The Thankful Poor
If you aren't already familiar with Henry Ossawa Tanner, I highly encourage you to meet him. He was one of the most highly-regarded African-American painters of the nineteenth century–without question a challenging time for a Black artist. Tanner is best known for his paintings of African-American life as well as his striking renditions of biblical scenes. In his generation, his perspective as a Black Christian artist was utterly unique.
What strikes you when you look at Tanner's masterpiece The Thankful Poor (1897)?
The Thankful Poor — Henry Ossawa Tanner | 1894
Personally, I am struck by the same "contradiction" that we discover at the core of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
On the one hand, I am struck by the starkness of poverty. Here, we have a father and son, or perhaps a grandfather and his grandson, about to partake in a meal - though that meal is notably meager. Bread, at the very least, but not much more. There is one source of light. While grandfather sits on a chair, the little boy seems only to have a crate. Everything is plain, earthy, and severely simple. They take their sustenance from simple white plates and cups, and a simple glass pitcher.
On the other hand, I am struck by the richness of faith. Beneath the austere plainness, there is a kind of spiritual wealth that comes only through humble acknowledgment of one's dependence on God. The many shades of brown evoke solid rock…a sense of sturdiness. These two may not have much, but they have God. They have access to the greatest throne room in the universe. We get the impression that they regularly entrust their requests–and their very lives–to God. And they do so with confidence and gratitude. That's why, when I view these two, I am also struck by their blessedness.
This masterpiece speaks to the mystery at the center of the beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." — Matthew 5:1-6
This, too, is our prescription for "blessedness"—individually and together. As a movement, Revoice will experience blessing, in the biblical sense, to the extent that we remain poor in spirit and acknowledge our full dependence on God…for everything. Rather than attempting to do life and ministry in our own power, my prayer is that God would constantly guide Revoice back to a posture of humble, expectant dependence. This is the source of true power.
In the coming months, would you join us in prayer for this year's conference? In future newsletters, we'll provide specific prayer requests so that we might all enter God's throne room together in unison. Beyond the conference, we invite you to join us in prayer around the fulfillment of Revoice's larger vision, which we share with many kingdom friends: to see gay and same-sex attracted people experience peace and belonging in their local faith communities, to foster a unified and peaceful Church where all can grow in holiness and experience the reality that they are God's masterpiece; to see everyone, everywhere, receive a warm welcome into spiritual family. It is crystal clear to me that we can accomplish none of this apart from God's power and provision.
Thank you, dear friends, for joining us in prayer for all this and more! "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." — Matthew 19:26
