Christ in the River
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
A contemporary Russian icon of the Baptism of Christ by Olga Shalamova (2005). Shalamova is here characteristically creative in her approach to the subject; her studio (which she runs with her husband, Philip Davydov) is confessedly unafraid and unapologetic about reappropriating the tradition and giving it fresh expression in new works of liturgical art. This representation is more minimalist than most: John the Baptist stands beside a tree, to which the axe is laid to the root of, and angels witness the mystery; otherwise, the whole world is engulfed in the flood of waters that engulf Christ: although Christ himself stands above the waters; and, like the dragnet in which fishes of every kind are caught (Mat 13:47), they are drawn to him, as he is lifted up (John 12:32).
Traditional iconography — as often as not — points in the opposite direction with the sea creatures. After all, the waters saw him and fled (Ps. 77:16). Rahab of the Deep and Leviathan are often depicted as a part of the baptismal scene, little fishy creatures with kings riding on them, who in terror are swimming away because the foot that crushes them has entered into the waters for their destruction. This is the antipode to the universalism of Shalamova’s icon: Christ can now attract all the fishes, because the great monsters of the depths been defeated and turned away.
How blessed are the feet!
First Sunday after Epiphany (Baptism of our Lord)
Texts for this Week
Prayer
Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove: Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
The Cry of a Tiny Babe
The Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn offers a something of a contemporary recitative of the Christmas story, which tends forward into the themes of the epiphany:
The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth
For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes
But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums
And indeed, the chorus alights upon the Baptism of our Lord:
Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe
Most importantly, the climax of Cockburn’s crooning is nothing other than the beautiful Gospel of Christ crucified:
The message is clear if you've got ears to hear
That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear
It's a Christmas gift you don't have to buy
There's a future shining in a baby's eyes
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed!
Drawn from the imagery of Ps 72, this 19th C Christmas hymn of James Montgomery calls to mind the implications of the coming of Christ and of his triumph for social order. This video offers a contemporary interpretation by Indelible Grace, feat. Sandra McCracken, although it is traditionally rendered with the German folk tune, Es flog ein kleins Waldvögelein, as intoned by this virtual choir from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The version done by the New Scottish Hymns band might be my favorite contemporary rendition, but the visual with the stream is timely for the feast.
