Risen Christ, King of Creation
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
The grand mosaic in the apse of the Basilica of San Clemente in Ravenna, Italy is one of the most well-preserved examples of Byzantine fresco. Although dating in its present form stretches back only as far as the 12th C, the themes of the mosaic harken to earlier tradition, and may be modeled after the 4th C church which sat upon the site. In any case, the conservative character of the artwork testifies to the longstanding Byzantine influence in the region, which extended well into the Middle Ages, and even to the formation of the modern state.
Christ on the Cross here is the Tree of Life, and all of creation — both human society, and the natural world — orbits his abundance. The birds of the air have found their home in his branches. Deer drink from the waterbrooks of living water flowing from the roots of that Tree. Beneath, Christ is the Lamb who leads his flock: his shepherding is not of us only,l but of all creation. Truly, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture!
Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.
— The Holy Prophet Joel (Joel 2:23)
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Texts for This Week
Prayer
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
…Ruler of All Nature
The Jehovah Shalom Acapella group is a vocal band from Kampala, Uganda affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventists. Here they sing the well-beloved 17th C German hymn, Schönster Herr Jesu: Fairest Lord Jesus. Christ is well-hailed as the center and the king of all the beauties of the natural world.
