The Next Step Podcast
Season 2: Ponder Anew
Episode 11: O God, Our Help in Ages Past
Date: 19 August 2020
Guest: Pat Maier, Co-founder of Visual Faith™ Ministry: https://www.visualfaithmin.org/
Also available on: iTunes
“O God, our help in ages past / Our hope for years to come…” The hymn at the center of Episode 11 looks to God’s action in the past, and God’s promise for the future, as a way of entrusting our present circumstances to our present God.
Pat Maier, one of the founders of Visual Faith™ Ministry and the illustrator for Chapter 11 of the Ponder Anew: A Hymn Journal of Trust and Confidence, joins author Justin Rossow to talk through the art and theology of this week’s hymn. You can find the related material beginning on page 103 of the book.
After a brief introduction, Pat will read the verses from Psalm 22 on page 107; you may recognize verse 1: Jesus quotes this verse from the cross (and is probably invoking the entire Psalm) as he experiences the darkness and abandonment of Good Friday.
Pat and Justin will talk about the Psalm and then discuss the movement and the meaning of Pat’s artwork on page 105. You’ll also hear Justin read his devotion on page 108, and the two will discuss the “bonus verses” of the hymn found on page 110.
One of the striking features of this chapter is the Triptych Prayer Experiment on pages 110 and 111; Pat and Justin will talk a little about the “triptych” in the history of religious art and also specifically about the details of Pat’s illustration.
Before the two are done, they will think through what next step Jesus might be inviting them into this week. Whatever next step you are taking, you can be confident in God’s activity in your life and trust that Jesus is acting for your good right now.
In the introduction, Pat and Justin talk about family: Pat was expecting a fifth grandchild, and has since been blessed by the birth of Ella Bliss; Justin’s family tested negative for the Corona Virus, and thus he was able to preach at his friend’s installation. (You can read a version of the sermon here: Treasure, Where You Least Expect It.)
Pat Maier was also our guest for Season 1, Episode 7 of the podcast: Go to Dark Gethsemane. You can read more from Pat by visiting https://community.findmynextstep.org/author/patmaier/.
This recording was made possible in part by the generous support of Next Step Patrons. Today we recognize Richard and Deanna for their ongoing support of our mission and ministry. Thank you, Deanna and Richard, for helping us equip others for their next step following Jesus!
If now is the right time for you to make a commitment to the mission of resourcing next step discipleship, please consider becoming a Next Step Patron today. To see different options for support, visit https://www.patreon.com/findmynextstep.
We follow Jesus better when we follow Him together, so we invite you to join the Facebook Pop Up Group sharing this hymn journal experience here: The Ponder Anew Facebook Group.
The intro and outro music for Season 2: Ponder Anew was arranged and performed by Brendan Knorp. All rights reserved.
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Another excellent podcast. I felt like I was there with you – and took notes to add to my journal!