The Final Session of Our Summer Journey | Illustrating Colossians 2:6-7

Welcome, friends! If you missed yesterday’s final live session of our eight-week summer journey, or if you simply want to digest the ideas and scriptures we explored at a slower pace, this post is for you. Below, I’ve broken down our exploration of Colossians 2:6–7, the creation of my new comic-book-style biblical commentary, and the inking and digital painting process.

1. The Power of Showing Up: Celebrating Eight Weeks of Rhythm

I set a personal challenge at the beginning of the summer to go live every week for eight weeks. Little did I know what was coming. Over the course of these two months, my father went into transitional care following a back injury, our sweet new granddaughter was born, my mother-in-law was hospitalized for major surgery, and I was called for two full weeks of jury duty.

Yet, by God’s grace, every Thursday afternoon at 4:00 PM Central, I was able to sit down in my studio, turn on the cameras, and gather with you live on YouTube and Facebook.

I like the spiritual discipline of maintaining a regular rhythm, even amidst personal chaos. The live stream format offers a countercultural push against our modern digital landscape. So much of today’s online content is prepackaged, hyper-polished, AI-generated, and engineered for rapid consumption. In contrast, sitting down together for an hour to slowly draw, ponder, and pray creates an intentional, contemplative space to slow down and let scripture breathe.

I think my love for live creation traces back to my early days as a caricature artist, sitting in public spaces drawing for 12 hours a day. Drawing in public means working without an eraser or a back button—every line is visible, mistakes are public, and the energy is immediate. Live drawing forces an authentic, slow engagement that opens our hearts to deep theological reflection.

2. Stepping Into Colossians 2:6–7

Last week we focused on a single phrase from Colossians 2:7 “established in the faith.” This week, we expanded our lens to look at the entire two-verse passage in Colossians 2:6–7. This snippet of scripture serves as a foundational text for Christian discipleship and spiritual formation.

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

— Colossians 2:6–7

Currently, I am developing a new course for Faith Lead Academy entitled Leading Discipleship in Your Context (adapted from a fall course I teach at Luther Seminary called Discipleship in the Missional Church). I decided to build a “comic-book-ish” visual commentary. Think of it as a hybrid between an illuminated manuscript, a sequential comic book, and an interlinear Greek study guide.

This is a work in progress. The images below are the rough pencil layouts. I demonstrate inking and painting some of the panels. I hope to finish the pages very soon.

3. Unpacking the Greek Text Line by Line

To engage deeply with scripture, we have to recognize that our English translations are bridges built from original ancient languages. The New Testament letters were written in Koine Greek—the common trade language spread across the Mediterranean by Alexander the Great and retained by the Roman Empire. By examining the Greek syntax word-by-word, we discover profound theological depths that often remain hidden in English.

A. What is the “Therefore” There For?

Whenever you see the word “Therefore” (oûn) in scripture, you must always ask: What is it there for? It signals that the author is connecting what is about to be said with what immediately preceded it. In Colossians 2:1–5, the author expresses a passionate struggle for the believers in Colossae, praying that their hearts would be united in love and that they would know the hidden treasures of wisdom in Christ.

B. Plural “You All”

In English, “you” can refer to a single individual or a group. The verb is plural, you all have received. Discipleship is never an isolated, solitary journey; it is fundamentally a communal calling. To illustrate humanity in an inclusive way, I use generic geometric characters (circles, triangles, squares) so every reader can place themselves into the story.

C. Receiving and Welcoming (parelábete)

The verb translated as “received” can be translated a few ways: it means to receive something given as a gift, but it also means to welcome a guest into your household. Discipleship begins both when we acknowledge that Jesus is the unearned gift of grace and when we intentionally welcome Jesus as an honored guest into our lives.

D. Christ Jesus the Lord (ton Christòn Iēsoûn ton Kyrion)

In the Roman Empire, calling Jesus “Lord” (Kurios) was a radical, politically dangerous declaration. Caesar claimed to be the supreme Lord of the known world. By declaring that Jesus—a crucified Jewish rabbi from Nazareth—is the true Kurios and the promised Messiah (the Anointed One), the early church turned worldly power upside down. In my visual layout, Caesar’s throne is depicted inverted at the bottom, while the true Lord is depicted through the imagery of Revelation: the exalted Lamb who was slain, seated at the right hand of the Ancient of Days. I will ink and paint that panel in the coming days.

4. Moving from Mind to Canvas: Digital Inking & Painting

After walking analytically through the text, the second half of our live session shifted from the head down into the heart and hands. Opening my drawing tools in Clip Studio Paint, I demonstrated how line work and digital color bring these theological metaphors to life.

During the live stream, we focused on inking and painting the panel for “Messiah” (The Anointed One). Using a pressure-sensitive G-pen brush, I inked the hands of the priest pouring out anointing oil over the Messiah. In ancient Israelite history, oil was used for consecration and empowering kings. In Christian iconography, oil is the universal symbol of the Holy Spirit.

To bring depth to the line art, I demonstrated a multi-layer digital painting workflow:

Flat Colors: Establishing base skin tones to block out shapes.

Clipping Masks & Multiply Layers: Adding translucent shading to create directional shadows, simulating light cascading down from the anointing oil.

Overlay Glow: Applying warm, golden airbrush tones to represent the divine presence and power of the Holy Spirit pouring into human life.

5. The Trinitarian Flow of Thanksgiving

This visual commentary culminates in a realization of the Trinitarian nature of Colossians 2:6–7. We encounter God the Creator (the infinite Ancient of Days), who sends Jesus Christ (God incarnate with skin on, making divine love visible). Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all disciples to empower us.

It is in the present power and breath of the Holy Spirit that we are enabled to walk in Christ, remain rooted in him, and grow into maturity. And when we truly grasp this divine reality—that we are held, rooted, and empowered by grace—the only natural response left for us is to live lives abounding in thanksgiving.

Thank You for Walking This Road With Me!

What a gift these past eight weeks have been! Whether you joined live in the chat room or watched the recorded replays later in the week, thank you for being part of this creative experiment. While our weekly summer rhythm is wrapping up as the fall academic semester begins at Luther Seminary, the journey at Art Pastor does not end here.

• Join our Community: If you’d like to share your own contemplative art, draw along with past sessions, or join our weekly Zoom text studies every Monday at 4:00 PM Central, join our online network community at community.artpastor.com.

• Visual Lectionary: Visit visuallectionary.com for weekly lectionary artwork, devotionals, and visual resources.

Until next time, my prayer for you remains the same: May you know that you are deeply loved, rooted in Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in love for the sake of the world. Amen!

This is my chance to invite you into my studio, talk about the fusion of art and theology, explore spirituality and scripture through visual art, nerd out about the Bible and Visual art, and just hang out with you.