Watching for Christ

       Archbishop Benson's favorite dog, "Watch," always followed his footsteps in the park and about the house. When service went on in the chapel, Watch stretched himself on the mat at the open door. On one occasion the Archbishop read the second lesson, which ended with the words, "What I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch! and the dog immediately started up and walked to his master as if he had been called, and lay at his feet until the end of the service. Surely we, with our greater intelligence, ought to have that quickness to hear and to obey when Christ our Master calls us and bids us watch for His coming.

"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:42

Captives of Babylon!

Description of Illustration: text, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon; Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit." Jeremiah 29: 4-7, Babylonian guard, spear, Israelites held captive, painting by Harold Copping

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

The Eye of Christ

        Charles Simeon kept the picture of Henry Martyn in his study. Move where he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes on him, and ever to say to him, "Be earnest, be earnest! don't trifle, don't trifle!" And the good Simeon would gently bow the the speaking picture, and, with a smile, reply, "Yes; I will be in earnest; I will, I will be in earnest. I will not trifle, for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified."

"And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." John 12:23

• Heroes of the Faith: Charles Simeon
  
• Brothers, We Must Not Mind a Little Suffering
  

Without Christ

        It is said that an asylum for the blind was once constructed without windows, because the committee saw no use in providing light for this who cannot see. The consequence was that the patients languished and fell sick; but when the committee resolved to open the windows the sun's rays poured in, and the health of the inmates was restored.

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

Jacob's Night at Bethel

Description of Illustration: sepia print, etching by Dore, text, "Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones here, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:10-12, shepherd's staff, deep sleep, a message from God in a dream, rock for a pillow

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Christ the Light of the World

       In the Oriental Church they have a service called the "Feast of Lights." It is held at night, because, when Christ came the world spiritually was in darkness. The whole church is filled with people who come there with unlighted tapers in their hands. Each taper signifies the human soul without Christ. Some of the clergy represent the Twelve Apostles, and as soon as each Apostle receives a taper, he lights it from a central taper on the altar and communicates the light to another and another and another. Soon the whole church is filled with a sea of glittering lights, all coming from the central one, and yet no man has lost anything by giving to his neighbor.

"...I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

• 2022 Christmas Candlelight Service from Gateway Worship
  

Christ our Present Helper

        It was this thought which supported the dead hero for whom all England wept. Day after day passed over Charles Gordon in his lonely exile far away. Day after day he saw the sunrise flash on the white walls and fair palm trees of Khartoum, and the sunset redden the desert sand. Cut off from home, and comrades, and countrymen, far from the sound of English voices, and of English prayers; there is no more lonely figure than that of this martyr of duty. Day by day strained his eyes to see the rescue which never came, and yet in all this lonely waiting we cannot believe that the heart of Gordon failed, for he could say to his Master, Christ, "I am not alone, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."

"...God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3

Finding The Good Book...

Description of Illustration: Hilkiah the high priest speaks with Shaphan the scribe,  text, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." 2 Kings 22:8, illustration by Harold Copping

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Always Learning from Christ

        When the famous artist Michael Angelo was and old man, and had risen to the highest point of his fame, he was frequently seen walking among the ruins of the Colosseum at Rome studying the architecture. His friends asked the great artist why he did so, and the old man answered, "I still go to school that I may continue to learn."

"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." Proverbs 18:15

Moses saw his kinfolk beaten...

Description of Illustration: text "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people." Exodus 2:11, painting by N. C. Wyeth, building with bricks, Egyptian columns, task masters, Israel enslaved

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

The Keys To The Kingdom Symbol

       Key signifies power and trust committed. It denotes power either to stop the action or to exert it, according to the circumstances. 

       So the keys of the kingdom of heaven, signify the power to admit into that state, and to confer the graces and benefits thereof. In Luke 52 the key of knowledge, signifies the power of attaining to knowledge, the means of getting knowledge; and, according to the same analogy, to open the Scriptures, in Luke 32, is to show the true meaning of them, whereby others may understand them. Son in Isaiah 22, the keys of David, signify the power to rule; and so the Targum hath there dominium.

