Undying Spring
The Art of Revival
An immersive portal of imagery, poetry, and music
for worshiping and meditating on the beauty of revival
The First Phase
Fall once more, the Prophecy spelled,
is killing all the sweetest fruits,
yet spine of Skull Hill stays upheld,
grounded by its rugged roots.
Floodgates broken, torn like bread,
overflowing, pure blood-red.
Prune the dead ones please, I beg,
could they not take me instead.
Where dandelions wished on sin
and petals of unsettled lilies fell,
I now wade in wine-soaked skin,
reaching out from Jacob’s well.
Dissenting, our body grows violent;
Descending, His body goes quiet.
Veil of secrets, always hallowed,
pierced by Light, no longer shadowed.
The Second Phase
Cold comfort, a megalith of death,
rolls away from the Garden Tomb.
But death is not what chills my breath,
for I stand alone in an empty room.
There is one shadow yet to expose
since the day-star finally rose:
behind me is the warmth I seek;
He’ll blanket this abyss of bleak.
Bereaving, our body strays doleful;
Believing, His body stays soulful.
I have new sight, though the end is upon us,
doused in His Light, an undying promise.
Linen lamented in loss will tarnish,
but the truth returns to restore us,
found in blossoms brushed like varnish
all in snow-white - a floral forest.
The Third Phase
Spring undying, sewn in heartache,
is weaving glory into every season.
Wild sunflowers, grown by mistake,
turn to the Sun for their completion.
Stars, lampstands, endless crowns
make way for every tear to drown.
The River flows like Jacob’s well,
but oh, He pulled my soul from hell.
This hope is golden but never garish,
wrapped in a rapturous covenant.
I release the fading flower I cherish
just for His branches to recover it.
Assenting, our body brings burgeoning;
Ascending, His body springs flourishing.
His blazing eyes paint us all in splendor:
to be mesmerized in sweet surrender.
Experience Undying Spring in cinematic form.
Inspirations
The First Phase
Isaiah 53; Matthew 6:28-30; Matthew 26:26-29, 27:32-61; John 19:17-42
The Second Phase
Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:1-18; Mark 16:1-8
The Third Phase
Luke 24:50-53; Isaiah 40:8; Revelation 1:12-20, 4:2-5, 19:11-16, 22:1-5
Background
Last year, with Warren Church, I wrote a collection of poems for a worship walkthrough called Groan from the Garden, created by Sarah Fayson and executed by the creative staff there. This year, Sarah came to me with a new concept for Easter—one that uses various mediums of art to provide a holistic worship experience on a digital landscape.
With the help of other talented creatives, we put together Undying Spring as a portal to immersive worship. Our intention was to grow closer—and invite you to grow closer—to Jesus through art. We believe this is the future of worship: to paint a holistic picture of the Creator’s redemption through the creativity He wrote inside of us.
—Cameron Miller
Credits
Directed by Sarah Fayson & Cameron Miller
Photos, Film, and Poetry by Cameron Miller
Original Music by Eli Woodward
Modeling by Lauren Duckworth
Voiceover by Meg Retrum
Handwriting by Katie Elliott
Special thanks to Naomi Canady, Nick & Jessie Duke, Daniel Fayson, Greg Manz, and Caleb Miller.