Last week’s unveiling of the third week of Advent, ‘New Heart, New Life’, generated the most conversation and turned more heads than any creation thus far in this year’s Advent series. That response makes today’s installation more powerful and harder to complete than I anticipated.

Today we explore the depth of what it means to be made anew. All things, inanimate or mobile, willing or obstinate can be renewed. The presence of God makes all things new.

My artwork today is no exception to this change into new life. This is last week’s piece, remade until it holds only a shadow of its former self. The act of creating a new heart is fully manifested as the outer pastel painting of ‘New Heart, New Life’ has been peeled back and the inner workings of this piece are now fully exposed. The fractures of glass and color once so well hidden by the facade of the torso are no longer concealed, their beauty radiates through the room.

Peering beyond the shards of varying shades, a familiar form begins to take shape. The background comes into focus, a polished mirror reflecting your surroundings back to you. That’s the moment your eyes meet the figure in the image, your own face is staring back at you through an array of brokenness. You are the Artist’s creation for the pinnacle of Advent. Once lost in the bustle of the holiday season, the heavy load of life’s oppressiveness, hiding behind the front you’ve worked so diligently to design, you have been discovered. The point of Christmas is not the lights, not the gifts, not even the love; those are merely the side effects of this season. The purpose of Christmas freedom. Freedom to allow yourself to be remade in light of Advent and the love of a relentless God; taking a form more beautiful than your brain can imagine and loving people in the beauty with more strength than human muscles can support alone. Free yourself, leave all your chains of guilt, shame, and insecurity behind.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

God can make all things new, including you.

Embrace the metamorphosis of redirecting your heart to intentionally and intensely focus on everyone but but yourself.

Letting go of yourself is the only way to become who you are.