       Keys in the book of Revelation are the symbols of Christ's power over Hades, the place of separate spirits, and the grave. Hence Christ saith, in Matthew that the gates of Hades, i. e. death, shall not prevail against his church.

Scripture References for Key(s) Chrismons:

• "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19
• "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Revelation 1:18
• "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit." Revelation 9:1
• "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open." Isaiah 22:22

A door lock symbol decorated with
grape leaves, fruit and vines.

       A door is that which closes the Light. The opening of any thing, is said, when it may act suitably to its quality. You may wish to use both a door lock and keys for unique Chrismon design combinations. 

A door lock symbol decorated with swans and lilies.

Stone Tablets from Genesis

       The Tables of the Law as they are widely known in English, or Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony (in Hebrew: לוחות הברית Luchot HaBrit - "the tablets [of] the covenant") in the Hebrew Bible, were the two pieces of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as written in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 31:18 refers to the tablets as the "Tablets of (the) Testimony".

       According to the Bible, there were two sets. The first, inscribed by God, (Exodus 31:18) were smashed by Moses when he was enraged by the sight of the Children of Israel worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32:19) and the second were later cut by Moses and rewritten by God. (Exodus 34:1)

       Both the first shattered set and the second unbroken set were stored in the Ark of the Covenant (the Aron Habrit in Hebrew).

Hebrew Form.

      In Jewish religious tradition, the arrangement of the commandments on the two tablets is interpreted in different ways. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel said that each tablet contained five commandments, "but the Sages say ten on one tablet and ten on the other". Because the commandments establish a covenant, it is likely that they were duplicated on both tablets. This can be compared to diplomatic treaties of Ancient Egypt, in which a copy was made for each party. But the tablets may have contained not only the Ten Commandments but also additional precepts and words as can be inferred from the verses Exodus 31:18, Exodus 34:1, Exodus 34:27-28. 

Catholic and Lutheran

Greek and Calvinistic

The Ark Symbol

An illustration of Noah's Ark that suggests dimension.

      Although, Christians have often used ships to symbolize the larger Christian Church, Noah's ark in particular is most often used in temples and churches to represent "the preservation of God's creation." This is because the ark as a vessel was built for that very purpose...to insure that a small portion of God's created animals and people were saved from the great flood or God's judgement. What does this have to do with Christmas, you might ask? Well, Jesus is frequently referred to by Christians as the ark of Salvation from death! 

• How is Noah's Ark Related to Jesus?
• The Door of Noah's Ark
• The better version of Noah's Ark

A flat stylized version of Noah's Ark. See it as a salt dough ornament.

 

Similar to the arc symbol, but different, is the ark
illustrated during a storm. This subtle difference
changes the symbol into a ''Deluge'' reference. 
Symbolic for a period of testing and trouble.

Night of Fruitless Toil

Description of Illustration: text reference is from Luke 5: 1-11, Jesus waits on the shore to call His first disciples after they have had a fruitless catch, sepia print, fishermen, boat, Lake of Gennesaret 

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

David destroys the enemy of Israel.

 

Description of Illustration: text "Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead." 1 Samuel 17:49, painting by N. C. Wyeth, Goliath with spear, sword and shield, David as a shepherd boy with a slingshot and rock, armies in the background, King David as a young boy or man

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Bible Illustrations by Harold Copping

Bible Illustrator Harold Copping.

