Lenten Comics day 35

Station Eleven 3/3

Lenten Comics day 34

Station Eleven 2/3

Lenten Comics day 33

STATION ELEVIN

Jesus Promises his Kingdom to the Thief

Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Lenten Comics day 32

STATION TEN

Jesus is Crucified

As I was contemplating this passage, I couldn’t help but juxtapose it with all the scenes in which Jesus is offering hope to so many people in his ministry. His smiling, understanding, knowing face before the crowd, before the humiliated and the suffering. That is the face that was condemned and put on the cross. The face of holy and supernatural love.

“And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him.”

-Matthew 27:33-36 (NRSV)

Lenten Comics day 29

STATION NINE

JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

“But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

-Luke 23:28 (NRSV)

Lenten Comics day 28

STATION EIGHT

JESUS IS HELPED BY SIMON OF CYRENE

“As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.”

Matthew 27:32 (NRSV)

I spent months on this page. First, it was just boxes. Then pencils. Then the top row of drawings. Finally, I finished the whole thing a few weeks ago.

I am happy to come back to this project and finish it. These reflections of the Stations of the Cross are about meditating on Jesus’ final days, my own grief at losing my dad this year, as well as zooming out from my life to look at the grief that surrounds us all.

Father's Day

I started working on this comic as a Christmas gift for dad in December. We knew this would be his last Christmas with us. What kind of gift do you give someone for their last Christmas when they live in constant pain and have their senses dulled by medication? It was the worst.

Dad and I had a lot of spiritual conversations together during his last months. The Lord’s Prayer became increasingly important to him. I am not entirely sure why. But I thought I would make this. He liked when I drew things that he related to. But as I finished the top three panels and the bottom three panels, I realized that what I was making was a sort of eulogy for dad.

The power lines representing the thousands and thousands of miles he traveled for his work. He worked construction all over the state, but he refused to stay in hotels and apartments away from home. So for years, he would drive three hours to the job site, work all day, and drive three hours home. Years.

The bottom three panels came next. Throughout my childhood he built docks. Really good docks. Like the only docks that survived the “storm of the century” that hit Cedar Key in the early 90s. He was really proud of these.

But as I drew the dock and started adding the grass, I just cried. I didn’t want to finish the drawing. I didn’t want to give it to him. I didn’t want to give him a “going away present.” It felt wrong. So I left it.

He died in March.

Now it is Father’s Day. The first one without him. It’s damn sad. I miss him. And I hate how his absence has affected my mom. And I hate feeling so powerless. And meaningless. And blank.

But I can draw. I can make things. Dad used his hands to make all kinds of cool stuff. Stuff I could never make. Now he is gone. So I will use my hands to make all kinds of cool stuff. Stuff he could never make.

So I drew the middle panels, highlighting some of the things he used to make cool stuff with.

I don’t think this would’ve made a very nice Christmas present. But I think it makes a good Father’s Day gift.

Love you, dad.

Lenten Comics day 27

The Royal Road by Thomas à Kempis 3/3

Lenten Comics day 26

The Royal Road by Thomas à Kempis 2/3.

Lenten Comics day 25

The Royal Road by Thomas à Kempis 1/3

Lenten Comics day 22

STATION SEVEN

Jesus Bears the Cross

“After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”

Matthew 27: 31 (NRSV)

Lenten Comics day 19

STATION SIX

Jesus is Scourged + Crowned with Thorns

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

Lenten Comics day 18

Dad wasn’t interested in having a funeral, so we had a “celebration of life” thing with some people at the house. I really hate the terminology of that. Especially since I was filled with rage at the time (which has since cooled off). I did not feel like “celebrating” anything. So I referred to it as a memorial in rebellion. I love my dad a lot. But I am glad that is over.

Lenten Comics day 17

A eulogy for my dad.

We have only known about dad’s cancer since September. But he had been seriously ill for a few years with COPD. He’s been in the hospital about 5 times in the last three years, once with a collapsed lung.

I am “the family pastor.” So for those years, in the back of my mind has been the expectation that when the funeral came, it would be my responsibility. I lived in fear of this. Often, in a quiet moment, I would ponder the scriptures and try to imagine what I would talk about in relation to my dad’s death. I never landed on anything.

When the time came that we knew his death was immanent, I was told that dad did not want a funeral. There would be no ceremony. This came out because my dad hated funerals. He hated the way they made him feel and did not want one, nor was he keen on providing an opportunity for family members to act out (as has happened at previous family funerals).

So, my only responsibility was to coordinate with the cremation services and write dad’s obituary. But I couldn’t write the thing. I got on Facebook and wrote this. Just a raw reflection. Then I was able to do the obituary quite easily.