God’s Love and Welcome in the Christmas Wreath: A Heartfelt Message
During the Christmas season, there are not many things more welcoming than a cheerful wreath gracing the front door. It heralds welcome and joy! And that’s just what I meant to capture in this painting.
This Christmas wreath may seem simple at first glance, but with my paints, brushes, pens, and pencils, I set to work capturing evidence of the unseen. That’s no small task!
Noting the unseen is not a small task, but it is not impossible either. Jesus talked about this idea in his conversation with Nicodemus. In John 3:8, it says “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” We cannot see the wind, but we can for sure tell when it is windy out!
This holds true in my painting, too. Afternoon sunlight filters through the December clouds to cast shadows on the door. Gusts of glad wind bounce the wreath, snap the ribbon, and flurry the snow. It all comes together to tell you to hurry up and come inside where it is warm!
I challenged myself to convey a lively welcome through what could have been a stagnant still life painting of a wreath on a door. I did not merely stop at trying to capture the effects of the invisible wind, I wanted also to capture the warmth and welcome of God’s love that we celebrate at Christmas. Yes, the circular shape of the wreath symbolizes God’s eternal love, but I also incorporated another representation of God’s love: a cross. See it in the panels of the door? The convergence of those panels was intentional—I wanted to paint into the background, a cross. It helps call to mind the whole story of the advent of Jesus. Jesus came, fully God and fully man, to reconcile us back to the Father. What greater, warmer welcome could we ask for?
Friend, if you find yourself chilled by the wintry wind of the world, let this wreath be a message of joy, gladness, and welcome into the love of God!
-Joni Eareckson Tada
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