       Harold Copping was born 25 August 1863 and died on July 1rst of 1932. He was a British artist best known as an illustrator of Biblical scenes. His 1910 book The Copping Bible illustrated by himself became a best-seller.
       Born in Camden Town in 1863, he was the second son of journalist Edward Copping (1829-1904) and Rose Heathilla Prout (1832-1877), the daughter of John Skinner Prout, the water-color artist. His brother, Arthur E. Copping, became a noted author, journalist and traveler and was a member of the Salvation Army.
       Harold Copping entered London's Royal Academy where he won a Landseer Scholarship to study in Paris. He quickly became established as a successful painter and illustrator, living in Croydon and Hornsey during the early years of his career. Copping had links with the missionary societies of his time including the London Missionary Society (LMS), who commissioned him as an illustrator of Biblical scenes. To achieve authenticity and realism for his illustrations he traveled to Palestine and Egypt. The resulting book, The Copping Bible (1910), became a best-seller and led to more Bible commissions. These included A Journalist in the Holy Land (1911), The Golden Land (1911), The Bible Story Book (1923) and My Bible Book (1931). Copping used family, friends and neighbors as models in his paintings, keeping a stock of costumes and props at his home. In many of his Bible paintings one of his wife's striped tea towels can be seen worn on the heads of various Bible characters. Copping's beautifully executed watercolor illustrations were put onto lantern slides and were used by Christian missionaries all over the world. His pictures were also widely reproduced by missionary societies as posters, tracts and as magazine illustrations.
       Probably the most famous of Copping's Bible illustrations was 'The Hope of the World' (1915). This depicts Jesus sitting with a group of children from different continents. Dr. Sandy Brewer wrote of this image: "The Hope of the World, painted by Harold Copping for the London Missionary Society in 1915, is arguably the most popular picture of Jesus produced in Britain in the twentieth century. It was an iconic image in the Sunday school movement between 1915 and 1960". However, James Thorpe, in his book English Illustration: the Nineties wrote: "Harold Copping's work, capable and honest as it was, does not inspire any great enthusiasm; there are so many artists doing illustrations equally satisfactory in literal translation and equally lacking in strong personal individuality." Copping was under contract to the Religious Tract Society (RTS) to produce 12 religious paintings a year up until the time of his death. He was paid ¬£50 for each painting and, under the terms of the contract, was not allowed to paint religious paintings for any other publisher.
       Copping married Violet Amy Prout (1865-1894) in 1888, and their children were Ernest Noel Copping (1889-1978), Romney Copping (1891-1910) and Violet Copping (1891-1892). Following his wife's death aged only 29, Copping married Edith Louise Mothersill (born 1876) in 1897 and had children Joyce Copping (1901-1934) and John Clarence Copping (1914-1977).
       He lived for many years at 'The Studio' in Shoreham in Kent, and here he died on the first July, 1932 aged 68. He was buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul in Shoreham.

1. Shepherds are listening...
2. Making Better Choices...
3. David sings...
4. Oral Tradition vs. The Law
5. Finding The Good Book 
6. Captives of Babylon!
   

King Saul's Dark Night at Endor

Description of Illustration: sepia print, King Saul consults the witch of Endor to ask the ghost of Samuel about David., moon, cliffs, guards, text reference is 1 Samuel 28

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Wedding Feast at Cana

Description of Illustration: Jesus with his mother at the wedding feast in Cana., Turning water into wine..., servant, bride and groom, stained glass design, water jars, halos, celebrating, Biblical text reference is from John 2:1-12, first public miracle of Christ

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Jesus Meets With Nicodemus

Description of Illustration: text reference is in John 3:1-21, Pharisee meets Jesus at night so that no one will recognize who he is. Nicodemus, elderly Pharisee, Jesus says that a person must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." 3:6, painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

An angel frees Peter from prison...

Description of Illustration: sepia print, prison guards, Apostle Peter, angel, prison bars, weapons, text reference from Acts 12

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Mosaic Life of Christ Designs

Description of Illustration: John The Baptist, Jesus the beloved son of God, water baptism, shepherd's staff, descending dove text "The Baptism" mosaic tiles, Below, Jesus on the cross, Apostle John and Mary mother of Jesus, halo, crown of thorns, text "He Died For Us", crown of glory, crucifixion

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

12 Conversational Hearts

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Description of Illustration: cherry red conversational hearts, heart candies or balloons, with white texts, graphics by kathy grimm, Valentine messages, 

"Already Taken"

"Back Off."

