We’re in week ten of this year’s Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. This is week is Psalm 87.
One of the ways we study and enjoy the psalms each year is by having different artists do a piece each week for the respective psalm we’re in. Our artwork for Psalm 87 is an oil painting by Anna Spickard. Learn more about this piece and all the preceding Christ In The Psalms artworks right here.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week’s service:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 87.
The city of God is where glory resides, the place true satisfaction is found. Some remain outside this city. Others are within it, but live with lingering shadows of shame. Still others forget the radical grace that brought them in. Here we learn true glory—the King of the city dies to give life to the estranged, ashamed, and arrogant. And here we see genuine hope—the city and its citizens are being made whole again. “Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.”
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Revelation 4:8, 11, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners.
Welcome!
Doxology (Louis Bourgeois, Thomas Ken)
Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Ephesians 2:1–3
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:4–10
Come Thou Fount (Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)
GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer
All Glory Be To Christ (Dustin Kensrue, arr. by Kings Kaleidoscope)
Go Tell It On The Mountain (John W. Work, arr. David Crowder Band)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Anna Spickard
My name is Anna Spickard. I’ve been in Denver for a little over three years, enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer. I have always loved art, and my high school art teacher instilled a true passion and confidence in me to embrace my style. I have not formally studied art, but enjoy painting and photography as a hobby, often paired with my love for outdoor adventures.
Piece
Oil painting.
PROCESS
I chose the color palette to mimic the desert tones of Zion National Park, with blues and greens sprinkled in to insinuate abundance, growth, and life in the midst of destitution. Crimson shadows add depth to the painting and remember Jesus’ death, resurrection, and redemption.
I began my creative process began by reading and studying Psalm 87 and other places in scripture where the holy city of Zion is described. My anchor verses include Psalm 87:1,3, and 7, and Ezekiel 47:12.
Oil paint has always been my preferred paint type because of the texture it provides. It can be smoothed into silky lines with a brush or layered with a palette knife to create a rough texture. I used both techniques in the composition of this piece. As I began painting, I referenced a photo of a lush valley in Zion National Park, using this visual to frame the piece. As I continued, I found myself getting stuck as I referenced the photo. I took a few days to reset, and came back with fresh perspective. I chose to stop looking at the photo and let my imagination take hold. It was during this iteration that loose strokes and fresh colors appeared to create the free-flowing and bright piece that you see today.
We’re in Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. This is week nine and we’ll be in Psalm 86.
One of the ways we study and enjoy the psalms each year is by having different artists do a piece each week for the respective psalm we’re in. Our artwork for Psalm 86 is an acrylic and oil painting by Benjamin Rogers. Learn more about this piece and all the preceding Christ In The Psalms artworks right here.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week’s service:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 86.
David cries out for the protection of the Lord from a “band of ruthless men.” Among the interesting things to note is that, while praising his God as the only one who can save, he also asks God, “teach me Your way… unite my heart to fear Your name” (v. 11). David identifies that at least part of his deliverance will be a deliverance from his own rebellion against God.
2. Read, pray and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 86:8–10, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners.
Welcome!
Oh! Great Is Our God (Brian Eichelberger)
How Great Thou Art (Stuart K. Hine)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Psalm 86:11
Your Name Is Good (Psalm 54) (Joel Limpic, Scott Mills)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Psalm 86:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:55–56
Seas of Crimson (Johnson, Bashta, Taylor, Strand)
GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer
Rock Of Ages (Augustus Toplady, arr. Sojourn)
Lord I Need You (Carson, Maher, Nockels, Reeves, Stanfill)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Benjamin Rogers
Benjamin Rogers is a full-time instructor of art at Red Rocks Community College. He has an MFA in painting from Arizona State University and his work has been exhibited across the country.
Piece
Acrylic and oil painting.
