Photo: B falling_angel https://www.flickr.com/photos/11561957@N06/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

How can ancient icons open a window into your spiritual life? Join Pastor Rob McPherson as we explore Natalia Goncharova’s Four Evangelists, discovering how art can guide us to deeper wisdom and union with God. Experience a quiet prayer time inviting revelation and the light of God’s presence.

Ephesians 1:17-19

Use this guide for prayer and contemplation. Read slowly, pausing as needed for silence and reflection.

Opening

Find a comfortable posture. Let your shoulders soften, and allow your hands to rest.

Take a slow breath in. And a slow breath out.

Stay here a moment.

Reflection on Contemplative Prayer

Today, let us come to God through sacred art—through icons that are more than paintings.

As you gaze, receive the image as a window into the spiritual realm—a gentle conduit for encounter with God. We do not pray to paint or wood. We pray through what we see, opening our attention to the Holy One who is present. These icons invite an experience beyond words—offered not to a select few, but to poor and rich equally: a blessed vision, a union with God.

Scripture

Ephesians 1:17–19 ([Inclusive Bible])

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength.

Holy Spirit, give us wisdom and revelation. Let the eyes of our hearts receive light as we look and listen.

Artwork for Prayerful Reflection

Four Evangelists — Natalia Goncharova

As you look at these four holy figures, notice the halos—and also the earthiness: large, rough hands, steady faces, open and observant eyes, bare feet as if standing on holy ground. Each holds a scroll, and the scrolls are blank. Let that emptiness become space for God—an invitation to receive what cannot be captured by words alone.

Reflection Questions

As you meet the four evangelists, what draws your attention first—one face, one color, one gesture, one detail?

How do you sense God inviting you to look today—taking them in as a whole, or meeting them one at a time?

When you notice the large hands that point and direct, where do you feel your own attention being led?

As you see their bare feet on holy ground, what part of your life feels like it needs to be set on holy ground with God?

As you hold the image of the blank scrolls, what words, stories, or prayers rise in you—and what remains beyond words?

When you hear, “the eyes of your heart,” what might God be giving you light to see right now?

One points to the head, one listens attentively, one points upward, and one points to the scroll—where do you recognize your own way of seeking God today?

As you dwell with the figure who listens, what do you most need to hear from God—and what helps you become attentive?

As you receive the promise that this vision is offered to poor and rich equally, what in you resists receiving so freely—and what in you longs to trust it?

As you prepare to step back into the physical world, what gift from this encounter do you want to carry into heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Closing

God of glory, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and let the eyes of our hearts have light. As we return to this world, let what we have received deepen each time we look at art and use it as a means of communion with the One who made us, saved us, and sustains us. Keep reminding us that the God we meet in this sacred time is always available to us. Amen.