Jesus
Our Hope and Salvation
Our Shelter in the Storm
Our Assurance in uncertain times
We wait for Him with anticipation
We watch for Him with longing
We hope for Him with eager expectation
“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”
Henri Nouwen
Two years ago, also during the first week in December, I posted Beyond Blind Faith about the meaning behind a beautiful painting by Jack E. Dawson. Since then I occasionally receive newsletters. Today his wife, Nancy, has started an Advent series on his Passion Tree painting. If you’re interested, you can follow her on YouTube.
“The PASSION TREE follows the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each ornament illustrates an event in history. The red garland represents the crimson thread of Jesus Christ woven through the entire Bible. Jesus IS from eternity (before creation) to eternity (after the end of all things), and this garland weaves through all history, telling His Story. The first twelve ornaments, starting at the lower left, show events in the Old Testament and the last twelve illustrate events in the New Testament, with a star representing the glory of God crowning the tree. The red ornaments at the center form a cross, the three largest representing the Trinity: God the Father who gave His gift, God the Son who came to earth and God the Spirit who lives within believers today. There are 33 candles, one for each of the years that Christ spent on earth in the form of a man. Jesus is the Light. (John 1:6-13, 12:44-46) You can see a suggestion of Him in each flame. Under the tree you can see some people carrying the light to others who are walking in darkness. Those of us who have the Light must be sharing it with others all over the world. The snow-covered landscape suggests a map of the entire globe. We are the light and we must let our light shine so that many may come to saving faith in God through Christ Jesus. (Matthew 5:14-16)”
Jack E. Dawson
Freed to Fly 
Waiting, watching and hoping for the return of Jesus in this Advent season. Loved the video, Trudy, and the explanation of the Christmas tree painting. How inspiring and beautiful! Let us celebrate the One who is the Alpha and Omega as we worship in our hearts at a stable in Bethlehem.
Blessings!
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Yes, Martha, let us celebrate and worship Him. 🙂 We need the time to prepare our hearts to make room for Him. Again and again. I, too, find that painting and these Advent messages inspiring. I just watched Day 2 about the Garden of Eden. Blessings to you, too! May our hearts be filled with the awe and wonder of Jesus’ birth!
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Thank you for sharing this, Trudy! What a beautiful and meaningful painting! I love that quote by Nouwen – perfect! Blessings on your Advent, dear friend.
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Blessings on Advent to you, too, June! I love Jack Dawson’s paintings. They are so full of meaning. May we have ears to hear and eyes to see the Lord is coming!
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It’s always good to see you back in this space, Trudy! Thanks for consistently sharing good things with us that you find along the way. I appreciate you, friend, and pray that you’re doing well!
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Thank you, Lisa. 🙂 I appreciate you, too! I pray you are doing well, too! May we open our hearts to renewed hope and the wonder of this Advent season!
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Delightful Trudy! Lovely to have you back 😀
Blessings,
Jennifer
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Thank you, Jennifer. 🙂 Blessings to you, too! By the way, I have found another tea I enjoy. Another Yogi Tea – Chai Rooibos. Yum! It’s supposed to have calming qualities, but I haven’t noticed. 🙂 May we taste and see the faithful goodness of God!
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Amen!
Oooo, that sounds delicious Trudy! 😀
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It is tasty, Jennifer. 🙂
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So glad to see you here again, Trudy. I love the new look of your blog too. 🙂 The Passion Tree painting is beautiful and so creative. Hugs, friend.
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Thank you, Lois. WordPress’ way of posting changed, so I had to find a different theme that would work better. I couldn’t even see a preview with my old one. I’m glad yours now shows the comments! 🙂 Can you imagine the intricate detail and hours of work Jack Dawson had to put into the Passion Tree painting? I love his creative paintings. Hugs to you, too! May God’s love and peace fill our hearts with new hope this season!
