BEMA SEAT

Tim Howington | Not for sale

Mixed Media (abstract)

Scripture outlines two distinct judgments. The first, for unbelievers, occurs at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15), where their eternal fate is determined by the presence or absence of their names in the Book of Life. The second judgment is for believers, where we are assessed and rewarded for the deeds of our earthly life (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

The two key passages for this piece are below:

For we must all appear before the judgment (bema in Greek) seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Cor. 3:10-15

The Bema seat is depicted as a place where each person’s works are judged. Gold, silver, and costly stones symbolize the works that please God. You will notice that pieces of gold, silver leaf, and jewels are in an acrylic pour-over flame before a gold-leaf-laden throne with an emerald ring (Rev. 4) and heavenly colors. There are also works of wood, hay, and straw that are not rewarded and not pleasing to God. Looking closely at the judgment fire, you will see that these works are flamed by actual flame. It is interesting to note that this judgment is not about salvation, as some believers will be saved even if their lives are not very fruitful for God.

The artist did not want to use a realistic Christ-like figure, so he used an abstract figure with a symbolic cross, which makes the connection that Jesus is the judge at the Bema seat.

GOD'S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE

Annie Winkler | $150.00

Original Acrylic Impasto

The scripture that inspired this painting was what was shared at our wedding ceremony 40 years ago (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Many couples choose this passage to be read on their wedding day. It describes how we are to love one another with a selfless, unconditional Biblical love.  

Weddings are wonderful celebrations. They are the beginning of the journey of learning to love your spouse. As husband and wife, we must strive for the Biblical love as described in this passage – one that is not a feeling, but an action. Biblical love is radical. It is giving up our own needs for the sake of our spouse.

As a couple, it is a love that is rooted in faith in God. Placing God at the center of our marriage helps us to persevere when life gets tough. It enriches us when we rejoice and celebrate the joys of being married. My husband and I truly treasure each other’s company. We believe that “two become one” and we live this as a couple. The greatest gift we can give our children is a strong Christ-centered marriage. 

My prayer as I painted this bride and groom was for all couples to strive to live out this scripture, love each other well, and be a testimony of Christlike love to others.

I used acrylic paste to add flowing layers to the bride’s gown, depth to the groom’s coat, and texture to the background. I reflected and prayed for my marriage, my daughters’ marriages, for several family and friend’s upcoming marriages and marriages in general.

HOLY SPIRIT WORK THROUGH ME

Andrea Darby | $125.00

Photography & Mixed Media Glass; 12”x12”

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 1 Cor. 2:1-5 NLT

This is a photograph I took on my 1st mission trip to Guatemala. It is a photo of the “Holy Spirit Cathedral” / “Catedral Del Espirit Santo.” This church was dedicated by the Spanish to the Holy Spirit, which is where it got its name. It was originally constructed in 1532, then reconstructed between 1853 and 1898 then again after an earthquake in 2017.

When I read these scripture verses it reminded me of how fearful I was on my first mission trip to speak the right words for others to hear the Holy Spirit in me and not words from mere man…

I chose a stained glass image to represent transparency. I needed to be transparent and let Christ use me as his hands and feet speaking truth from his word, not mine. I chose an image of a cross to represent that Christ is the reason that I was in Guatemala, and that I was to let Him be the lens that I saw things through and the filter that my words would go through as I speak. The cross is also significant symbolism of the crucifixion.

The photograph I used is the cathedral located in the town Xela where my mission team worked that week. I love that the name of the church was also called Holy Spirit, which brought the Bible scripture in 1 Corinthians full circle.

Since this trip, I have returned six more times to my beloved Guatemala and I hope to return there many more continuing to do God‘s work with the people of Guatemala through missions.

HUMBLE WEEDS

Kristina Zuniga | Not for sale

Acrylic and Pastels on Deli Paper

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Cor. 1‬:‭27-30

I took discarded weeds from my garden and turned it into artwork. Something that was lowly became beautiful. Just as Jesus was born in a manger and died on the cross for all of us - lowly and broken.  Christ made us righteous, holy, and redeemed. 

