“A NEW DAY”

A written interpretation of the baptistery painting by Mary B. Jones. Greenbrier Road Baptist Church, December 23, 2007

As I began praying that I would paint what God would have me paint, He gave me the following scripture reference Isaiah 35.    ¹The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.       ²It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.    In verse five it goes on to say:

   ⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.    
   ⁶Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.   
   ⁷And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.    
   ⁸And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men,(though fools, shall not enter there).    
   ⁹No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon; it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.    
   ¹⁰And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads…

Then He gave me Psalm 36: 7-9:   ⁷How excellent is your lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings.

  ⁸They will be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.

   ⁹For with you is the fountain of life...

The overall idea was that of a barren land, blossoming like a rose.

You can tell that I took a lot of it literally but the painting is very figurative. If you notice in the background there are bare, desert-like mountains, representing where we have been. There is an old saying “Those who forget the past is doomed to repeat it.” We remember the past to learn from it and to build on it. Where do we start building: At the cross, where the stream begins.

The cross is the way and the fountain of life, turning the desert into a fertile plain. The stream is progressive; it does not turn back; and it grows as it comes forward. There are two waterfalls, representing the abundance of the flow of mercy and grace extending to all those who will come.

There is an eagle soaring above, casting a shadow on the ground below. His shadow is our resting place.

I chose the early morning because I see this church in a new day. The past or the barren land is behind and a new future of a fertile plain lies ahead. I was led to put in a pool and a garden around it knowing we were to be a watered garden, growing in his grace.

A few weeks ago, Bro. Ike spoke to us about laying aside all malice toward one another and stop pointing fingers at each other. The phrase “watered garden” kept rolling around in my mind. I looked up the reference and what I found is the heart of the painting and what I feel is the message to this church, to where we are right now. Isaiah 58:6-12 speaks of true worship:

   ⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?

    ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

    ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness ^[a] will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

    ⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       "If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

    ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.

    ¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

    ¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

    So in summary, what is this painting of? This is a painting of what the Lord would have this church to be: A place of refreshment for the weary, nourishment for the hungry, compassion for the lonely and mercy for the lost, in short – an Oasis in a drought-stricken world. It is also a picture of what He would have us as individuals to be: a garden of delight, greeting each new day with a sweet aroma, brightening the lives of others that we meet in the way, drinking from the Living Waters, and resting in the shadow of His wings. We are here for such a time as this to Rebuild on the old true foundation, and like Nehemiah, be Repairers of the breach.

So I have entitled this painting “A New Day”.