On August 19th, we plan to unveil two paintings for our chancel. The paintings will be one of the Hodegetria and the other, the Pantokrator. Because these paintings were first used in the Church when Greek was still the predominant language, these paintings still have their Greek-language names.
More than simply being attractive, “churchy” art, the paintings are meant to carry much theological weight. The painting to the viewer’s left is the Hodegetria, which means, “She who points the way.” In the painting, Mary gently points to her Son, Jesus. The painting in its location represents Jesus’ first coming in humility in His incarnation. That is why the Virgin Mary is in the painting holding Jesus.
Because we read from left to right, the viewer’s eyes then move to the second painting: the Pantokrator, which means “Almighty Creator.” This painting represents Jesus’ returning in power and glory on the Last Day, when He will judge the living and the dead.
Between these two painting (and events), we find a couple of significant, architectural pieces. First, our eyes see the cross, which stands between the incarnation and the Last Day. The cross is where Jesus won our salvation, affirmed and made real in the Resurrection. The second is the Altar. The Altar is the place of Jesus’ continuing presence among us, where He comes to us in His body and blood in His Supper until He finally returns on the Last Day.
The New Testament, Christian Church lives and worships in time between the incarnation and the Last Day. This the Lutheran Church also believes and confesses. The two paintings help us understand that reality in a beautiful, artful way: That between the Incarnation and the Last Day, we are to continue to seek Jesus where He has promised to come to us–in His Supper. For it is in His Supper where we continue to receive the benefits of what Jesus won for us on the cross. As our Lutheran Confessions state, “the Mass [Divine Service] is for the purpose of giving the Sacrament” (AC 24, para 34).
Chancel view with actual draft drawings pasted in using computer “magic.”
