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God
has a special plan for Messianic artists.
A well-known Jewish joke says:” If You
see a Jew going down from a plane in the airport Ben-Gurion in Tel-Aviv
and there is no violin in his hands, it means that he is a pianist.”
Now we see that it is very difficult for musicians and other artists to find a
job in Israel. The problem is so big because there are too many artists
and musicians in such a small country as Israel, and theirs number still
grows – they still continue to repatriate to Israel.
One can say that it was God’s mistake to give too many talents to too
many Jews who are scattered all over the world. It may seem that He didn’t
take into account His own promise to bring them all back to Zion. What shall we
say? Did God make a mistake giving talents in art to so big amount of Jews, who
even now, when just a part of them are already gathered in Israel, can’t find
a job?
The holy Scriptures say that God never makes mistakes. It means that God
does exactly what He had intended to do. We believe that each talent and each
ability to create things comes from God. “Every good and perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who doesn’t change
like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that
we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created”. (James 1:17,18).
He gave talents to the artists in order that they would serve Him by these
talents, and use them for building and advancing the Kingdom of God.
In the ancient times when the people of Israel were building the Tabernacle and
then the Temple in Jerusalem, God needed many talented Jews who were able to
create beautiful things and to do a wonderful work which’s goal is to testify
and to reveal the Glory of God.
We believe that God is God of order. He gave birth to a great amount of
talented people in Israel in order that they would serve other nations in the
last times:”But if their transgression means reaches for the world, and their
loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness
bring! For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their
acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom.11:12,15).
So we believe
that God has a plan and a job for each of those who know Him and who are ready to
serve Him.
We believe that the role of art in preaching Gospel will grow up more and more
during the last times. We believe also that a large part in it is given to
Jewish believers. And not in vain God gave outstanding talents in art to
so many Jews.
Preaching
through the Art.
I beleive that my task is the next: by means of art to preach and to awake the
interest among the Jews to the Jewish Scriptures, and to preach about Israel to
other nations. “in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy
and save some of them.” (Rom.11:13).
Heroes of the Bible are my relatives. Their History and the Histotry of
Israel is the Histiry of my ancestors.
The Jewish tradition tells us about the great heroes of God. The Patriarchs,
judges, kings, and prophets were all extraordinary men, men of great qualities.
But they were all ordinary men as well. What made them great was the power and
glory of God. When the spirit of God came upon them, they became wise, strong,
and brave, they performed miraculous deeds, and they confounded their enemies.
Heroes of faith are not abstract people. Because of the remoteness of the events,
they are often turned into fairy-tale heroes, into legends, into something
unreal. But in fact, even though they lived thousands of years ago, nothing has
really changed. They were just as much real people as you and me. I accept them
as my ancestors, just as they are. There are parts about them that are not
always nice, not always pleasant. But, these people are my relatives, and that
is all. Their history is the history of Israel and the history of the house of
my fathers.
There is no mockery or sarcasm in these sculptures. But their proportions do
give them an child-like quality. With all their greatness and all their
accomplishments, they are just children who want to trust their father and do
his will.
My goal is to show them according to the scriptures, „unvarnished". I don't have to invent their
characters or their personalities. Who they are, I can find in the Holy
Scriptures.
Plans.
There are quite many Messianic and Christian artists in Israel. Several (few) of
them are membersof the Tents of Mercy congregation. We plan to organize an
Association of Messianic Artists in order to preach the Good News by means
of art using group exhibitions for this task.
Another goal is to reach artists non-beleivers. An exhibition
“Tanach-Art” was held in Haifa
in summer
2000. After the exhibition was over we had a wonderful opportunity to meet with
many of them and to talk about God and His plans for the art and the Jewish
artists. We plan to continue meetings with those artists because many of
them showed their interest the God of Israel.
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GRAPHIC DESIGN |
Edward Ephraim Kalish
Tents of Mercy, P.O.Box 1018, K.Yam, 29019 Israel, 972-4-8777921
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