Artist’s Statement

This sculpture was originally a commission for a Christian pro-life ministry to mothers and fathers called the Pregnancy Resource Center of Greater St. Louis. What appears below is the artist’s statement I wrote for this commission.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32)

When the Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater St. Louis’ [PRC] Board of Directors commissioned me to make a custom sculpture as a thank you to John McCastle for his wonderful years of service as CEO, I immediately thought of this passage in Luke. I thought of it because of the many parallels in it to the PRC’s mission and John’s service there. First, I am reminded of how often John would pivot his and the PRC’s work on the work of the Holy Spirit (cite how the Spirit is mentioned 3 times in this passage). Also like Simeon, John and all those at the PRC have consistently longed daily for the moment when a client truly sees Christ for the first time and savingly exclaims, “I have seen your salvation!” That Simeon makes this exclamation while holding the infant God adds a unique tenderness to the drama. I have seen this same unique element of joy at the PRC and in John as their work always has to do with babies, both inside and outside the womb.

I can barely imagine the drama of the moments described in this Scripture. For this devout and aged man, Simeon, to literally embrace the salvation of the Lord as a mere infant must have been overwhelming. More than anything, I wanted to capture the worshipful abandon Simeon must have felt as he took God into his arms. This senior priest’s whole being must have welled up with joy and praise to the point of overflowing. You can see it in his face. He is on the brink of tears! And what of the Christ, the Son of the Most High God? Small…helpless – a baby! The sculpture almost makes you squint to see his tiny ears and nose. What a reminder of the divine humility that wrought our salvation. This just adds to the power of the moment which is “Immanuel, God with us!”