OUR FOUNDATION

Rebecca McChristian | $200.00

Reverse Acrylic on Glass; Size 11” x 14” 

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. Collectively and individually, we are God’s temple.  1 Corinthians 3:11

As Christians we build on the foundation Christ established through His death on the cross. When we follow Jesus’s teaching and His instructions through His inspired word, the Bible, our focus will remain on the cross. What we say and do will be built on this solid foundation. If we become distracted by old worldly habits, empty traditions, or forget who we are in Christ and let insecurity take hold, then we begin building empty, shallow, unfruitful lives. Paul warns us against this behavior. While we will never lose our salvation, what we have created in our lives will be brought to light and the quality tested (like metal put through a flame) to remove impurities.

When the carpet was removed from the foyer of our church building, I noticed the unique pattern of the concrete below. I thought it would make a good abstract background for a painting. When reading the passage above I wanted to show a church crumbling after a fire had ravaged the structure. With only a shell remaining, I wanted the viewer’s attention to focus on a modern intact steeple with a glowing cross. This is our foundation and hope. The image of the steeple came from a photograph I took of the underlying concrete floor in the foyer of our church. I thought it a fitting reminder that our foundation is to be the work of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Evan Crawford | Not for sale

Original Poetry

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

These verses have been on my mind and heart – in a season when many things are beginning; yet there is still much unknown. These questions roll around in my soul:

Will I let the fruit of patience grow in me?

Will I bring my preparation and surrender it to Him with expectation?

Will I trust completely the One Who holds all plans in His capable and creative hands?

Knowing the Spirit reveals what I can bear…will I make enough space for Him to speak the deep things of God to me? I will need to pray the above poem regularly.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV

THE BURN

Austin Hobbs | $0.00

Price upon request

Painted Wood (Assemblage)

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.  1 Corinthians 3:12-13

A futurespective on the Bema Seat Judgment in 1 Corinthians. Paul uses the metaphor of materials that will be refined through fire (gold, silver, and stones) and materials that will be burned up (hay, wood, and straw) to contrast the relationship of temporal and eternal.

This work, inspired by Louise Nevelson, examines a life built solely with wood and reminds us of the relationship between works and future rewards.

THE CHURCH

Rita Wiley | $125.00

Oil over Acrylic; 24 x 30

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:9-11

In the chapters we are studying, Paul instructs the church on how they should behave as the Church and what that should look like. I could see a small country church shining in the sun depicting a nice example of the living church, which is what we are. This little structure is simple and quiet and peaceful and pure. To me it is a beautiful representation of what we, as the church, should look like.

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

Kiana Hood | Not for sale

Acrylic and Color Pencil/Size: 24x18

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

“…“Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”” ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭52‬b-‭53‬ ‭

How can dead be turned to new life? The scripture above was said by Jews, who initially said they wanted to follow Jesus. Jesus knew their hearts, and knew they were far from him and his Father, whom they thought they knew. But as Jesus stated, “truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM”, He proved who their true father was, the devil (John 8:44). Their hearts dealt in darkness, and they truly were blinded. With their mouths they said they followed the Father, yet failed to see their messiah whom the Father sent. Without the light of heaven to guide them, they are drug around as bondservants to their sin and evil desires, unable to see their chains, but still feel their weight. Jesus is the Light of Heaven. He exposes our sin, points to himself on the cross, tells us to trust in His propitiation; and then all our sins that once enslaved us and separated us from our Creator now die with Christ and we now are made new. This is God’s holy wisdom given to us by the Holy Spirit that exposes all darkness and makes God known to his children. The mystery now revealed to us, Christ Jesus, through all generations, dying for our sins, and rising again, so we, who were once dead, could now walk in new life. Transferring us from the domain of darkness into Christ kingdom of light. Jesus Christ, light of Heaven, guides us with his light, giving us direction, with a purpose, a softened heart, a living Hope, walking in new life, filled with living water, and bread of heaven. Jesus Christ who fully satisfies, now flourishing in Christ who reconciled us. 

