The Lord be with you
Yesterday (April 6) was the Commemoration of Lucas Cranach and Albrecht Dürer, Artists. I forgot to post something about the day so I’m doing so now.
Lucas Cranach (1472-1557), a close friend of Martin Luther, was a celebrated painter of portraits and altarpieces and a producer of woodcuts of religious subjects. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), a native of Nürnberg, Germany, was one of the most learned of Renaissance artists and an ardent admirer of Martin Luther. His paintings and woodcuts include examples of the splendor of creation and skilled portrayals of Biblical narratives. Both Cranach and Dürer are remembered and honored for the grandeur of their works of art, which depict the glory and majesty and the grace and mercy of the Triune God.
“Who can exhaust all the virtue and power of God’s Word? The Holy Scriptures, sermons, and all Christian books do nothing but praise God’s Word, as we also do daily in our reading, writing, preaching, singing, poetizing, and in painting. This blessing abides and sustains us when the temporal blessings vanish and when through death we part from them and from one another. This blessing does not leave us or depart from us; it goes through death with us, tears us out of it, and brings us to eternal life, where there is neither death nor fear of dying.” – Martin Luther
Prayer: We give thanks to You, O God, creator and fashioner of the universe, for the work of Your servants Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach; and we pray that by the vigor and strength of their creations you would open our eyes to the wonder of life, the glories of creation, and the exploration of our place in the world; through Your son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Appropriate prayers include:
• For artists
• For renewed appreciation of beauty as an attribute of God
• For joy in the natural world
• For a receptive mind to explore the beauty of creation
• For appreciation of art
• For the use of art in telling God’s story
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert