Notes on the Christmas Card 2009

Deo gratias

 

Thanks be to God. This expression is part of the liturgy in many English Churches of different denominations. But, in our daily life, we all too often throw in a “Thank God” only as a conversation filler conveying some sense of relief. Used in this way it is hardly sincere and evaporates into thin air.

Deo gratias, as text on a Christmas Card is meant as a statement of gratitude for the greatest gift God gave mankind. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3,16).

Our custom to make presents at Christmas may have had its origin in God’s gift, given to us through Jesus Christ. Although, when today at Christmas we heap gift on gift, this connection is hardly ever made.

That my design for the picture turned into a depiction of the whole history of God’s act for our salvation was not a pre-meditated thought process; it just evolved, because for some time I wanted to place Joseph into the foreground of a Christmas composition. As this would not make an easily recognisable Christmas card, I needed a meaningful frame. And this came together from several sources.

In the nativity scenes by famous masters, Joseph is often depicted in a role of minor importance. He tends a fire, cooks, holds up a nappy to dry or sits in a corner fast asleep. Not so in the Christmas icons of the Eastern Church. There he sits with bare feet (a story in itself) often on a large tree stump and looks thoughtful into the distance. He, like us today, needs answers to the questions surrounding this birth. The person standing next to him explains all to him. It is most likely the Prophet Isaiah. He is a voice of one calling: In the dessert prepare the way for the Lord (Isaiah 40,3). That is why the Prophet is traditionally depicted in a rough fur cloak. In nearly all icons he rests on a stick, which points to the prophecy: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit (Isaiah 11,1).

The cross, which divides the picture into four parts, is in itself a symbol of God’s gift of salvation. It takes our faith away from the nativity into the future, to Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. Old masters painted the cross often green, because green is the colour of contemplation and hope, guiding our thoughts to the faith in an eternal life. Green is also the colour of Paradise. The restoration of Paradise is part of the Christmas message, a theme too complex to be easily included in a Christmas picture. But Christmas Eve has also the name “Adam and Eve”, reminding us of Satan’s deed and its consequences. The lower left panel of the picture shows therefore God’s Angel conquering evil in the symbolic form of a serpent in hellish fire. Thus God is opening again the gate to Paradise.

The top left part of the picture belongs to God, who in several Bible stories speaks to his people out of clouds and stormy weather. God is hidden to our eyes in clouds. But from there the light floods into the world. It is this light of God’s eternal love and grace, which at Christmas fills our hearts with hope and joy. For this we give Him thanks. The pointed finger of the Angel in the top right panel provides the exclamation mark for all this.

B. Hildebrandt

This Christmas card and images from earlier years are on sale at the Christmas Market