UNITY IN CHRIST

Jackie Spedding | $185.00

Appliqué and Embroidery/9” x 12”

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say, and that they are being no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

We live in a very divided world, as did the Corinthians. We are called to be a light shining in the darkness, to walk in holiness for a watching world to see Christ in our words, deeds, and actions. We are Jesus’ church. Called to be different!  May we as the Church, the body of Christ, seek unity in understanding and purpose. Let us not be divided….division is but a symptom …revealing what?  A lack of love? A love of self?  Something for each of us to ponder. Unity…a beautiful thing in a lost world.

I used metallic threads and metallic fabrics, designed to express the heavenly light that reflects redemption and purity. The Bride of Christ.

WE ARE THE CHURCH

Andrea Darby | $250.00

(Cost will go towards Guatemala mission trip)

Wood Burning with Watercolor; 12”x16” Wooden Canvas & Frame

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I created a wood burning of the historic chapel called St. Catherine’s at Bell Gable in Fayetteville, Ar. This tiny chapel was built entirely of stone by hand over a 12 year period by engineer Lowell Boynton from 1986-1998 and is surrounded by greenery. I chose to add paint with watercolor to bring out the greenery. 

I wanted to have a beautiful, architectural church building that was built of something known as “un-burnable materials” and then do a “wood/burning” of it to show that God’s Spirit cannot be destroyed or burned by man. Because God’s Spirit dwells within its people.  

I surrounded the church in a layer of fabric cloth wood burning effect to represent that the church is the “people” not the mere stones. 

I chose to represent the people with the type clothing used in Jesus time, which would’ve been an outer tunic of linen or wool (also known as a mantle or a robe). It was a square or oblong strip of cloth that was used as a protective covering. People would not go out in public without their outer tunic and they all had a hole in the center where the people put it over their head. 

I represented that by having the church peeking through the center of the tunic hole, with the rest of the garment wrapping around the edge of the artwork. It can represent male, female, young, and old alike. We together are the temple; we are the Church!

WINDOW OF WISDOM & RESTORATION

Annie Winkler | $125.00

Original Acrylic

1 Corinthians 2:10, 12-14

Paul teaches us that God’s wisdom is revealed in the Holy Spirit. The window of the painting represents our mind and heart. We can look at the world from a human perspective or a Godly perspective. The dove is God’s messenger, the Holy Spirit. God, by his Spirit, opens our eyes to see the glory of the resurrected Jesus and to be restored. The gift of wisdom guides us to live and make decisions in our lives from His perspective, not that of the world.

May this painting and the associated Scripture passages open our eyes to see more of Him, inspire us to glorify Him, and open our hearts to love and more fully serve Him.

A PORTRAIT OF MIRYAM

Sabrina Palomino | Not for sale

14" x 11" Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper 

Luke 1:38, 46-49 (NIV); 2:19 (CJB) 

Many times I have pondered the Lord’s grace in my life and in the lives of others. I will never forget when the Lord called me to trust in Him. However, none is like or will ever be like Miryam’s calling. She encountered a messenger of God with the revelation that would impact her entire life. She was to be the appointed virgin to a holy conception – the mother to the Son of the Most High God. Her response was beautiful: “I am the Lord’s servant, May Your word to me be fulfilled.” Luke 1:38 (NIV) 

 I find it striking that this young girl would display such humility, valor and pure faith, to believe that the Lord would entrust her with this unique calling and fulfill His promise to her. She would be anointed and blessed among all women. I can only imagine the joy that filled her with exaltation and singing.

Miryam reflects an inmost beauty with each step of her journey. The greatest treasure she revealed was to graciously and thankfully serve her beloved Savior. 

A PRAYER FOR INSIGHT

Denise England | Not for sale

Original Poetry

Ancient Corinth was a centuries-old Greek city overtaken by the Roman empire. The city ran amok with atrocities, slavery, debauchery, kidnapping and abuse. No “weak” person was safe or had any rights or protection under the law. This traced back to the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods - all selfish, traitorous and war-mongering. If “gods” lived like this, then the only hope for a man to thrive was to mimic their actions, using treachery, force and abuse to prove his strength and position.