"Bear Hug"

"Brave Heart"

"Caution"

"Conversation not welcome"

"Cupid stay away"

"Don't Ask"

"Guilty"

"Jesus Loves You."

"Reluctant Confessions"

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Profits and Wages Clip Art

 

Description of Illustration: black and white hand clip art, Profits and Wages, exchanging money, cuffs, bills and coins

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

But let justice roll down like a river...

Description of Illustration: Landscape, stained glass window design, river, text reference "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" Amos 5:24

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Tell Me, You Bright Stars That Shine

 TELL ME, YOU BRIGHT STARS THAT SHINE

From Hickes' Devotions

Tell me, you bright Stars that shine

Round about the Lamb's high throne;

How, through bodies once like mine,

How are you thus glorious grown?

Hark! with one voice they reply;

This was all our happy skill;

We on Jesus fixed our eye,

And His eminent followers' still.

As we clearly saw their mind

Set and ruled, we ordered ours:

Both this state alone designed,

Up towards this strained all our powers.

Taught by Temperance we abstained

From all less — for greater goods:

Slighting little drops, we gained

Full, and sweet, and lasting floods.

Arm'd with Fortitude, we bare

Lesser evils, worse to fly:

Mortal death we durst out-dare,

Rather than for ever die.

Justice we observed, by giving

Every one their utmost due:

That in peace and order living,

All might freely heaven pursue.

Prudence governed all the rest;

Prudence made us still apply

What was fittest, what was best,

To advance great Charity.

On these golden wheels of grace,

That Love's fiery chariot bear,

We arrived at this blest place:

Follow us and never fear.

Day-By-Day Virtures

 The prayer contained in these verses,
by Ethelwyn Wetherald, is a good one
for everybody to offer:

 

Day-By-Day Virtues 

For strength we ask
For the ten thousand times repeated task.
The endless smallnesses of every day.

No, not to lay
My life down in the cause I cherish most,
That were too easy. But whate'er it cost,

To fail no more
In gentleness toward the ungentle, nor
In love toward the unlovely, and to give

Each day I live.
To every hour with outstretched hand its
meed
Of not-to-be-regretted thought or deed.

Inspiration

 The following lines on "Inspiration" were penned by Bishop Doane, of Albany N.Y.:

Inspiration

Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy,

With his marble block before him;

And his face lit up with a smile of joy

As an angel dream passed o'er him.

He carved that dream on the yielding stone

With many a sharp incision;

In heaven's own light the sculptor shone,

He had caught that angel vision.

Sculptors of life are we, as we stand,

With our lives uncarved before us;

Waiting the hour when, at God's command,

Our life dream passes o'er us.

Let us carve it then on the yielding stone,

With many a sharp incision;

Its heavenly beauty shall be our own--

Our lives, that angel vision

Peace

 The following outlook toward universal peace was written by George Frederick Knowles:

Peace

When navies are forgotten

And fleets are useless things,

When the dove shall warm her bosom

Beneath the eagle's wings;

When memory of battles

At last is strange and old,

When nations have one banner

And creeds have found one fold;

When the Hand that sprinkles midnight

With its powdered drifts of suns

Has hushed this tiny tumult 

Of sects and swords and guns;

Then hate's last note of discord

In all God's worlds shall cease,

In the conquest which is service,

In the victory which is peace.

Life of St. James Major in Stained Glass Design

An elaborate execution of important events in St. James Major's life in stained glass design.

Description of Illustration: the first Apostle to die for his faith in Christ, son of Zebedee, cousin to Jesus, "greater" meaning the older of two Apostles named James the younger was brother to John the Apostle, stained glass design

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.

Elijah rides away in a firey chariot...

Description of Illustration: chariot on fire, friends part, horses gallop toward Heaven, departure of a prophet, scripture reference 2 Kings 2:11, old manuscript

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject, folks.