UNCLE STEVIE AND VERSO by Cayce Zavaglia
Little by little one step at a time things are getting back to normal. Thank You Father for Your hand upon me getting me through it all. Continue to use me as You will despite my limitations. Amen.
Acts 13:1-3 (<<click here to read the passage)
As I read through the first verse of this thirteenth chapter of Acts, this list of prophets and teachers caught my attention. Barnabas was from Cyprus, Simeon being darkly complected may have been of African descent (Alexandria in Egypt, early on became a stronghold of Christianity), Lucius was from Cyrene, Manaen was a childhood companion of the Herod who would later behead John the Baptist, and of course, Saul was from Tarsus, now part of Turkey. That’s quite a bit of detail but I want to make sure that we understand that these men all came from very different cultures. They were all very unique. As God intended, there was great variety in the church! But as my Life Application Study Bible states, the common thread among these five men was their deep faith in Christ.
As I read those words, of all things, tapestries came to mind, and I believe God led me to a great example of an artist who uses tapestries – or what she refers to as embroideries. In a 2015 article, Cayce Zavaglia shared about her work. In a solo show called About-Face, she shares her discovery of the power and representation found in the reverse side of the embroideries. The article states,
The front looks like a hyper-realistic painting which only reveals itself to be embroidered upon closer inspection. Meanwhile, “the haphazard beauty found in this verso image created a haunting contrast to the front image and was a world […] that could easily translate into the world of paint,” she explains. (If you are interested in more about Zavaglia’s work click here.)
God works us all into His majestic masterpiece! We may only see the haphazard beauty of the back – our perception is limited. But God sees the beauty of the whole! And that common thread of our deep faith in Christ brings it all together.
Our goal as believers should always be about spreading the Good News of what Jesus did for us in providing us with our only means of salvation. We have a great tendency to reach out to those most like us because it is our most comfortable option. But God’s goal is that all may come into His Kingdom. His heart has no limits or boundaries
The more we understand the gospel and embrace God’s version of the body of Christ, however, the more we will begin to transcend these differences. More than merely getting along, we will be able to honestly and authentically say from our hearts that we love each other.
Lord Jesus, may it be so. Amen.
Apr 21st, 2022, Thurs, 1:10 pm