It must have been radically good news for a Corinthian to hear about the Christian God, who not only loved humanity, but who allowed his very son to be humiliated and executed in order to identify with their abuses and to take their sins! Not only that, but this very God who raised his son from the dead would also welcome them into his own household, not as mistreated slaves, but as heirs with Christ! It must have been radically good news! Let it be good news to us, as well.

A_Prayer_for_Insight.pdf

ADVENT DIPTYCH

Denise England | Not for sale

Layered CMYK Printing on Yardstick

The original black ink prints (based on engravings by Jabez Goldar) appeared in Harrison’s Bible, published in London, 1783. After scanning the images, I altered them with software, using a combination of negative images, positive images and color shifts. I printed each piece multiple times, building up layers of ink, similar to a silk-screening process.  

For “The Prophecy of Elizabeth,” I chose blues, grays and violets to complement the theme of longsuffering and the nighttime moon imagery in my original poem, “Elizabeth’s Aubade.”  

For “The Salutation of the Virgin Mary,” I chose yellows, grays and pinks to correspond to the imagery of fire and sun from my original poem, “Mary’s Lullaby.” Hebrews 12:28-29 states, “...let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" 

ANOTHER STARRY NIGHT

Howard Thompson | Not for sale

Photograph

This is of “Steel Creek” this summer. When our group got there in the dark, our spot had already been taken by others. There was no room in the inn.  We had to make do with the space available. (Sound familiar?) I’ve seen other photos of the same place, but they don't “sing.”  When I finished processing the picture, it was like the heavens opened up and were singing the good news - but at that moment, I did not know what the song was.   

When I learned that we would do an advent interlude, I “saw” the song.  Its praise and worship lilted from angels to the shepherds below.  This photograph shows not a stable (as 2000 years ago) but a vast sky with a modern blue tent.  To my eyes and my ears, it was as if angels were still heralding the birth of Jesus - another country, another millennium. 

AUNT HELEN'S HAND

Suzanne Rhodes | Not for sale

Original Poem

This poem pictures the bruised hand of the narrator’s Aunt Helen, of her own hand, and of Christ’s resurrected hands. In this way, we see two dimensions: earthly life with its suffering, and heavenly life which by faith the narrator envisions as a new creation. Bruises, scorching, death itself are transformed in the healing light of Christ’s resurrection. Another idea of the poem is that our suffering takes on meaning when in love we join our hurt to the hurt of another, thus giving comfort as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:4. We can bear all things because Christ, who suffered mightily, is upholding us from heaven with His fierce love. The scriptures that inspired this poem are 1 Cor. 15:20—“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”— and 1 Cor. 13:7: “Love . . . bears all things.”

AUNT_HELEN.pdf

DRACONIS

Abigail McCann | Not for sale

16" x 12" Acrylic and Baking Soda

Inspired by the podcast by the Bible Project, "The Dragon in Paul's Letters - Chaos Dragon E17," referencing the analogy for the sin and spiritual warfare that the Church is called to fight against. This piece was an abstraction of said Dragon. The white center is a window into the light and glory of Christ shining through. The church of Corinth, wrestling with the resurrection of Christ, was reminded through this letter of how foundational it is to our faith.

"Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For 'God has put all things in subjection under his feet.' But when it says, 'all things are put in subjection,' it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all." 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (ESV)

ECCLESIA

Abigail McCann | Not for sale

16" x 12" Watercolor, Ink & Paper, and Resin Epoxy on Canvas

The church, each member fitting harmoniously together, founded in the love of Christ, bringing spiritual restoration to our natural fallen world through God. His love changes and envelops, heals and brings new life to brokenness and emptiness.

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’  

    ‘O death, where is your victory? 

