Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of His promise.
These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”
And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of His promise.
These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”
And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
I work on some improvements in Utopia artwork. Here’s a part of them which depicts Kyiv Pechersk Lavra dome. It’s also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery and one of teh main landmarks of Ukrainian capital.
1 In a crystal whirlpool, such steepness! Behind us the sienna mountains stand out, Jagged cathedrals of raving mad cliffs Are suspended in the air, Where there is wool and silence.
2 From the hanging staircase of prophets and kings, Descends an organ, the fortress of the Holy Ghost, The brave barking and gentle ferocity of sheepdogs, The sheepskins of shepherds, and the staffs of judges.
3 Here is motionless ground, and along with it I drink the cold mountain air of Christianity, The abrupt Credo and the psalmist’s pause, The keys and tatters of apostolic churches.
4 What sort of line could deliver Crystal high notes in the fortified ether, And from the Christian mountains in the astounded space, Grace descends, like a song of Palestine.
I drew a set of Stations of the Cross for my community. You can find all of them at thestations.net This is the first one, Jesus in the Garden of Gesthemane.
I’ve been obsessed with the Stations for a while—I love constraints in comics, and the Stations of the Cross are a comic that has been drawn and redrawn by cartoonists in the Christian tradition for at least a millennium and a half. (I’m using the word “comic” broadly—I define a comic as any series of images designed to be read sequentially.) The last month has been a hard, strange time, and I’ve spent most of it indoors, drawing these hard, strange pictures. I have found a paradoxical comfort in sitting with the violence and horror of Jesus’ humiliation and death. I think they mean that God is intimately aware of our fragility: he knows what it is to live in a soft, fragile body and anticipate painful death; he knows physical pain; he knows unjust political systems that bring death to the innocent. He is not a stranger to all our fear and pain and sorrow. He has held all that and more in his own soft body.
Reblogging for Holy Week 2022. Please feel free to share with your friends + communities: thestations.net
