The Art Pastor

I’m Steve Thomason. I help visual learners, seekers, and leaders explore Spirituality and Scripture through art and creativity.

Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my blog and let me know how we can collaborate in this creative adventure!

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Explore the Liturgical Calendar

Christians around the world follow the liturgical calendar. It is designed to walk through the life of Jesus in community. I have organized all my biblical and theological illustrations into these seasons for your convenience. Enjoy the journey!

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Christ is Risen! Alleuia! Happy Easter everyone. My prayer for you this Easter season is that you will find new life and new hope to follow Jesus in the Commonwealth of the Heavens. The resurrection of Jesus is God's resounding "YES!" to new life and second...

Good Friday 2026

It is Good Friday. This is the day that Jesus was executed on a Roman cross. People have been trying to make sense out of this event since the moment it happened. Why did this popular teacher willingly walk into Jerusalem and allow himself to be arrested, mocked,...

The Rise of Ares

Today is No Kings Day. Millions of people around the USA are gathering to protest the authoritarian moves that the Trump administration is taking. I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. I'd like to stay out of politics, but that is impossible. Whenever three...

Holy Week | A Visual Guide from the Art Pastor

Holy Week, or The Passion of Christ, is the time we walk through the last days of Jesus. We move from Palm Sunday, when the crowds shout “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,” to Good Friday, when the crowds shout, “Crucify him! We have no king but Caesar!” to Easter Sunday when the disciples shout, “He is risen, Alleluia!”

In this video I walk through The Art Pastor’s Guide to Holy Week where I have compiled the visual resources from all four Gospels from A Cartoonist’s Guide to the Bible into one easy to navigate web page. Use these resources for your own study, teaching, and preaching.

Two Parades | A Visual Meditation on Palm Sunday and Holy Week

This image was inspired by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan as they offer a hypothetical scene in their 2006 book The Last Week,

Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. . . One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mouth of Olives, cheered by his followers. . . On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial calvary and soldiers.

Jesus’s procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the power of empire.

New Life in Mind, Spirit and Body

Jesus encounters Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in John 11. He meets them each where they are, and shows us how God brings healing to our mind, our heart/spirit, and our body.

Teaching with a Chalkboard!?!

I had the great joy of teaching a three-day intensive class last weekend at Luther Seminary. We call this RFS (Residential Focus Session). A full credit masters course requires 40 hours of instructor-led class time. The RFS gathers distributed learners (DLs) from...

Beloved Clump of Dirt | A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

This is the sermon I preached on Ash Wednesday at Luther Seminary, Feb. 18, 2026. Remember that you are a beloved clump of dirt, filled with the breath of God.

Ash Wednesday

A reflection on the ashes–the beloved clump of dirt–of Ash Wednesday. What does this moment of our lives mean in the grand scheme of the universe?

The Art Pastor’s Guide to Lent 2026

Lent begins this week. It starts with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 and then moves through 5 Sundays that lead to Palm Sunday on March 29. In this post I want to look specifically at the texts and possible themes for the Gospel readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Meet Steve

I am an artist, a pastor, and a professor.

My passion is to combine my love of art, spirituality, and scripture to help people grow deeper in the love of God.

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