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Hebrews 1:1-3 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Supremacy of God's Son 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, |
These three little verses sum up the Gospel. God created the world. We broke it. God sent His Son to earth. The Son was sacrificed for our sins.
In my day job I’m an illustrator, which is really a visual communicator. To illustrate means to cast light upon or illuminate. Therefore, I completely understand that different audiences need things to be communicated in different ways. God does this throughout the Old Testament and now He uses Christ, an exact representation of Himself in a human body.
How we communicate online says a lot. This expression of God made me think about the digital manifestations of ourselves that we put online, and in the way that we can present a version of ourselves, or even a brand for different circumstances. It isn’t just celebrities that do this, we all do it to some extent.
These verses highlight the creative power of God and the saving power. Great design is transformative, and God is the greatest designer. To be a designer means to be a problem solver. This is where Christ comes in – His sacrifice is the solution to the problem, no temporary fix, a permanent one.
Then Christ sat down – this means His work was complete, the sacrifice was final. I often feel that my work is never done, particularly during Advent. But this is an earthly view. The cover illustration is a series of festive images with Christ at the centre. The important bit though is the big picture, a star pointing us to the birth of Christ. God spoke.
Pete & Lucy C