The other day, while searching the internet for images of Jesus, I came across one that is known in Eastern Orthodox circles as "Christ Pantocrator." The most common translation of "Pantocrator" is "Almighty" or "All-powerful". Another, more literal translation is "Ruler of All" or, less literally, "Sustainer of the World".
I have always been a fan of icons and have a number of them in my home. The ones of
Christ Pantocrator I'm especially fond of include the image of a rainbow as well. Now I know the original artist never intended this icon to be a symbol of Jesus' love for his "queer" children. But, that's how Christ Pantocrator speaks to this post-modern believer. It tells me that Jesus is the strength of all his children, no matter what color of the rainbow we attach to ourselves. Jesus sustains our lives and is our rock when times get tough.
So let's take something old and make it new again. Enjoy this image. Let it speak to you as it may. Hopefully, it will stand as a visual reminder of the deep and steadfast love Jesus has for all of us. Blessings!
1 comments:
Wonderful! I have been contemplating Jesus of the Rainbow in my own spiritual meditations (as reflected in my recent piece on Bridge of Light. I love icons too, but I had not thought of looking for Christ Pantocrator to find Rainbow Jesus!
This is a great addition for my personal spiritual life, which I hope to share later in writing at the Jesus in Love Blog. Thank you!
Here's a link to my Bridge of Light post:
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/2011/12/welcome-new-year-with-bridge-of-light.html
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