An Anglican Compendium of Thoughts and Prayers: The Face of Christ

I visited a Christian bookstore yesterday and spent some time browsing through some of the newest books to have come out. One book contained several dozen images of Christ, based upon different artist’s interpretations.

It was clear that the artists strived to find a core of spirituality in their art, and from my perspective I imagined that each of the artists worked particularly hard to capture Christ’s eyes. But these images were uniquely different than those we might see in a museum. Most of the paintings were more contemporary in style.

There's been much debate over the centuries about the face of Christ. What did he look like? A few years ago, a television research team decided to use scientific methods to reconstruct an image. It caused quite a sensation when it appeared in national newspapers. Here was a swarthy, thickset face with short, dark, curly hair and a close-cropped beard - very different from the time-honoured likeness of Christ.

In St Paul’s Cathedral there's a much more familiar representation. It's a modern icon, an image that's been shaped by fifteen hundred years of tradition - a thin face with long hair and pointed beard - and it's based on a sixth century wax panel. But like all icons, we find ourselves looking at far more than just the depiction of a human being of long ago. We look at Jesus looking at us, and try to understand that when He sees us, He sees the love that is His own source and life, despite all we have done to obscure it. And there's a text in the open book to which Jesus is pointing that confirms what He's saying: 'You have not chosen me. But I have chosen you.'

Vocation isn't just for people who aspire to the priesthood though: it's for all who recognise within and beyond themselves the sovereignty of the God who is mysterious and overwhelming yet graciously giving and forgiving.
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Loving God, we have not chosen You but You have chosen us. Thank You that the face of the Lord of eternity is the face of the Lord who gave His life for us, and it is Your face, which invites us to trust in Heaven beyond as well as the heavenly here. Amen.