Peace

 

Isaiah 65:17-25

17 For I am about to create new heavens
   and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
   or come to mind. 
18 But be glad and rejoice for ever
   in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
   and its people as a delight. 
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
   and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
   or the cry of distress. 
20 No more shall there be in it
   an infant that lives but a few days,
   or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
   and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
   they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
   they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
   and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 
23 They shall not labour in vain,
   or bear children for calamity;*
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord
   and their descendants as well. 
24 Before they call I will answer,
   while they are yet speaking I will hear. 
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
   the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
   but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
   on all my holy mountain,

says the Lord

 

Peaceable Kingdom of the Branch *

HICKS, Edward

1826-1830

Reynolda House

Museum of American Art

Winston-Salem, NC

United States

 

Edward Hicks revisited the subject of the peaceable kingdom sixty-two times between 1820 and his death in 1849.  However, only four known versions of this particular composition, known as The Peaceable Kingdom of the Branch, have been recorded.  These canvases are characterized by the depiction of the Natural Bridge in Virginia and the presence of the "branch" or grapevine.  The painted frame with lettering also distinguishes these early works.  At some point, all four edges of Reynolda House's version were trimmed, as the frame bears only four lines instead of eight.  The complete passage from Isaiah 11:6 is: 

 

The wolf shall with the lambkin dwell in peace, 

His grim carniv'rous nature then shall cease;

The leopard with the harmless kid lay down,

And not one savage beast be seen to frown;

The lion and the calf shall forward move,

A little child shall lead them on in love;

When man is moved and led by sovereign grace,

To seek that state of everlasting peace.

 

The Peaceable Kingdom of the Branch was painted during the mid-1820s when the Quaker church was experiencing an internal clash that ultimately resulted in the creation of two sects.  In this image, a young rosy-cheeked boy in the left mid-ground leads a group of animals, both predatory and domestic, towards a rushing river.  The scene is biblical in nature, but clearly takes place on American soil.  The most notable signifier of location is the natural land bridge that was a popular tourist attraction for American and European travelers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  This particular view is a direct quotation of an image that appeared on Henry S. Tanner's travel map from 1822. [1] Also of note is the small vignette beneath the arch of the bridge.  In this tiny scene, Hicks has depicted the famous Quaker, William Penn offering his treaty of peace to a group of Native Americans.  Each of these elements works in tandem to reinforce Hicks's message of unity and peace during a period when the Quaker church was in a state of crisis.  The complexity of Hicks's representation complicates early interpretations of his work that characterize him as a "naive" artist who lacked basic skill.  Though flattened and rudimentary  each form Hicks includes in his canvas is carefully chosen for its symbolic meaning, worked into a skillful composition, and rendered with a brilliant palette.  Notes: [1] Carolyn J. Weekly, and Laura Pass Barry, The Kingdoms of Edward Hicks (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1999), 94.

 

http://reynoldahouse.org/collections/object/peaceable-kingdom-of-the-branch

 

 

 

 

 

A mind at peace,

a mind centered and not focused on harming others,

is stronger than any physical force in the universe.

~ Wayne Dyer

 

 

 

 

 

Never be in a hurry;

do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,

even if your whole world seems upset.

~ Saint Francis de Sales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Fishing at Evergreen Lake"

Trish Tofte took this beautiful shot on Veterans' Day.

 

 

Bill Manning, Bob Hagerman, Sam Smith

The Rowdy Rotarians celebrated Bob's 70th birthday at the Wood Cellar on Tuesday.

 

 

Karel Buckley with one of her photos of a Spirit Bear (Kermode Bear)

that she took on Gribbell Island (just north of remote Princess Royal Island in British Columbia).

She had a giclée print made of it on canvas and brought it to breakfast on Wednesday.

 

 

Photographer George D. Lepp gave a very interesting talk on Wednesday evening.

Here, he is shown with some of his equipment in the field.

http://www.leppphoto.com

 

 

Downtown Evergreen, Colorado

November 13, 2013

photo by Kevin Hunt

 

Our one traffic light in Downtown Evergreen was green,

so the elk decided it was time to cross!

<gr>

 

 

 

 

 

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ
from that of their social environment.

                                                            ~ Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 17, 2013     Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:
     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

 

 Although it is not considered a religious image, Hicks' Peaceable Kingdom exemplifies Quaker ideals. Hicks painted 61 versions of this composition. The animals and children are taken from Isaiah 11:6-8 (also echoed in Isaiah 65:25), including the lion eating straw with the ox. Hicks used his paintings as a way to define his central interest, which was the quest for a redeemed soul. This theme was also from one of his theological beliefs.[12]

Hicks' work was influenced by a specific Quaker belief referred to as the Inner Light. George Fox was the Quaker chief, along with other formulators who established and preached the Inner Light doctrine. Fox explained that along with scriptural knowledge, many individuals achieve salvation by yielding one's self-will to the divine power of Christ and the "Christ within". This "Christ in You" concept was derived from the Bible's Colossians1:27. Hicks depicted humans and animals to represent the Inner Light's idea of breaking physical barriers (of difference between two individuals) to working and living together in peace. Many of his paintings further exemplify this concept with depictions of Native Americans meeting the settlers of Pennsylvania, with William Penn prominent among them.

Hicks admired Penn as an opponent of British power in America, and he hoped that Penn could help ensure reform. Like Penn, Hicks opposed Britain's hierarchy.[12] Hicks most esteemed Penn for establishing the treaty of Pennsylvania with the Native Americans, because it was a state that strongly fostered the Quaker community.

His work often focused on religious subject matter while using current events to portray them. Hicks conveyed meaning through symbols,

[14] and depicted predators (such as lions) and prey (such as lambs) next to each other to show a theme of peace. Peaceable Kingdoms of the Branch (1826–30), is now located in Reynolda House, Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC. It is a notable example of Hicks' legacy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hicks

 

Luke 21:5-19

5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’

7 They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ 8And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!”* and, “The time is near!”* Do not go after them.

9 ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ 10Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

12 ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; 15for I will give you words* and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name.18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

  

 

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

 

http://www.i-nomad.net/2012/03/quote-of-day.html

 

 

 

 

Isaiah 65:17–25 

Isaiah 12 

2 Thessalonians 3:6–13 

Luke 21:5–19