Lego Art

a new way to tell an old story

Meet Samuel the Lord of Lego. He tells Bible stories with Lego landscapes. He researched each scene carefully and produced fabulous dioramas. While he's moved on from Legos hopefully he can inspire others to adventures in telling good news through art.

Samuel was featured in Lenten Art Show at First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, Texas. The theme was Beauty from Ashes. His dramatic entry: Christ Before and After.

“This LEGO creation by Samuel depicts the dramatic change that occurs when Jesus Christ takes over someone's life and gives them beauty (shown on the left side) for ashes (portrayed on the right side). The example is of two people being entwined in ashes and darkness, who were transformed into beautiful people and given beautiful lives through the wonderful love of God. Although inspiration for it did come from some paintings and some other LEGO creations, any and all praise belongs to God, the giver of ideas, imagination, creativity, and His Word, the Bible.” I couldn't have said it better.

Lego history from the Bible, Samuel shows us the Moses and Aaron striking the Nile with his staff and turning it to blood, so that the fish die and the water cannot be drunk.

“Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.”’” (Exodus 7:17-19)

The parable of the sower shown to the right helped spark the discussion at a recent Kingdom Kids Klub gathering.

He has retold the story of spying out the land of Canaan.

Wow! Not only is the grape cluster the biggest ever, it has red and green grapes in the same cluster. How is that possible?

The Hebrew spies check the perimeter, while Canaanite watchmen patrol heavily fortified towers. Their size and strength inspire fear in all but Caleb and Joshua. The later two know that God is much stronger than the largest Canaanite hoard.

Lego's aren't just toys anymore. In the hands of a Lego artist they can tell of an incredible journey of faith.

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2).

You have to love artist Samuel's attention to detail. At the bottom of the hill, the servants and the donkey wait patiently for Abraham and Isaac's return.

A closer look and we can see Isaac on the alter, Abraham with his knife ready to plunge. The fire to consume the offering sits next to Abraham.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

“Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’

“He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ ” (Genesis 22:10-12).

Christmas 2013 wouldn't be complete without a Lego presentation of the gospel. “Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'r the plain.”

The shepherds follow the angel's direction and come to a manger where a star shines down upon this special place.

Mary lays there while the shepherds crowd in to see the Christ child.

Samuel's version of Moses at the waters of Merabah.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.rsquo; And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’ ” (Exodus 17:5-7).

From the story of Joseph: the brothers of Joseph, the sons of Israel, watch Joseph being led away into slavery in Egypt. They have just sold their brother to Midianite traders. Joseph will excel even in slavery.

“Then Midianite traders passed by. And they [his brothers] drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.’ ” (Genesis 37:28).