When I was mapping out our preaching schedule for 2021/2022 I knew I wanted to teach a series on The Doctrine of the Trinity after reading Michael Reeves' wonderful book, Delighting In The Trinity this past summer. Precisely because God is a Trinity we get a clearer picture of what God is like in the movements Before Creation, In Creation, In Salvation, and In The Christian Life.
Why is God love? Because God is a Trinity. Why can we be saved? Because God is a Trinity. How are we able to live the Christian life? Through the Trinity.
What I also knew was that I wanted some visuals that both "explained" the Trinity and acknowledged "the mystery" of the Trinity. That's when I asked Michelle Vandyk if I could commission her to do an art piece. By "commission" I mean "pay for the supplies" :) She generously poured hours upon hours into the creative process of prepping and painting this work of art entitled, "The Holy Trinity" that you will see on the stage of our Chilliwack Campus and in our online services throughout the series.
I asked Michelle to explain some of the elements in the piece and what follows are excerpts from her response:
"Thanks so much for the opportunity to paint this piece for the church. I am honoured. It challenged me artistically and in my faith in that I had to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I feel like I was just scratching the surface in terms of symbolism of the Trinity- there was so much more I could paint! I felt that in the portrayal of too many symbols/images, that the flow and feeling could get lost."
In terms of what I was thinking while painting the Trinity:
Colour
The primary colours are blue, red and yellow, so it seemed fitting that I would use each to represent an aspect of the Trinity.
- Blue seemed most fitting for God the Father - I’m pretty sure blue is his favourite colour ;) looking at the percentage of the earth that is blue… in our culture blue also symbolizes stability and peace.
- Red seemed most fitting for Jesus Christ in that he shed his blood for our salvation. Red is also the colour of passion, and Jesus loves us passionately- enough to give up his life for us.
- Yellow seemed most fitting for the Holy Spirit. He lights the fire in us spiritually, and is our guide and counsellor in this dark world. He illuminates God’s Word for us. He is associated with fire (Pentecost and the burning bush in Exodus)
- Green, purple and orange are secondary colours- the results of 2 primaries mixing (working together). This is evident in the lines where the Trinity intersects. Green is the colour associated with life and growth, orange is the colour associated with fire and energy, and purple is associated with royalty and precious stones and mystery.
- I included a bit of each primary within each sphere of the Trinity, which represents 3 aspects of 1 God. Each part of the Trinity is separate and equal, but still part of 1 Holy God.
Symbolism
God the Father
The Mountain represents God the Father. He is the Creator and is majestic, strong, and steadfast. Streams of living water flow from him. In the OT God’s Holy Mountain is mentioned many times. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalms)
- Crown - God the Father is King over all. Everything that exists is under his authority.
- Alpha and Omega- God always was, is, and is to come. He is infinite.
- Rays of glory emanate from God- he alone is holy, and when Moses was in God’s Presence, He glowed so brightly afterwards that no one could look at him. In the New Jerusalem there will be no light from the sun because God the Father and God the Son will be our light.
God the Son
- The most recognized symbol of Jesus is the cross. He gave up his life and became the sacrifice needed to pay the price for our sin so we can be in right relationship with God the Father.
- The globe (world) symbolizes Jesus’ special relationship with us in that he came down from his place in heaven at the right side of God the Father to become one of us in the flesh so he could teach us how to be followers and part of the family of God so we could be his hands and feet on earth. John 3:16 - for God so loved the world…The world is placed on the cross because that is how God worked salvation for us.
- Cornerstone of the church- the cross is rooted in the church and it symbolizes the church as the bride of Christ, by his blood he made us pure and holy (white stones with red cornerstone)
- Branch- Jesus is the Righteous Branch from the stump of Jesse. He is the giver of new life and growth in him. If we ‘plant’ ourselves in Christ we will be like a tree planted by the water (Jeremiah 17).
- Living Water- Jesus is our Living Water- he provides life and peace for our souls.
- Red/white ’stripes’- (body and blood of Christ) by his stripes we are healed…
God the Holy Spirit
- The most recognized symbol of the Holy Spirit is a dove- shown as a sign from God when Jesus was baptized. The dove was also a sign of new life after the flood (olive branch in mouth).
- Heart- not depicted but implied by the red within the flame. I struggled with this as I thought a heart may look too ‘trite’ and kitchy. I could add it if you think otherwise. The Holy Spirit gives us a new heart so we can understand and accept the Gospel- to repent of our sin and to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
- Flames- The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost like 'tongues of fire’ and entered all of the Believer’s hearts.The Holy Spirit ignited a holy fire in us so we can love God and each other.
Gold ring- Gold is one of the most precious elements on earth, and symbolizes richness and purity. The ring symbolizes God as one and eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He encompasses all that there is. 3 Gold ‘leaves’ intersect each other and form the trinity symbol in the centre signifying our Holy God as the Trinity- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit- 3 separate but equal aspects of God in one Being. Linear style- I used flowing lines to create a sense of movement. Our God is living and active, He is working all things for his glory and good. He is not an idol who is idle. He is alive, working in us and through us for his purpose and plan. The lines intersect to show that God is fluid, working through all 3 aspects at the same time ( not 3 separate entities working separately, but 3 separate aspects of one God working together to accomplish a singular perfect, choreographed plan.
Michelle concluded, I’m curious to know what our church will see as well? before concluding, In all of this it’s my intent that God will be glorified.
If you see Michelle around be sure to thank her for this gorgeous work and let her know what you saw in it.
Michelle Vandyk is a ministry partner at Central and completed our Ministry Internship Program in 2021/2022. Check out her website to learn more about her art and art therapy.
Interested in using your creativity to serve the church? Reach out to Pastor Tyson to explore opportunities.