Michael Mize

“Go Ye Therefore (Matthew 28:19-20)”

Acrylic on Canvas

This painting was created live at Haysville Christian Church as an accompaniment to Pastor Kurt Henson’s sermon series, “Life as Art.”

This piece is entitled, “Go ye Therefore (Matthew 28:19-20)”  It featurs the green Jesus line in the center of a swirl of other lines meant to loosely represent a tree.  I like the inherent ideas of growth involved with a tree and felt it fit nicely with the church’s theme of “Gather, Grow, Go.”  The various blue and violet lines represent the church members as they gather together around  Jesus, the Word of God.  As they make their way up the tree, the lines grow wider and even begin to branch off, forming new lines.  Not only does this add to the suggestion of the tree, but it also represents the individual growth of the congregation.  The new branches are disciples being made as the church members step out boldly and share their faith; nurturing the spiritual growth of new believers. The lines also each head off in a different direction as they go into the world, equipped to follow the Great Commission at the end of Matthew 28.  Thus, as you make your way up the “tree” we see the lines fulfilling the church’s mission to Gather, Grow, and Go.

The red circles are meant to depict the unsaved being drawn towards the light of the church.  As they are welcomed and baptized into the church, they become the good fruit brought forth from the church.  This becomes an illustration of Matthew 7:17, “…every good tree bringeth forth good fruit…”  The background is washed in yellows and oranges representing the presence of God, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”