Christmas Collection

Scroll to the bottom, if you want to read the story behind the illustration. 

The Story behind “The Love of God”

     "I have loved doing a gospel centered illustration as a birthday present for Jesus Christ for about five years. Two of those years, I didn’t finish the illustration. But this year, I did finish it! It was actually inspired by the song, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” I was thinking about the wind and the star and the baby Jesus. I thought: “What if the wind took the form of God’s hands or guardian wings to wrap around the baby Jesus and His mortal family, saying, they are Mine and in My care?” Some time after sketching the rough idea, I decided to read the accounts in the Bible about Jesus’ birth, looking for inspiration, because I had an idea for what Mary was doing but I didn’t know what to do with Joseph. It was a verse in Matthew that gave me the idea to have him holding her and change her position to be leaning against him, with both of them adoring our Savior. I instantly loved the idea and went for it! Another thing is that I drew Jesus as the main source of light, because He is the light of the world, and the star and wind/wings/hands are a secondary, faint light source. 

     "I entitled the illustration, The Love of God because it is full of love, and that is the theme. The love that Mary and Joseph have for each other. The love and adoration they have for the baby Jesus. The love that God the Father has for His Only Begotten Son, but also Mary and Joseph, who are also His children and have been chosen and called to this sacred responsibility, who are all wrapped in His guardian arms. The love that is evidenced by God sending Jesus to be our Christ, to live, suffer, die, and then be resurrected to live again, all to save us. The love that Jesus has for us, as our Elder Brother, to come and complete these things for us. Can you find other symbols of love in this illustration? I’d love to hear about it if you can. 
     "When I read 1 John 4: 9–10, I knew and felt inside that they were the perfect scriptures to go with this. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
- Erika Vermillion, December 2023