Sculpting Miracles

Last weekend my family and I went to the Visitors' Center near the LDS Palmyra Temple in Palmyra, NY, to view an exhibition of sculptures in bronze by Angela Johnson depicting scenes from the ministry of Jesus Christ. I was stunned by their perfection in capturing the finest details of the subjects' bodily characteristics, such as eyes (even tears!), hair, bone structure, musculature, and the fabric of their clothing, as well as of the stone, trees, and even waters forming the physical settings of the scenes depicted. Also compelling was the sculptor's choice of events to depict, from the touching domestic scene of Christ with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), to the majestic Christ walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33), to the heartbreaking moment when the leper begged Christ to heal him (Luke 5:12-14). What most transfixed me, though, was how truly the meaning and emotion of each scene was wrought into the figures. I took some pictures, which didn't turn out very well because my hands were trembling with the excitement and power of what I was viewing. But perhaps they'll give you a hint of what I'm talking about.

The photo above right is of a piece depicting Joseph Smith's First Vision in the Sacred Grove, in which (according to LDS teaching) God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and set him upon his prophetic mission. How the sculptor managed to "suspend" these figures in mid-air is truly ingenious!

The photo above left is of Christ in Gethsemane. The photo at right is a closeup of a piece depicting Christ carrying his cross; one can almost feel the crushing weight of the cross on the Savior's shoulder, and see the exhaustion--and the love--in His face.

The photo above left depicts Christ walking on the storm-tossed sea; the one at right the raising of Lazarus from the dead. I wish I could adequately show that entire piece; it enabled one to view the scene both from Lazarus' position inside the cave looking out (as here), and on the other side from the Lord's position outside it, looking in.

The photos above are of a piece depicting Christ's healing of the leper. I was trying hard to capture the wretchedness of the poor man's condition and the anguish, and hope, in his eyes. It's hard to see this one without one's eyes filling with tears.

Apart from seeing these marvelous works in person, the best way to experience them is at Mrs. Johnson's web site. Browse through all of the four galleries presented. And turn on your speakers, because the tour is accompanied by one of the most moving pieces of music ever composed, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. This is the most perfect pairing of music with religious subject-matter that I've ever experienced.

The exhibit will be at the Palmyra Temple Visitors' Center through January 31st. If you plan on being anywhere near our nation's capital between July and October 2010, consider viewing the exhibit at the Washington, D.C. Temple Visitors' Center.

But there's more, or soon will be. Once funding can be secured, life-size sculpture garden containing pieces by Mrs. Johnson depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ is planned for the beautiful Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi, Utah. For breathtaking views of the Gardens with depictions of what the statuary will look like there (and for guidance on how to donate to the effort), click here.

Incredibly, Angela Johnson (who is also a wife of more than 30years, mother of four, and grandmother of nine) did not begin as a professionally trained sculptor, but as an opera singer. She turned to sculpting only 12 years ago, in a moment of inspiration, when she realized that her musical career had gone as far as it ever would--and that God had other plans for her. Since then, she has branched out into commission work, and taught basic sculpting to lepers in India. Watch the video below for a compelling review of her career and her faith. Mrs. Johnson is a living testament that miracles DO happen!

Merry Christmas to All!--and Especially Our Troops

I would like to wish a blessed and merry Christmas to everyone! No soul should be lonely or forgotten on this holiday--and indeed, none is, because we all have a God who remembers and loves every last man, woman, and child on this earth, every moment of every day of the year. But in the midst of life's challenges we don't always realize it, and it's especially hard for men and women far from family and home at military installations here in the United States, or at bases or in the field in faraway lands. We can imagine Santa visiting them, as in the amusing drawing below by Thomas Nast of Santa distributing packages to Union troops during the Civil War, which appeared on the cover of Harper's Weekly on January 3, 1863 (if you were a soldier would you rather get socks or a jack-in-the-box?--believe me, you'd want the former!):

But as adults we know that Santa won't "really" be there, and that there's nothing our service men and women want more at times like this than to be at home, surrounded by family and friends. Would that we didn't need soldiers and sailors, armies and navies! But until the Messiah returns, we always will. And one thing we can do for them is pray unceasingly for their welfare, their success, and their safe and speedy return home. To that end, I'd like to reprint a marvelous "Christmas Prayer for our Troops & their Families" that appeared on the excellent web site Free Republic one year ago tomorrow:

Lord God, there is no other God but You. You alone are Savior. You alone are Redeemer. When we trust in You, when we fear You alone, there You are, by our sides, protecting, providing in Your ever-perfect Way….especially when we do not understand.

