Modern Day Icons

Church Member, Derek Bird, makes beautiful icons, which have more significance than we might imagine. Derek tells us more:

Icons have been used since the inception of early Christianity mainly because during persecution they became a focus for prayer in the catacombs. Most early icons were destroyed because they were considered graven images. However Bible says that Jesus is the face of the Invisible God.

I became fascinated with icons in Cyprus many years ago. My wife, Ann, bought me a book on “How to Paint Icons.” When I started using the book I found the process both moving and a great source of spiritual fulfilment. They are strange to Western eyes largely because the laws of perspective are reversed. Eyes are dull because light passes through them into the Kingdom.

Colours have a meaning: Red may be the fire of the Holy Spirit or blood of humanity, blue depicts divinity, yellow or gold represent everlasting life, green is new birth, brown is the earth from which all things grow. Orange depicts revolution and black - death. Using these rules helps us to read an icon. Although they are sometimes not appealing to our taste, if we sit quietly before an icon reciting a verse from the Bible or some words of Jesus it will speak to us and help us to focus on prayer.

Christ the Redeemer
The letters say this is Jesus Christ and in the halo ‘The one and Only’. The Bible has the quotation “Come unto me all ye who are weary”. Christ's hand is raised in blessing. Across his brow and nose are highlights reminding us of his death on the cross.

“Mary ponders all these things in her heart” 
Christ is a baby but looks like an adult and reminds us of Mary holding the dead Christ.