I wake up early in the morning and I see them. It’s a first glimpse of the trees, an early introduction, so to speak. They stand as silhouettes against the dark blue background. I see their shapes outlined in crispness. And I stand amazed at His creation, and at Him. He made darkness and light and contrast. God thought up the idea of a silhouette and by the Word it was created. He gave us the ability to see the pitch black outlines standing tall in the morning sky, and not only to see, but also to enjoy and to realize its beauty. This puts me in awe of the Creator.
Silhouettes are one way of looking at trees; an art form in themselves. There are many art forms—modernism, expressionism, cubism, cultural art forms, sculpture, architecture, the list goes on. Man, created in the image of the godhead, is a reflection of his Creator. Man can create and express himself because God is creative and expressive.
As the morning light brightens and grows slowly in intensity, I begin to move away from the silhouetted introduction to a greater understanding of these trees. My first view turns to familiarity and understanding as I start to see color, texture, and detail. Art is the revealing of its subject, a progression of understanding given through expression.
All creation declares the glory of God. Nature is an art form revealing God, a progression to not only understanding the created thing, but to know the Creator as well.
And so it is in our relationship with the Lord as we move from darkness to light. We see more and more of Him, who He is, and we come to know Him as the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in our hearts. Through Jesus all things were created, and He is the pure, exact imprint of who God is. If you want to see the ultimate expression of God, what He is like, look to Jesus.
Elizabeth, my daughter, is a growing artist. She is expressive. She recently created the painting below using cellophane and acrylics on paper. I don’t know if you can see it, but when I look, I start to see three crosses. Look hard enough and I think you’ll see it too; and in seeing this, you’ll see the greatest expression of God’s love to you.
Joseph Furcinitti, Music Teacher and Guest Writer