PROCESS
This painting exhibits the goodness of God in his protection from the surrounding chaos. In this piece I have used a hippopotamus as a symbol for David, painting him in a manner that demonstrates how he is outside of the danger of the attacking lion. In this way, it shows that God is faithful and merciful to David. The scene in the background is difficult to discern at first, but when viewed at a distance, it becomes more obvious that it is a lion attacking a water buffalo in an African savanna. It is further obscured by the arcing lines throughout the painting which create a more chaotic scene and make the imagery more confusing. I used this device to communicate the natural world of the flesh, which is juxtaposed with the clearer and calmer hippo which peacefully grazes away from danger.
To create this piece I made a quick monochromatic acrylic painting of the lion attacking the buffalo. Next, I covered the entire surface of the painting with masking tape and drew out the designs of the arcing lines. Once I had the shapes drawn out, I cut out the shapes with a razor blade and removed the negative shapes, leaving a masking tape stencil on the surface. Then I painted the lion attack in a very gestural manner so that it would only be visible from a distance. Finally, I painted the hippo on top as the final layer in oil paint.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Hannah Wood
I am a student at Colorado Christian University, a team leader for Intermountain Young Life, and a backpacking guide for RMR Backcountry.
Piece
Painting, Poured art.
PROCESS
This piece describes the crux of Psalm 85— the harmony and restoration that manifests in God’s peace and righteousness colliding.
When I read through Psalm 85, I knew instantly what I was going to paint. I usually paint portraits or abstract poured art, so I decided to combine those for the first time in this piece. I am honing in my painting style and that combination just worked so well with the message of Psalm 85. As I made this painting, I became increasingly more aware of what a small, manageable reflection of God’s character this painting represents, and that His mystery is far more beautiful than I could attempt to capture.
This is week eight of Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. This week we’ll be in Psalm 85.
Our Psalm 85 artwork is by Hannah Wood. One of the ways we enjoy and study the psalms each year is by having different artists do a piece each week for the respective psalm we’re in. Learn more about Hannah’s artwork and all the preceding Christ In The Psalms artworks right here.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week’s service:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 85.
Have you ever had a time in your life where God’s grace seemed clear and abundant? What was that time like? How do you emotionally respond to that time even right now? As you think about those times where God was experienced in unique ways, what does it do to your heart for your current situation? In Psalm 85, the psalmist is begging God for a restoration of “the good old days”—in part, at least, to reshape their desires for more of God.
2. Read, pray and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 103:1–5, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners.
Welcome!
10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman)
Give Us Clean Hands (Charlie Hall)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Psalm 16:11
All I Have Is Christ (Jordan Kauflin)
Yes And Amen (Anthony Brown, Chris McClarney, Nate Moore)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Colossians 2:13–15
GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Thomas Obediah Chisholm, William Marion Runyan)
Revive Us Again (Charlie Hall, John J. Husband, William P. Mackay, Dustin Ragland)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person
Katie Riehl
Piece
Acrylic painting.
PROCESS
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in You!
(vv. 11–12)
The message that I get from this passage is the constant reminder of the light of God. It’s no secret that this world is full of darkness, it’s something we are reminded of daily on the news and in our personal lives. Sometimes the darkness can be all- consuming. Psalm 84 tells us to lean on God to find our strength, to find our shield. From the start, I fought the simplicity of this piece. I kept feeling like I needed to add more but nothing felt right. The yellow circle represents the light of the Lord with its size being all-consuming, while the blue represents the gloom that sometimes devours us. This quote from F.B. Meyer sums Psalm 84 up in a wonderful way, “How God suits Himself to our need! In darkness, He is a Sun; in the sultry noon, a Shield; in our earthly pilgrimage He gives grace; when the morning of heaven breaks, He will give glory. He suits Himself to every varying circumstance in life. He becomes what the exigency of the moment requires.”
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set in pilgrimage.” In Psalm 84:5–7 we read of those traveling through the Valley of Baca on their journey of pilgrimage to Zion. It is implied that although this might not be the easiest migration, the traveler gains the strength, by leaning on God, needed to reach their final destination—the House of the Lord. This is something we can apply to all of the journeys we take—big and small, whether it’s a 30 minute trip or something that lasts our entire lifetime!