerful sign for us to the reality of the universal church.

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The Word Took on Flesh the West. Things are constantly vying for our attention, not to mention that we have grown accustomed to comfort and security. Being in the wilderness reminded me of this and reminded me that we are called to live differently. We are called to die to self and to worldly pursuits and follow in Christ’s example. The wilderness is a harsh place that is perhaps never comfortable, but there is also a great beauty in it. It is up to us which we will choose to focus on.

The service we attended was a Catholic Mass that happened to be in Italian. Of course, none of us spoke Italian, so we only gleaned a few passages here and there, but then one of the deacons began to sing. As he lifted his voice, the sound echoed off the limestone walls of the tiny room of the church. He sang with such emotion and such beauty that his worshipful heart simply bled through. I was reminded again of the universal church, but even more so of the final scene in Revelation where all of God’s people are gathered at the throne offering their worship to Him. It was a beautiful service and I left feeling like I had taken part in something holy.

Galilee The region of Galilee is a stark contrast to the southern part of Israel. Where the region around Jerusalem is desolate at times, Galilee has more rainfall and thus a greater variety of vegetation. The Sea of Galilee itself is absolutely gorgeous and has a couple of cities around it, along with historic sites such as Capernaum, where Jesus did much of His ministry.

Our accommodations at the Sea of Galilee were right on the sea. The first night there was a Sunday evening, so we decided to have a worship night on the seashore. As we began singing, I gazed out over the sea as the waves rolled in. Our voices lifted up familiar songs of praise and worship and then we came to a song that was apt for our current surroundings. It was a song that talked about Jesus walking on the water, calling us out of the boat. In that moment, I felt like God was calling me out of my own boat of comfort and security, to trust in Him fully and go further than I thought my feet could take me.

So often we get bogged down by the things that are going in our lives, whether it’s finances or relationships, we always seem to have a reason not to jump out of the boat onto the

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said that we will not need to go to the temple any longer to worship, but rather we will be able to worship everywhere. I was convicted in my own heart where I have placed limits on my worship and how infrequently I express sincere joy in the midst of God’s presence.

Wilderness The wilderness is such a beautiful yet desolate place.

There are times where it looks much like a desert, utterly barren and dry. On our way back to Jerusalem after visiting Jericho, we had an opportunity to stop in the Wilderness of Judea to spend some time in meditation. One professor mentioned that the wilderness is about “having nothing and wanting nothing.” I think that is an apt description for the place. As I sat on the dry ground overlooking the vast expanse of the land, I was struck by the story of Jesus going out into this place, and being tempted by the devil. It’s not hard to imagine going without food here.

What is harder to imagine is surviving there for forty days. The temperature in Jericho was 105 degrees the day we visited, but it has recorded temperatures much higher. The wilderness is a little cooler, but it also has high winds with almost no rain. Just sitting there trying to read Scripture, I realized the physical difficulty that I hadn’t considered before that is present in the story of Jesus in the wilderness. I struggled a little under the heat and was glad that I still had water available to me.

Going out into the wilderness gave me an appreciation of what it means to be unencumbered in my relationship with God. Jesus went to the wilderness to be with God. There is nothing there that could distract him. This is rarely our experience in

My other story from Jerusalem came at the end of my time there. The Friday before I was supposed to leave, I decided to go into the Old City to what is commonly referred to as the “Wailing Wall,” which may be more appropriately named the “Western Wall.” The Western Wall is the westernmost wall of the Temple Mount where the temple once stood. The significance of this place is that directly above this location is where the Holy of Holies was kept and thus the presence of God. The temple at the time of Jesus had been rebuilt and added to by Herod the Great and was a very impressive structure with huge blocks of limestone. Today, the Western Wall is revered because many Jews believe that the presence of God never left that wall and when they approach the wall they are very literally coming into the presence of God. During my stay, the Western Wall was perhaps my favorite destination. I took many walks to it while I stayed in Jerusalem and just enjoyed watching the people. My last trip to it, however, was my fondest. Friday night marks the start of the Jewish Shabbat or Sabbath. It is a time where the Jews rest and dedicate their time to God. On this evening, the Western Wall was crowded with Jews who had come to gather and worship.

As I watched from a distance I was struck by the beauty mixed with sadness of what was taking place in front of me. On one side, the men were jumping around, having a great time and just expressing the joy of being there. The women on the other side were dancing in circles and I was reminded of David in 2 Samuel 6 where he danced before the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant came into the city. It was a special time of worship for them.

Yet there was also sadness for me as I watched because Jesus

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