Unto Us a Child is Born

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.--Isaiah 9:5

These golden words immediately fill our souls with the angelic sounds of Handel’s Messiah that has brought great joy to millions of people, announcing Christ’s coming, his birth.

The prophet Isaiah sets forth the promise of God to provide the supreme leader we all need—the heir to the throne of David. He will rule in righteousness as a Wonderful Counselor; He will reveal the divine character as the Mighty God; He will lead and protect his people as an Everlasting Father; and He will bring a reign of peace—peace in the world and with our God—as a victorious Prince.

But how is this great leader to be brought forth? Not by political power, not by

strength, not by charisma...but as a mere child. God chooses an approach so

different from what we would orchestrate. God gives us a son—His own Son—in

the form of a baby born not to royalty living in a palace, but to a young girl in an

obscure Palestinian village. That child was born in a cattle stall and was laid in a

feeding trough.

Unto Us a Child Is Born, is an exhibition of artists, primarily from the 20th century, who have been moved by the profound mystery that surrounds the birth of our Savior. Most of the images are small works which require us to come

close...to engage with the intimacy of each piece. A majority of the artists are

American but a Greek icon of the Madonna of Tenderness, an Egyptian papyrus

painting of the Flight into Egypt, the charming wood engraving by the

Russian/French artist Jean Lebedeff, and the Panamanian mola all expand the

geographical circle of the nativity works.

Eight etchings by Joan Bohlig envision the Annunciation, the fields where the

shepherds heard the angels’ announcement, the stable where wise men came to

humble themselves before the new King, and the escape on the flight to Egypt.

Each of these intricately etched pieces recall medieval art, but they are also filled

with subtle, yet important theological hints...such as the carpenter’s tool bag at

the feet of the Christ Child, pointing not only to Joseph as carpenter, but also

suggesting the instruments of the Passion.

Tanja Butler, takes us in another direction. Her encounter with the birth of Jesus

is recorded using a distinctly German Expressionist use of intensified color to

emote the thrust of the narrative, especially evident in Nativity with Candles.

Two beautiful watercolor ‘cartoons’ of stained glass windows further delight us

with their color and ability to transform the event into images that will grace

sanctuaries. Another unknown artist has painted a Madonna and Child that

echoes a German painter from the 1800s.

It is hoped that the art from Unto Us A Child Is Born will inhabit your thoughts and

minds as you move through Advent to the celebration of the birth of our Savior.