Evening Prayer Friday, 26 February 2021
‘Christ in the desert’ – is the first thing that I worked on seriously, I drew it with tears and blood …, it is the result of my deep suffering … the result of many years of searching ….
Ivan Kramskoy, artist
On this second Friday of Lent, I’d like to share with you this painting,
’Christ in the Desert’ by the Russian artist Ivan Kramskoy (1837–1887).
If you have the chance to look at it on a computer,
you will probably find this worthwhile,
as it is, of course, easier to get some sense
of what the artist really hopes to convey from a larger image.
If you can, spend some time just looking at the image to see what it has to say to you.
It’s not a painting I had come across before,
but it really captured my imagination and my emotions
when I came across it while exploring material about Lent on the Internet.
If, like me, you want to discover more about the artist
and what the painting meant to him,
this link will take you to an article which explains how he came to paint it:
For now, just spend some time looking at it, and let the painting speak to you.
Let us pray:
Loving God,
We know that Jesus spent a significant time in the wilderness,
which took him away from other distractions
and allowed him to listen closely to your word,
to wrestle with what you had to say to him
and to really hear your voice.
Help us, this Lent, to put aside other distractions,
to open our ears, our minds and our hearts to you.
Guide our thoughts and our actions.
Deepen our relationship with you and our relationships with one another.
Bring us to a deeper understanding of your plans for us
and what you need us to do to put these plans into action.
We ask all our prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen
Holy Spirit,
fill us with your water of life,
so that, even as we walk through the desert
we might know your refreshing
and share it with those around us.
Lead us, as you led Jesus,
To the glory of God the Father.
Amen
From engageworship.org
Rosemary Kearsey
