The Beginning Beyond the Ending
Updated: Oct 9
The Beginning Beyond The Ending
Painting by Vashti Graham
Wood burning by Kimberly Cook
Floral Arrangement Made Together
In loving memory of Angie Cook
Through the image of the dove, this piece honors Mrs. Angie’s life and reflects the Biblical message of hope, new beginnings, and the promise we have in Christ.
Artist Description:
One of the most familiar appearances of a dove in Scripture comes after the flood. Noah released a dove from the ark to see if the waters had gone down. At first, the dove found nowhere to rest and returned to him. Later, Noah sent the dove out again, and this time it returned carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf. That little leaf meant something big. The water was going down. Dry land was returning. Life outside the ark was becoming possible again.
“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!” Genesis 8:11
It is important to make one distinction (the dove was not the sign of God’s covenant with Noah). The dove and olive leaf showed Noah that the floodwaters were receding. Later, God placed the rainbow in the clouds as the sign of His covenant, promising that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:12–17).
Doves also had a place in worship and sacrifice. Under Old Testament law, someone who could not afford a lamb could bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as an offering (Leviticus 5:7). God made a way for those with very little to bring an offering before Him. Years later, Mary and Joseph brought birds as their offering when they presented Jesus at the temple (Luke 2:22–24). Their offering shows the humble circumstances into which Jesus was born. There is something powerful about that moment (They could not afford to bring a lamb, yet they were carrying Jesus. The One John the Baptist would later call “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29).)
Jesus’ baptism also gives us a beautiful picture of the Trinity. As Jesus the Son is being baptized, the Holy Spirit descends “in bodily form, like a dove”, and God the Father speaks from heaven. Scripture does not say that an actual dove landed on Jesus; rather, the Spirit descended like one. Then God the Father spoke from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Soon after His baptism, Jesus began His public ministry. (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22).
When we look at these moments together, the dove becomes a beautiful thread running through Scripture. With Noah, it carried evidence of life beyond the flood. In the Old Testament, doves were brought as humble offerings before God. Mary and Joseph brought that same kind of offering while carrying Jesus (the One who would later be called the Lamb of God). Then, at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove as Christ began the ministry that would ultimately lead to the cross and resurrection. Each moment is different, but together they point us toward hope, sacrifice, God’s presence, and ultimately Jesus. Because of Him, we can face even our deepest loss knowing that death is not the end of the story.
This painting was created in collaboration with Kimberly Cook in loving memory of her mother, Angie Cook. Losing someone we love changes our lives. There is the life we knew with them, and then there is the life we must learn to walk through without their physical presence. Moving forward does not mean leaving them behind. Their love, memories, and the ways they shaped us continue to be carried with us. That is part of what makes the dove so meaningful in this piece. For Noah, it carried evidence that there was life beyond the flood. At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit descended like a dove before the beginning of the ministry that would ultimately lead to the cross and resurrection. And because of Christ, we have the promise that there is life beyond the grave.
The dove reminds us to look beyond what has ended here on earth and place our hope in the One who holds what comes next.
Scripture References:
Genesis 8:11 Noah’s dove and olive leaf: “And behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.”
Genesis 9: 12-17 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Leviticus 5:7 “‘Anyone who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
Luke 2:22–24 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Mark 1:10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Luke 3:21–22 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Additional Facts You May Find Interesting:
White doves became particularly associated with purity and peace in Western Christian art. Interestingly, the Bible does not tell us that Noah's dove was white. The familiar white dove is largely the result of later artistic tradition. The dove and olive branch eventually became an international peace symbol. The biblical story of Noah strongly influenced this image in Western culture. In the 20th century, Pablo Picasso's dove designs helped make the dove an internationally recognizable symbol of peace.
Noah’s dove was sent out three times. Noah first sent the dove out, but it found nowhere to rest and returned. Seven days later, he sent it again, and it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. After another seven days, he sent it out a third time, and it did not return. This showed that the earth was becoming habitable again. (Genesis 8:8–12)
Jesus’ baptism came before the beginning of His public ministry. After His baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus began preaching and ministering publicly. The baptism, representing the beginning of a new chapter in Jesus’ earthly ministry, has a real biblical foundation.
Mary and Joseph offered birds after Jesus was born. Luke 2:24 says they offered “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons,” according to the Law. This was the provision allowed for those who could not afford the more expensive offering. So dove imagery appears near both the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life and the beginning of His public ministry.
Doves appear in Christian baptismal artwork. Because of Jesus' baptism, churches have historically placed dove imagery around baptismal fonts and scenes of Christ's baptism, connecting the image with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself used the dove as an image of innocence. When sending His disciples out, Jesus told them to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) So innocence or purity is one dove association that comes directly from Jesus’ words.
The Mourning Dove gets its name from its soft, low cooing call, which people have long thought sounds sorrowful or mournful. Despite its name, this call is a normal form of communication, especially used by males during courtship. Mourning Doves are also devoted parents. Both the male and female take turns incubating their eggs, and both produce a special substance called crop milk to feed their young. These natural traits make the Mourning Dove an interesting part of this painting (a bird named for a sound associated with mourning is also a bird strongly connected with pair bonding, nurturing, and new life.)
Early Christians used doves in burial art. Doves appear in early Christian catacombs, tombs, and funerary images. Depending on the image, they could represent peace, paradise, or the departed Christian soul at rest.
Kim's Wood Burning Symbolism:
Each element of Kim’s wood burning artwork represents a journey through grief, healing, and finding joy again. The cage symbolizes breaking free from the painful thoughts and emotions that keep us feeling trapped. The feather represents releasing our burdens to God and learning to move forward with a lighter heart. The doves resting in the tree symbolize rediscovering peace, happiness, and hope after loss. The dove at the top tells Jesus' story, from the Star of Bethlehem to Calvary, the empty tomb, and His resurrection. This is symbolized by the cross, arrow, and crown. Together, they remind us that healing does not mean forgetting those we love, but learning to carry their love instead of only the pain of their absence.