         O death, where is your sting?’” (1 Cor. 15:54-55)

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58 )

FLIPPED ROMAN COLUMN FOR USE IN AN ANCIENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN BARCELONA, SPAIN

Denise England | Not for sale

Original Photograph, 2024

I took this photograph while touring underground Roman ruins beneath the Museu d’Història de Barcelona in Spain. After the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the early 4th century AD, persecutions of Christians lessened and Christianity began to flourish throughout the Roman empire. In Roman “Barcino” (now Barcelona), a group of Christians tore down pagan temples and used their stones to build churches. This column was literally flipped on its head (its capital) to be used in the new church.

I BELIEVE IT NOW

Kate Stoner | Not for sale

Original Song

Written with modern Christmas imagery to inspire the listener to reflect on the Biblical Christmas story and the truth of the story of Christ’s birth, life, and gift of salvation to us on the cross. “I Believe it Now” is co-written by songwriters from across the United States. Gathered online, songwriters collaborated to tell the story of someone encountering a moment of authentic worship (maybe for the first time) as they experience a quiet moment during a busy holiday season.

 Written by Kevin Smith, Kendra Sorani, Kate Stoner, Larry Walker with Hymnal Records.

IN AGAPE

Katelin Lundquist | Not for sale

Original Poetry

These two poems, collectively titled “In Agape,” are based on 1 Corinthians 8, where Paul addresses the issue of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.

The left side articulates the thoughts of the weak brother, who is characterized as one who, because of his conscience and history of following the Torah, felt that participation would be sinful. The poem on the right side gives a glimpse into the thought life of the strong brother, who felt freedom to enjoy meals associated with temple sacrifice. This sense of freedom was more common for Gentiles who hadn’t practiced Torah law, which prohibited eating meat sacrificed to idols.

Paul agrees that idols and temple sacrifices are meaningless, but his letter to the Corinthian church emphasizes a greater principle at work: Though believers have freedom in Christ on disputable matters such as food, Christian love for one another must be the guiding ethic in making lifestyle choices (1 Cor. 8:13, 13:4-8). It is only through Christ’s agape love for us that we learn to love our brother.

In_Agape.pdf

KATA KEPHALES (COVERING)

Sabrina Palomino | Not for sale

11"x14" on Mineral Paper, Chalk & Pan Pastels

Many thoughts crossed my mind as I read 1 Corinthians 11:5-6: “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.”

What do we learn from Paul regarding women in corporate worship?

This is a common wrestling for all of us as believers. How does time and culture weigh into Paul’s statement? Was the punishment and shame for a lack of a proper head covering during worship justified for women that dissented? Why is this not the case for men?

Surely we must wrestle carefully with difficult passages of Scripture, understanding context, culture, and writing style - but praise be to God for the mercy He has for us in the wrestling.

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Michelle Jordan | $400.00

24" X 36" Watercolor and Acrylic on Wrapped Canvas

Advent season is a time for prayer, meditation and contemplation. As Christmas draws near, candles are lit representing themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. The increasing brightness can add anticipation, giving us a sense that something wonderful is happening. 

This painting represents not only the light of the world that came to us as the baby Jesus, but also all of the Scriptures that speak of the darkness of the world being overcome by the light of God! 

LOVE AN(OTHER)

Margret M. Walker | Not for sale

Original Poem

Love is such a tricky thing. My birth family’s love has been a puzzle to unravel—rivalry, suspicion, hidden anger to inspire a Greek myth, and love. My faith family’s love is no less a puzzle. A family where we’re to love one another in spite of—busyness, benign indifference, age divisions, and politics.

God knows we need a definition. When I read I Corinthians 13, I become an infant speaking its first word, love. The sound yet to grow in all its fullness.

We need a definition. Just like a painting isn’t the scene, words aren’t the reality. But God’s words do define, teach, guide us into love. A deeper mystery is being placed in Christ Jesus.

love_another.pdf

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

Howard Thompson | Not for sale

16" x 20" Photograph

These three pictures show love and marriage as they are blended together, going from small and dark to large and bright. They are unbalanced. The photos start with sharp edges, but life does not have sharp edges. When learning to love, we begin in the dark. We try to add some light to our dark uncertainties through trial and error. What does it really mean to love another?

