A meditation by Theodore Gill on images of the invisible and how we are all called to be icons

Images of the invisible - a meditation by Rev. Theodore Gill for the opening of an icon exhibition in the Ecumenical Centre chapel on Monday 19 April 2009

This morning we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. For the next two weeks, this ecumenical chapel plays host to the exhibition of icons you see around us, painted by contemporary artists Josette Laissue and Didi Marmoud.
Icons have been described by admirers as windows into the kingdom of heaven, and also as mirrors that aid us in our spiritual self-reflection.
“Icon” comes from the Greek word for “image” – it is used in the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of Hebrew scripture, when God is said to create humankind in God’s own image (the word applies neither to a man nor a women, but all of “humankind…male and female”; Gen.1:27). And the word appears again in the hymn near the beginning of Colossians, when we are told – somewhat paradoxically, it has seemed to many – that Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God” (Col.1:15).
The whole notion of theological imagery is confusing. The phrase “image of the invisible” is not easily grasped. It is part of the mystery of Christ and the challenge of being Christian. How can anything, or anyone, be a “true” image of the invisible?
I hope it is not anti-ecumenical to observe that a lot of nonsense has been preached by Christians about icons and representational art. But as in many things ecumenical, the nonsensical element is not easily identified or agreed by all parties.
One of the prime commandments of Hebrew scripture forbad the making of graven images, much less bowing down to them. The psalmist’s opinion was harsh:
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell…
Those who make them are like them;
so are all who trust in them. (Ps.115:4-6,8; cf. Ps.135:15ff)
And during periods of great reforms, as in the days of Hezekiah or Ezra, we are told that decorations including representational sculptures and similar idols were stripped from the Temple in Jerusalem – despite elaborate, apparently positive descriptions in some books of the Bible and instructions explaining their purpose in acts of worship.

In the early centuries of the Christian church, paintings and drawings began to appear in catacombs and surface structures, and in the margins of written works. Among many, the term “graven image” was understood as a three-dimensional object, so two-dimensional illustrations were accepted long before Christian statuary appeared. The development of the Christian “icon” had begun.
But by the 8th century, and encounters with an expanding Islam and its call to reject artistic representation of any living thing, a controversy arose within the Byzantine church. New traditions of iconography had evolved, traditions that have borne fruit in this chapel today. But not everyone was pleased – the so-called “iconoclasts” inaugurated a reform of Biblical proportion against what they called “the evil art of painters”. The iconoclastic Synod of Hieria in 754 A.D. condemned the use of such art:
If anyone ventures to represent the divine nature of the Word after the
Incarnation with material colours, let him be anathema! ...If anyone shall
endeavour to represent the forms of the saints in lifeless pictures with material
colours which are of no value (for this notion is vain and introduced by the
devil), and does not rather represent their virtues as living images in himself,
let him be anathema!
It is important to hear that last injunction – and not lightly dismiss the inconoclasts as mere haters of art: their point was that we are called to become images of the virtues of God, in ourselves, and not to be distracted by showy objects outside ourselves. When empowered by grace to appear more Christ-like, we are the “icons” God approves.

The Second Council of Nicaea met in 786 and 787 to address the iconoclastic controversy. It was pointed out that the symbol of the cross was universally accepted as a sign of Christ’s sacrifice and an object of devotion. The proceedings of the council concluded:
…like the figure of the honoured and life-giving cross, the revered and holy
images, whether painted or made of mosaic or of other suitable material, are
to be exposed in the holy churches of God, on sacred instruments and
vestments, on walls and panels, in houses and by public ways… The more frequently they are seen in representational art, the more are those who see them drawn to remember and long for those who serve as models, and to pay these images the tribute of salutation and respectful veneration. Certainly this is not the full adoration in accordance with our faith, which is properly paid only to the divine nature, but it resembles that given to the figure of the honoured and life-giving cross and also to the holy books of the gospels and to other sacred objects.

This was a significant word, but it was not the final word. To this day, generations of iconoclasts arise – and one such generation had great influence on the faith traditions of some of us who are here today, particularly on the Reformed tradition as it arose in parts of Switzerland like Zürich and Geneva. To see the great church art of the middle ages in these cities, one must visit a museum. But a substantial number of heirs to the Swiss Reformers have had second, third and fourth thoughts about art and iconography.
Even in the 16th century, not all were in agreement. Martin Luther commented on the rejection of the arts by contemporary exponents of the radical reformation…
I am not of the opinion that all the arts should be banished and driven away, as
some zealots want us to believe; but I wish to see them all, especially music, in the service of God who gave and created them… Would to God that I could persuade those who can afford it to paint the whole Bible on their houses, inside and outside, so that all might see; this would indeed by Christian work. For I am convinced that we should hear and learn what God has done, and especially what Christ suffered. But when I hear these things and meditate upon them, I find it impossible not to picture them in my heart. Whether I want to or not, when I hear of Christ, a human form hanging upon a cross rises up in my heart, just as I see my face reflected when I look in water. Now if it is not sinful for me to have Christ’s picture in my heart, why should it be sinful to have it before my eyes?