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Dear Trudy,
Oh, I was so glad to see your post here again! Your new theme is so calming and pretty, I love it. And, oh, how these resources are so good. Your poem at the beginning touched me so much! We wait, and watch, and hope–Amen. May I keep my hope fixed on His coming for us. And thank you for the lovely video about the Passion Tree. I’ve subscribed for those now. May you have a beautiful Christmas Season dear friend. Hugs and Love to you! xoxo
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Thank you so much, Bettie. I’m so grateful your heart was touched. I’m so glad you subscribed to those videos. God is truly encouraging me through them. Nancy has such a heartfelt way of presenting the Truth. As I just watched today’s video, my heart warmed to think you are following these with me. 🙂 Hugs and love to you, too! May you have a beautiful Christmas season, too! May our hope be renewed as we wait, and watch, and hope!
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Trudy, I’m new around here, so haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you before, but I am so blessed to have visited today! The story behind the Passion Tree and the video were so amazing to me! Thank you for sharing those. They have definitely given me much to ponder!
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Welcome, Donna. 🙂 I’m so glad you were blessed. I find the story and videos so amazing, too. May we ponder and be in awe of the incomprehensible gift of God coming down in the flesh for us!
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I love the anticipation of our Saviors birth. It’s such a special season!
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Me, too, Heather. We so need our hope revived, don’t we? May the wonder of our Savior’s birth be renewed in our hearts and lives!
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This is lovely, Trudy! I love the idea of the Passion Tree and how it shows that the whole story of the Bible points to Jesus. It sounds like the perfect way to get ready to celebrate his coming!
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I am really touched by those videos, Lesley. It’s so amazing that it shows how the whole story of the Bible points to Jesus. There is such detail and meaning in each painting within each ornament. May our hearts make room for the wonder of Jesus’ birth!
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Watching, waiting, hoping and praying sum up the art of Advent for us as we prepare with awe and expectation in our hearts. Thank you for this beautiful reminder, the great quote from Henri Nouwen, and the lovely video which describes the deeper meaning behind the Christmas Tree painting. What a gift that painting is! Like an Advent calendar all by itself. It’s so good to see you back here again, dear Trudy. I hope that means you are feeling stronger than you did before, and more rested after taking a blogging break. Love, hugs, blessings and prayers! xo ❤️
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Thank you, Joy. Love, hugs, blessings, and prayers to you, too! I’m still not certain what direction God wants me to go concerning this blog. I just know that I have to let go of the pressure I put on myself. So I will probably be writing here more sporadically for now. As I lay in bed this morning, it seemed a blog post was coming together. Then after I did some wash and got more tired, my mind went on the blink. 😦 One day at a time, one step at a time, right? I appreciate your understanding and support. May God strengthen our bodies, minds, and spirits in this Advent season as we prepare with awe and expectation!
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Trudy, I’m quite late to this gathering. This painting is beautiful, especially with the meanings behind everything. I, too, like that Henri Nouwen quote. He was a profound thinker. I always appreciate your words, friend. Sending you a virtual hug!
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You’re never late here, Jeanne. 🙂 Anytime is special. 🙂 I’ve been thinking of you a lot. It must be hard to keep up with the link-ups and comments at your blog along with writing activities and raising two teenage boys. I pray God will give you strength to keep from being overwhelmed. Sending virtual hugs back to you! May we have ears to hear and eyes to see and recognize the coming of the Lord at any moment in our lives!
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Well, I certainly am late to the party, friend! Your words from Henri Nouwen give cause for pause. I praise God that Advent has arrived just when we needed hope and expectation to be cultivated in our yearning hearts.
I hope you are well … and I know you’ll agree with me when I say, Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
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As I told Jeanne, you’re never late here. 🙂 You’re always welcome! I’m with you, Linda, in praising God “that Advent has arrived just when we needed hope and expectation to be cultivated in our yearning hearts.” Oh, I definitely agree with you in saying, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!” May we make room for Him and His unfailing love in our hearts and lives this season and always!
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