NewSong Fellowship Church

All artwork this year was done by local Lancaster artists who chose to depict a sin or scripture passage that they wanted to express with the theme of "hands" in each piece. The first section has to do with sins our hands commit that many of us in some way are affected by and/or struggle with on a day to day basis. The second section of artwork expresses events that led up to Christ's death on the cross, focusing on the acts of individuals hands.

To see pictures from the event, click here.

OUR HANDS
	"Loss of Control from Drugs and Money" by Keida Medina I was inspired to collect images that portray the outcomes and consequences of destructive behaviors when dealing with poor financial choices and drugs. It reminded me of how necessary it is to surrender our decisions and struggles to God in order to receive guidance towards a better life in HIM.

	“Loss of Control” by Shane Clements The only way to truly be victorious in this area of life is for one to die to themselves and continually submit to Christ. The depicted scene was inspired with the help of a close friend who once lived for a moment by moment high, and is now living a completely new life because of the transforming work of a loving and gracious Savior.

	“Lying” by Christina Lickmann These four photos remind us of ways that we aren’t truthful: Keeping the truth to yourself, Blaming others, Twisting the truth, and Exaggerating. I forget sometimes that even these sins can have a powerful grip on us and that Jesus had to die to save us from them. God desires for us to be honest, always speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

	“Disbobeying Parents” by Leann Brown Respect, honor and obedience are a disappearing thing in the American culture. Divorce, violence, media, and neglect have infiltrated our society and left a bad mark on the kids. I wanted to get into the brains of kids and show that disobeying comes from your thoughts, attitudes, and your actions.

	“Withheld Tithe” by Roy Peters Go ahead try Him, His Wall Street doesn’t crash. It just multiplies, abundantly. JD Powers will never be able to give you the R.O.I. of hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Everything held onto will just return to dust. Remember what He gave … and what little He asks of us.

	“Shoplifting” by Alyssa Beltle As I thought through my piece and what I wanted to portray, the third verse of the hymn “It is Well With My Soul” kept coming to mind. Rather than just portray a sin, I wanted to portray the forgiveness of our sins that God gives us through the cross.

	“Fell Away” by Mary Kulina My collage is representative of man’s tendency to distance himself from the light of Christ. Individuals have a tendency to be enslaved to the media culture of the modern era; thereby, failing to cultivate a relationship that leads to obedience and holiness. We should acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in all aspects of living; after all his Hands are the ones that keep the television playing. Why don’t we just turn it off?

	“Irresponsibility for our Earth” by Karen Chandler This piece was assembled with balance in the construction. As responsible planet stewards, we can balance our waste disposal by design for our future planet health. Polystyrene can be recycled, and has the number “6” as its recycling symbol. Polystyrene does not biodegrade, and is often abundant as a form of pollution in the outdoor environment, particularly along shores and waterways.

	“Pornography” by Dayna Reidenouer At first glance, the subject is pious and holy, but a closer look reveals the hidden sin of pornography. Original image, “Grace,” by Eric Enstrom and Rhoda Nyberg. New image created with AndreaMosaic by Dayna M. Reidenouer.

	“Abuse” by Nicole Rosania When you get into the place that is so dark and desperate that you feel there is no way out, know that there is a way out, God is not finished with you. He can save you from this darkness. Jesus, the Son of God has been there before. You are worthy of love.

	“Taking a Life” by Leann Brown The Bible goes as far as to say that if you hate someone, you have committed murder. It makes you realize that God sees all sin as sin; equal in their consequence of separating us from Him. I chose the black and white to depict what a dark state a person must be in, in order to take another life. The contrast of the red blood is to symbolize the stain that murder leaves on society, families, the innocent, and the murderer himself.
	“Doesn’t Trust” by Kirk Beltle I went through a time in my life where I lost all trust for everyone. During that time I just shut everyone out. I didn’t think they cared so I shut down and went into a shell. I couldn’t see that actually I was surrounded by people who never stopped reaching out to me and really loved and cared for me; especially God.

HIS HANDS
	“Plotting to Kill Jesus" Luke 22:2 by Jason Horst My piece captures a clandestine meeting between two leaders: a priest (the figure wearing a headdress) and a teacher/scribe (the bearded figure). A leaned whisper into the ear represents the fear of the collaborators. And the spiky handshake of agreement points toward the crown of thorns that would result from such plotting.

	“Betrayal" Matt 26:45 by Ann Kimmich Judas was a thief who allowed greed to rule over him. Even after seeing all the miracles Jesus performed, he still didn’t allow them to change his heart. In the end he was left empty handed, gaining nothing from the betrayal: he gave back the money, then ended his life before the gift of forgiveness would have been his to claim.

	“The Arrest" Matt 26:50-51 by Tina Vo I read numerous translations through the four gospels and came to the realization of how calm and obedient Jesus gave Himself up. He was an innocent man, who willingly sacrificed Himself to save humanity without any signs of hesitating.

	“Soldiers Mocking Jesus" Matt 27:27-30 by Roy Peters Stripped Him… have you ever been stripped by another human being? Ugly, harsh as the hands tear at the cloth. Feel the hands as they touch your naked body. Embarrassment and humiliation. In reality every time we shout “All Hail King Jesus” then go our own way, we strip Him again and again … we forget so easily.

	“The Sentencing" Luke 23:20-24 by Candace Mulron I wanted the focus of the piece to be on Jesus alone and not on the blood thirsty crowd screaming, “Kill Him!” “Crucify Him!” I wanted to show His anguish and sorrow because I don’t think that Jesus willingly went on the cross but that He obediently did.

	“Carrying the Cross" John 19:17 by Amy Smith Our sins, our hands, cause Him to bear this cross. The cross is heavy, on His mind and His body, but He did as He was commanded. He carried His cross to save us.

	“Simon Carrying the Cross" Matthew 27:32 by Holly Lessey There are at least three identifiable characters; “they,” possibly a soldier, or maybe just people in the crowd, forced “Simon” to carry the cross for “Jesus.” This gave way to a variety of thoughts on what these character’s hands may have been doing at the time.

	“Casting Lots for Clothing" John 19:24 by Kate Knox I was faced with the unveiling of human character by the actions of men that in essence flipped a coin for the cloth owned by Jesus. Instead of focusing on the figures of the soldiers or the possible casting object I felt moved by the cloth itself. Beaten, dirty and worn this cloth depicts amongst the stains and marks, handprints. There was no love and care given to my fabric, which symbolizes the reaction that our world shows to its only Savior.

	“Jesus Dies on the Cross" Luke 23:44-47 by Janice Dvorak This look at the crucifixion takes place at Herod’s Temple -- from within the Holy of Holies, past the veil (representing the separation of sinful man and Holy God) now torn in two by the very hand of God, and past the animal sacrifices required for thousands of years in anticipation of this very moment. Because of the blood sacrifice at the cross, God opened the way to Himself for everyone who was willing and wanting to come to Him.

	“Jesus Laid in the Tomb" Matt 27: 59-60 by Dan Milligan Since the world began, few events can compare with the importance of the death of Jesus Christ. This piece is an effort to confront us with the reality of His death, and when we inevitably ask the question ‘why?’ to remind us of the reason He paid such a high price.

> > > Check out the artwork and pictures from last year's Scarlet Steps.