Joseph: from Dungeon to Destiny

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“I must fall and die like a kernel of wheat that falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be alone — a single seed. But my death will produce many new wheat kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

(John 12:23-24   Living Bible)

 

A horizontal line creates three worlds: the sky, earth and the place where these two worlds meet. Transformation and transition occur in chambers of our hearts, where heavenly promises of destiny and greatness (sky) collide with earthly realities of struggle, conflict and the trials of life (earth). How we stay connected to heaven determines whether destiny’s “seed” in our hearts will germinate and produce good fruit.

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This series explores the biblical narrative of Joseph. Gifted with heavenly dreams and revelation at an early age, the favoured son is stripped of his multi-coloured coat and sold into slavery by his brothers. Despite great adversity, the “seed promises” and calling on his life prove greater than the challenges. From the dungeon, Joseph is elevated and placed second only to Pharaoh, where he implements the saving of one of the greatest nations of his time. The power of the seed is in the promise!

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Iconography taken from ancient Egyptian stone wall carvings recast the Joseph narrative using familiar Egyptian themes: the fascination with life after death (symbolized by papyrus funerary boats), and resurrection (stone pyramids becoming prisms of light). Bird like figures from the unseen realm morph with the seen world to become the cast.

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Light and dark clash amidst Egyptian landscapes and sacred geometry, reassuringly embedded within a New Zealand topography.

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From the depths of the Nile the seemingly dead seed sprouts. Whether as a lotus plant, sheathes of wheat, or the vines in the cupbearer’s headdress, the “gardens of our heart,” reach for the heavens to bring forth a harvest.