And for now, let us accept Luther’s implication that, yes, some works of art may serve as windows to the kingdom, or as mirrors of the soul. We peer into icons, as we look through a pane of glass or into a pool of water, wondering what may lie beyond or beneath. We look closely, hoping to glimpse an image of the invisible.
Philip, we are told, wanted to see God more clearly, yet Jesus suggested he was already seeing all that was needed. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father,” he said. And he added, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me” (John 14:8-10). And later, Jesus prayed that all his followers might share in the divine: “…may they all be one: as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us” (John 17:20f).
Whether the art on display represents a set of windows to heaven or mirrors for reflection, or some combination of the two, icons invite us to consider our own potential as images of divine love – and to re-conceive our own lives as a means of portraying the reality of Christ in the world.
Even so, we may also affirm with Paul (1Cor13:12) that, for now, we see through a glass, dimly… but one day we shall see face to face.

Prayer for Monday 19 April 2010 and opening of Icon exhibition

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre Monday 19 April 2010
Praying through the ecumenical prayer cycle for the people of Somalia and Djibouti

Musical preparation

Welcome

Christos anesti!
Alithos anesti!

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!

Cristo ha resucitado!
!En verdad ha resucitado!

Le Christ est ressuscité!
Il est vraiment ressuscité!

Christus ist erstanden!
Er ist wahrhaftig erstanden!

Christos anesti!
Alithos anesti!

Sing - Agios o Theos, Agios Ischiros. Agios Athanatos, Eleison imas (three times)

Prayer
When we are all despairing
When the world is full of grief
When we see no way ahead
And hope has gone away:
Roll back the stone.
Although we fear change;
Although we are not ready;
Although we would rather weep
And run away:
Roll back the stone.
Because we hope where hope is vain;
Because you call us from the grave
And show the way:
Roll back the stone.

Sing - Agios o Theos, Agios Ischiros. Agios Athanatos, Eleison imas (three times)
please be seated

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Sing - Agios o Theos, Agios Ischiros. Agios Athanatos, Eleison imas (three times remain seated)

Reading from the Hebrew Scripture Genesis 1:26-31
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ 29God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Stand to sing - A Toi la Gloire, verse 1 in French - remain standing for the gospel readings
À toi la gloire, O Ressuscité!
À toi la victoire pour l’éternité!
Brillant de lumière, l’ange est descendu,
Il roule la pierre du tombeau vaincu.
À toi la gloire, O Ressuscité!
À toi la victoire pour l’éternité!

Gospel Reading John 14:8-12
Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Sing - A Toi la Gloire, verse 2 in English - remain standing for second gospel reading
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
Let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
For her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Thine is the glory, risen conqu'ring Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, Thou o'er death hast won.

Gospel John 17:11-22
And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Sing - A Toi la Gloire, Verse 3 in French (be seated)
Craindrais-je encore? Il vit à jamais,
Celui que j’adore, le Prince de paix;
Il est ma victoire, mon puissant soutien,
Ma vie et ma gloire : non, je ne crains rien!
À toi la gloire, O Ressuscité!
À toi la victoire pour l’éternité!

Meditation “Images of the invisible” by Theodore A. Gill Jr.

Prayers of intercession ~ with the peoples of Djibouti and Somalia
O God Eternal, good beyond all that is good,
Fair beyond all that is fair, in whom is calmness and peace: reconcile the differences which divide us from one another and bring us back to the unity of love which may bear some likeness to your divine nature. Grant that we may be one, through the grace mercy and tenderness of your son, Jesus Christ.
Sing Agape 110: Yarrabba ssalami amter alay na ssalam
Yarrabba ssalami imla’qulubana na ssalam.

O God, you who are glorious and truly bounteous,
we pray to you for the countries and peoples of Djibouti and Somalia.
Even where drought and famine reign,
may sustenance be given to those suffering from malnutrition and facing starvation.
Even when rivers run dry and rain doesn’t fall,
we pray that all may have access to clean water.
Sing: Yarrabba ssalami amter alay na ssalam
Yarrabba ssalami imla’qulubana na ssalam.

O God, your Son had “nowhere to lay his head”,
we pray to you now
for the hundreds of thousands of Somalian refugees throughout the world,
and for the refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia who have fled to Djibouti;
we pray that they may find shelter, protection and people willing to welcome them and offer practical support.
As we remember them,
we also pray for all refugees and displaced peoples in our world today.
Sing: Yarrabba ssalami amter alay na ssalam
Yarrabba ssalami imla’qulubana na ssalam.

O God of peace,
we pray for peace in Somalia.
With heavy hearts we pray
for peace in our time and in the times to come;
that, throughout our world, swords may be beaten into ploughshares.
Sing: Yarrabba ssalami amter alay na ssalam
Yarrabba ssalami imla’qulubana na ssalam.

God of resurrection and promise
we pray for the Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
And we pray also for ourselves, for our work here and elsewhere,
for our families, friends and loved ones, for those we find it hard to love.
Teach us, too, to beat our swords into ploughshares.
May our prayers, and our actions, become icons
that illustrate the abiding reality of your love.
Sing: Yarrabba ssalami amter alay na ssalam
Yarrabba ssalami imla’qulubana na ssalam.

The Lord’s Prayer ~ said by each in their own language

A prayer of sending

O Creator and Mighty God
You have promised
Strength for the weak, Rest for the labourers, Light for the way,
Grace for the trials, Help from above, Unfailing sympathy, Undying love.
O Creator and Mighty God
help us to continue in your promise.
Amen

Blessing

Sing - Agape 77:
Reamo leboga
Modimo wa rona

We give our thanks to God
We give our thanks to God

Wir danken unserm Gott
Der Dank gilt unserm Gott

Merci à toi Seigneur
Nous te rendons grâce