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Give Me Jesus

Give Me Jesus
2015, oiled walnut and brass
30" x 65"
collection Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

Commissioned by friend and longtime NLC supporter Diane Fleming, this hangs in the narthex at Bethlehem Lutheran in south Minneapolis.  Text taken from the old spiritual "Give Me Jesus," it's one of the signature choral works of the National Lutheran Choir arranged by NLC founder, Dr. Larry Fleming.

The panel separates four themes of the text and uses small detail carvings to illustrate and expand the meaning.  Each detail contains the shadow of the cross in the background.  The following pics are taken from the work in progress on the carving bench..






When I am alone...

The solitary figure stands against the backdrop of earth, sun, stars...one thinks of Psalm 8--the work of Your hands, the sun, moon, and stars which You have created...


 When I come to die...
The prone Christ-figure outstretched on the cross is intentionally calling out the extreme foreshortening of the Renaissance crucifixion scenes... Caravaggio?  Durer?






 When I want to sing...
There's an obvious connection to the National Lutheran Choir, but also any choir--indeed, anyone who sings from the sheer joy of life..  even here, though, the choir is shadowed by the backdrop of the cross.




You may have all the rest...
Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus-- earth, water, stars, moon... and we are like living stones, built into a spiritual house...







Give me Jesus.
Simple, but complex.  Free, yet so costly.  When all else is stripped away, we are left to face a loving God.










A detail from the final installation, with one of the votive candle stands shown.  Walnut has such an organic richness, especially when it is oiled and rubbed down.



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