Christ of the Poor
“Since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”
The German-American illustrator Fritz Eichenberg’s 1951 woodcarving The Christ of the Breadlines depicts Jesus as and among the modern poor. It is striking that Christ, indeed, is the most darkened character, yet also the image’s sole source of light in the image.
Like many of Eichenberg’s religious-themed illustrations and woodcarvings, Christ of the Breadlines appeared in the Catholic Worker newspaper. Eichenberg himself was a Quaker convert, whose experience of WWI led him in the direction of pursuing peace, nonviolence, and social justice. As such, he frequently depicted Jesus among the poor, marginalized and excluded, as well cultivating a rich imagination for depicting Biblical moments in a unique yet traditional fashion.
Black Crucifixion (1962)
Christ of the Homeless (1980)
As our Scriptures this week remind us of both the grace of giving and our obligation to the poor, as well show us Jesus among his people being present to the poor and those in need, Eichenberg's art can help us train our eyes as we tune our hearts to the
There will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”
— The Lord God (Deut. 15:11)
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Texts for This Week
Prayer
O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and on earth: Put away from us all hurtful things, and give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
God whose loving knows no ending
A relatively recent hymn (1961) by the late Congregationalist minister, Robert Lansing Edwards — sometime minister of Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut, God whose loving knows no ending has enjoyed unusually broad impact via the last generation of hymnals. Here it is performed by a choir in Ghana to Parry’s tune RUSTINGTON from the 1890s, although it seems that BEACH SPRING from the old Southern Harmony has gained the ascendency as the favored associated tune.
Edwards’ lyrics move the singer from a place of gratitude at the full scope of God’s creating, sustaining, and redeeming work into gratitude for the gifts of skills and time and treasure, and the opportunity to employ these gifts in the task of loving God and our neighbor.
This hymn often appears in conjunction with another penned the same year by the English hymnographer Albert Bayly, with a view to increasing the repertoire of hymns pertaining to social welfare. Lord Whose Love in Humble Service shares a meter and is also frequently sung to the tune BEACH SPRING, enabling the two hymns to follow and flow into one another with some ease. The bonus video featured here is suitably Appalachian folk in its mood to fit the character of the hymntune; for an alternative interpretation, here it is beautifully arranged/performed by a purple-haired hipster for Boston-based Grace Chapel.