We hope for more light and better balance as we age and enter marriage. But with many unexpected ups and downs, the white awareness remains jagged next to darkness. 

The rings on the Corinthian scriptures are highlighted in this photo. For we truly only come to know love as we learn of Christ's love for us. We may date, hoping for the one who will love and accept us. We marry seeking the companion who will always remain by our side. We try to find balance.

But only as we discover and imitate Christ's love for us can there be more light, less jagged edges against black. Affection becomes devotion when we learn to love as Jesus loved us.

MARY AND ELIZABETH

Allison Wisdom | $35.00

9" x 12" Digital Media (Procreate)

For this piece, I focused on the characters Elizabeth and Mary in Luke 1, when an angel of the Lord appeared to each of them and told them that God would be blessing them with a son. Elizabeth was an old woman, long awaiting a child, who praised God with joy at the news. Mary was a young, unmarried girl, who was anxious and scared, but nevertheless trusted God in His plan for her. These women were different in many ways, but they both trusted God and allowed His light to shine through them.  

MARY ON STUMP

Rachel Borntrager | $50.00

8”x10” FIne Art Watercolor Print, Hand Embellished 

This piece combines the promises of the Old Testament with the fulfillment of those promises through the birth of Christ in the New Testament. Imagery is taken from Isaiah 11 and Matthew 1. In my painting, the expectant Mary is resting on a stump; one that is full of life and hope, just like her.

ORNAMENT

Abby McCann | Not for sale

14" x 11" Acrylic and Clay on Canvas

This painted haut-relief sculpture gives voice to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who embraced her mission as a sacred honor, offering her body as “a living sacrifice.” The work explores the profound intersection of divinity and humanity in the form of Christ, and how bearing the Messiah shaped Mary’s path, resilience, and faith. 

The textured marks on this piece are ornamental, symbolizing the glory given to the One God who, through Divine Wisdom, chose to be made flesh and live among us. These marks honor the courage and strength required of Mary in nurturing the Savior, who would one day atone for humanity’s sins. 

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV):  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Luke 1:46-49 (ESV):  And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 

POWER OF GOD

Kelly Parks | Not for sale

Original Song (MP3)

In the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians, I see very real humans struggling with who they should follow. There are so many inspiring voices in their city and church. The Roman culture was known for its desire to weigh ideas and publicly debate. An article I read about Rome said, "Everywhere a Roman looked, there it was: reminder after reminder of how to live the good life and overcome life’s challenges, embedded in places everyone — not only the well-educated — would encounter it. Many Roman cultural artifacts deliver psychologically powerful ideas in a palatable, or even enticing form.” But Paul isn’t trying to win them over with words in this letter. He says, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20).

As Fellowship Fayetteville is actively trying to seek the Lord in the coming years, I have found this song to be of comfort to me. We are only to trust the Power of God to guide us and not be fooled that human wisdom will be sufficient.

STITCH

Suzanne Rhodes | Not for sale

Original Poem 

Matthew 19:24: “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 

This poem, formerly titled “Advent,” reveals a paradoxical reversal: that Christ, the Richest Man, the Creator who had “breathed out worlds,” left heaven’s wealth to enter treacherous earth, home of fallen humanity. In doing so, he willingly stripped himself of “the privileges of deity” (Phil. 6:7, MSG) to become one of us, “yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). His was an excruciating journey to a Roman cross where he suffered and died in order to “stitch” us back to God and admit all who believe into his radiant kingdom.  

Stitch.pdf

THE LORD'S SUPPER

J. Caroline Hruska | Not for sale

Original Poem

In I Corinthians 11:22, Paul asks “Do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?”

While reading Paul’s instructions on the Lord’s Supper in I Corinthians 11, I began reflecting on a time while I was living in Denver. For communion every week, the church I attended put out cups of juice and large bowls with chunks of bread on tables at the front of the church.