Lord God, You came on that first Christmas as the Prince of Peace – not the Prince of peace as the world defines it but the peace which You bring to tortured souls, the peace which surpasses understanding and the peace between Jew and Gentile that anyone, yes, anyone who proclaims belief in You as Savior and bows to You as Lord may enter into the supreme goodness of eternity with You.

Lord God, You are God, therefore Your ways are not our own. Yours are higher, better. They must be or You are not God. Lord God, the world wants peace, but the peace it seeks is not to be found so long as we are on this earth. When Adam and Eve chose to obey their own wills instead of Yours, they set themselves under the dominion of the evil one, who is greater than we and less, less, less than You!!! This adversary roams the world, looking to destroy, looking to conquer.

Lord God, so long as we are on earth, though we do not want war, times will come and come again where we must stand and fight. Lord God, every generation has paid this high price for freedom in some way and now it is our turn. Lord God, bless each and every military member and family who so valiantly serve this nation and the world, drawing the line and saying no more to those who would exact terror on the rest of us and force us to submit to their way of life or be killed.

Lord God, draw each and every troop and their families closer to You this Christmas. Give them greater understanding of who You are and the mission they serve – for our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. Lord God, show Yourself to them, help them understand how You protect, how You provide and how they can trust in You.

Lord God, be with the families. Send Your angels not only to those on the battlefields, but every family at home this Christmas who has someone they love deployed and especially be with our Gold Star families.. Stand by them and be their comfort this Christmas as they journey through the loneliness of grief. Lord God only You can reach deep inside where the hurt is and slowly, slowly bring the healing. Give each of them a purpose from You which helps them keep going, though often it is the hardest thing they have ever had to do.

And Lord God, be with each of our wounded warriors. Heal them spiritually, emotionally, as well as physically. Give their doctors great wisdom and give them comrades beside them so they may encourage one another. Bless also each of our veterans and let them feel Your love around them this Christmas.

Lord God, provide now the way for victory in this war. The adversary may be more clever than we are, but You are Sovereign and You are Supreme. Therefore we bow to You and ask You to give our Generals, Admirals and Leaders Your strategy to make progress to victory. Lord God, we can’t do this without You. By Your Holy Spirit speak to them. Guide and direct them and bring them all home safely. We are so grateful for their service. In Jesus’ precious and mighty name, Amen

Amen indeed . . . and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE! May this beautiful day fill your heart with joy, and portend the coming of that miraculous day when tears will be wiped away from all faces, forever.

Just this weekend I discovered something beautiful--learning, praise God, never ceases! While looking for artwork with which to adorn an Easter post, I stumbled upon some of the most moving depictions of Christ's life I've ever seen. They're by the Danish artist Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834 – 1890), whose complete works can be viewed here and here. He was commissioned to do 23 new paintings illustrating the life of Christ for the King's Praying Chamber at Frederiksborg Castle Chapel in his native Denmark. Bloch spent the next 14 years on the project, after which he came to be recognized as "perhaps the greatest artist ever to interpret the life and death of Christ."

I've chosen three of his works to illuminate the Easter story, and have paired them with selections from Scripture conveying the significance of the miraculous events shown. The first is a detail from a larger work (which you can see in full here) depicting an angel comforting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Every time I look at it I'm moved to tears; no better depiction of love and faithfulness has ever been wrought, and it reminds me so poignantly of our Savior's unimaginable suffering as He took upon Himself the staggering weight of all mankind's sins, so that we might live (and how great a being must have been that angel, to be chosen the Lord's comforter in that terrible hour?). The other two works speak for themselves, and are just as powerful.

The Fleming Family wishes you all the happiest and most blessed Easter!

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ~ Luke 22:41-44

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:4-5

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces . . . ~ Isaiah 25:8