A Child Shall Lead Them Image License (Isaiah 11:1-10)
A Child Shall Lead Them Image License (Isaiah 11:1-10)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FOR ONE-TIME LICENSE
Interested in licensing a single image for worship or ministry use? This one-time license grants you permission to use this image for ministry purposes. Print the image as bulletin cover art or project the art and engage with it during worship, Sunday School, or Youth Group. We hope you might use our images as tools for spiritual formation.
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A Child Shall Lead Them
Graphic image
By Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Inspired by Isaiah 11:1-10
From our “What Can’t Wait?” Advent 2019 collection.
Order includes:
high-res image file formatted for print
high-res image file formatted for web/projection
A PDF of the Artist's statements & scripture reference for the visual
A visio divina Bible Study Guide for you to use this image in a group study session that incorporates the ancient Benedictine spiritual practice of "divine seeing."
Credit Info:
When printing and sharing online, please always include the following credits:
Artist's name | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
FROM THE ARTIST:
The image of the stump of Jesse might have knocked the air out of those first hearing these words. The stump represented the end of the Davidic dynasty, the family line believed to carry Yahweh’s goodness. The monarchy was either thwarted by the Babylonian exile, or the Assyrian empire—historically, we’re not exactly sure. Regardless, Isaiah names what no one wants to say out loud—Jerusalem’s political future feels dead, cut off, stunted by despair.
The image of a stump might accurately represent how we feel about our own future. Greenhouse gases and sea levels continue to rise. No place—schools, sanctuaries, theaters, malls—is safe from mass shooting attacks. Our government leaders fight like lions and wolves starving for dominance.
We also need Isaiah’s vision for a reordered world where creation exists in harmony, not as a threat to itself.
When reading this poetry of peace, I found myself pausing at the line, “and a child shall lead them” (Is. 11:6). The example of Naomi Wadler came to mind. After the Parkland, FL, school shooting, Naomi, an eleven-year-old at the time, organized a walkout at her elementary school to honor victims of gun violence. In addition to those slain in Parkland, Naomi and her fifth grade classmates also recognized people of color who are killed by gun violence every day and never make news headlines. Naomi went on to speak courageously before crowds in DC and on TV shows about the need for gun reform. When she spoke, she held the nation—and much of the world—captive with her passion, her insight, and her urgency.
Where is new life shooting up? Perhaps in the places where God can’t wait for peace. Perhaps in the voices of our children, who urge us to find a better way.
—Lisle Gwynn Garrity