Many challenging scenarios can arise when the lost and hungry who’ve been torn up by the world enter the doors of the church. Seekers who may be wounded and starving in so many ways won’t always act “appropriately” in a church setting.

I’m inspired to examine myself when Paul instructs us that if I “do not have love, I am a clanging cymbal… If I do not have love, I am nothing… If I do not have love, I gain nothing.”

The_Lord's_Supper.pdf

UNTITLED

Kathleen Woolsey | $99.00

Giclee Print of Original Oil Painting

This painting shows the Good Shepherd and one of His early flocks. The shepherd sits among the flock beside the still waters and green pastures while they get to know Him.

Many are just beginning to follow Christ; some get confused and follow other leaders. Arguments break out among others while a wolf disguised as a sheep prowls nearby. Goats also mingle with the sheep, as in Matthew 25:31-46

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15 NIV  

UNVEILING THE VEIL

Denise England | Not for sale

Original Poetry

In the large sea port city of ancient Corinth, prostitution was not illegal, but it was regulated. Women of such status had to keep their hair uncovered as a public show of immodesty; in this way, no upright citizen would be duped. In other instances of low status, such as slavery or abandonment, the lack of veil showed a lack of support or guardianship. These girls and women were left exposed: they had no rights, no recourse for abuse; they were easy prey. Due to this, they could fall into prostitution as a means of survival. 

By understanding this, we see that Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 for women to cover their hair during worship was a sign of respect to all women, regardless of their former situation or failings. While low status women would not have had a legal right to wear the veil in public, their church family would have housed, cared for, given respectable tasks to and accompanied them into the city. Inside their church, they were afforded equal respect and status within the body of believers. 

Unveiling_the_Veil.pdf

WHO DO I FOLLOW?

Michelle Jordan | Not for sale

12" x 48" Diptych, Watercolor and Acrylic on Wrapped Canvas

1 Corinthians 1:11-13 is a timeless teaching in Corinthians where Paul urged the new believers to focus on Christ. Jesus was the only one who gave up his life to save them -- not Apollos, not Cephas, or even Paul himself.

I can't follow someone if my eyes aren't on them. This painting is a powerful reminder to fix my eyes on Jesus, asking, “In whose footprints am I following?” 

WISDOM

Rachel Borntrager | $230.00

16" x 20" Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Raw Canvas

Using mixed acrylic paint and a variety of soaking techniques, I chose grass and organic matter to represent the idea of wisdom, inspired by 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3, especially 1:30, which says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." One side of the painting is dedicated to the frailty of human wisdom and the other side is representative of the wisdom we have in Christ from God. The primary derivation for my imagery comes from Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:24, which says, "All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

YOU ARE A BODY

Jimmy Cook | Not for sale

Original Poetry

As I read through 1st Corinthians, I was deeply impressed by Paul’s metaphors of the body (1 Corinthians 12-13). Science is continually adding to our understanding of the depth of interactions between the body’s systems, the complexity of relationships, and the relationship between the brain and the body. I wanted to build on Paul’s metaphor, stretch it a bit, fill it out, as a meditation on unity and interdependence. I also drew on other body metaphors from Scripture, like Ezekiel’s dry bones imagery and the consistent use of heart as a central image in the Old and New Testaments. Each bodily system is highlighted, followed by a development of bodily activity. The final lines mimic the rhythm of a heartbeat, emphasizing new life.

You_are_a_body.pdf

YOU ARE GOOD

Katelin Lundquist | Not for sale

Original Poem  

Elizabeth was a woman familiar with shame and suffering, having endured many years of infertility. Yet Elizabeth’s pain did not go unseen by the Lord – and He eventually blessed her with a child who would grow up to be John the Baptist. The greatest blessing, however, was that the Lord never abandoned her in her suffering. His character is unchanging, regardless of one’s circumstance. It is, perhaps, the most difficult step of faith to affirm God’s goodness and steadfast character when external circumstances scream otherwise.  

You_Are_Good.pdf