Vincent VanGogh is perhaps the most important and celebrated artistic genius of our day. His paintings hang in the most prestigious museums in the world and his artwork is appreciated by millions of people for its unique expression of color and design. Born in Holland in 1853 Vincent Vangogh suffered an emotionally disturbing childhood marked by depression and a lack of self confidence. Having suffered the great misfortune of being the next child born to his parents immediately nine months after the death of his older brother who died as an infant suddenly and unexpectedly upon his birth, he became the namesake of this older sibling in whose shadow of sorrow he would remain forever in this life. His mother never recovered from the tragedy of losing her son, and as mothers do, she communicated this emotion in the form of rejection to poor Vincent who could never become the child she lost and bring healing and wholeness to her soul.

Vincent’s artistic ability and love for nature became apparent at a very young age as his mother encouraged him to draw and create. However, his father, an austere calvinist minister had a greater influence on the direction of Vincent’s early life. Setting out as a young man, it was Vincent’s desire to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He found his way eventually to a poor mining community in Belgium where he lived a life of poverty and sacrifice to minister to the poor. Sadly, he was eventually rejected in this pursuit for being overzealous and not maintaining enough distinction to be considered a candidate for the church. After stumbling through several painful romances and experiences of loss in his life he began to study art and joined his brother Theo in Paris where he was introduced to several of the great impressionists artists of his day. He imitated their techniques but in time he grew accomplished in his own style and ability with bold color and beauty while communicating tremendous emotion and feeling in his art. He looked at nature and his desire was to express his thoughts on canvas of the majestic beauty that he deeply took in from the world around him. Sadly, the powerfully felt emotions of pain and sorrow that were so familiar to Vincent seem to torment him and he began to suffer fits of rage amidst moments of tremendous despair. All of this a testament to the awesome impact our earliest experiences and impressions can have on the course of one’s life. A self inflicted injury to his own ear during a fight led him eventually to an insane asylum where he sought to heal from the brokeness that had enveloped his entire life with pain. It was here that some of his most exquisite work was created. As he would look out his window at the gardens, it was the magnificent purple irises that were first intricately imposed upon his canvas. Little did he know that they would one day be admired and treasured by millions of people all across this globe. But those days were yet a long way off and Vincent was still in the crucible of affliction he so sought to escape. Some of his finest work was created in these years that he spent at the asylum. In time he left and hoped to recover and start afresh, but it was not to be. The anguish of his heart and the dejection of his spirit would prove a formidable force at his journey’s end. In fact, it was a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head that ended Vincent’s grief in this life at last. Facing mounting pressures as an artist, financial woes, and poor health, along with intense emotional distress, he took his own life in a moment of weakness and hopelessness, leaving his brother Theo heartbroken, for the two brothers were very close. Astonishingly, Vincent Vangogh never sold more than one painting during his lifetime. In fact, ironically, paintings that he had left with others as gifts or out of neglect were used for various sundry purposes, a barrier to fence in chickens, target practice, or simply thrown away as was the case in his mother’s choice of how to rid herself of his masterpieces. How is it possible? Someone so talented, so sensitive, so creative, yet so rejected, was unknown and unappreciated until years after his death. How could this be? Yet during his lifetime, Vincent never experienced the recognition or praise his beautiful art so evokes and deserves. He died, in his own mind, a failure, having never achieved the success as an artist he so longed for and pursued, nor ever having healed from the demons that, as the old hymn goes, mocked his soul’s sad cry all his life. But God had other plans for the story and message of Vincent’s life in this world. The pain that so gripped Vincent all his life was actually a catalyst to his greatness and the very medium through which he achieved spectacular works in his artistic expression. So often it is true, it is our pain, the very things we seek to eclipse, and subdue in our own lives that God uses to shape us , mold us, and bring us to Himself in the most profound ways. Did Vincent know one day he would be one of the most influential and famous artists in the world? He certainly didn’t. But God knew and he was God’s gift and inspiration to us all.

I was out on a walk recently and as I made my way up a hill I suddenly notice a small creature in the bushes along the roadside. I stopped, quickly gazing into the brush to capture a glimpse of the little forager who held my interest. This is a common experience of mine as I am walking in the evenings observing nature, in fact it is one of the greatest joys in a stroll outside. Just to get quiet and listen to the sounds in the woods is restorative. To unplug from our media driven world and soak up the natural sensations that are all around us can be like adding marrow to your bones.

My dear father whom I remember with such love and honor passed away some eight months ago. He was a gentle man, a kind man. He was interested and in fact fascinated by nature and he taught me along with my two sisters to share his passion for the marvel and wonder of God’s creation, the roaring and magnificent ocean, the history and charm of an old church, the exquisite beauty of a piece of art, or the majestic sound of Bach, Handel, or Mozart. He loved the simple things in life and the superb. Good classical music, history, art, philosophy , and nature in all its greatest manifestations and expressions. We were his willing students growing up, for what little girl does not hang on the every word of a loving father whom she trusts and adores. In the fast paced and, as of late violent world in which we live I am reminded so often of my father’s tender way, his quiet meekness. I am struck by how little I seemed to be aware of it at the time, the time when he was here , when I was young, when he so shaped my mind and thoughts. When did that happen? I surely was not aware of the tremendous impact one could have on another human being, the molding and shaping that took place, the fingerprint that I inherited that transcends time. But its there, and its real. I am my fathers daughter and I miss him so much. Happy Fathers Day.

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In the book of 1st Thessalonians 5:3 a time in history is described by the apostle Paul as a period where people will be saying, ‘there is peace and security’ then sudden destruction shall come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. The Bible describes a time of great distress such as the world has never known that will come suddenly when many will not be ready for it. The Bible also warns of five foolish virgins who are found waiting for the bridegroom along with five wise virgins. The foolish virgins have no oil in their lamps and cannot see truth as it unfolds before them, the wise virgins understand what is happening around them, for they have oil in their lamps and can discern the times in which they live. Jesus Himself warns us in Matthew 24:36 ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. And in verse 44 He states, ‘Therefore be ye ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

As we returned to church this week a poignant sermon was preached on the concept of time. How time is finite, limited and winding down. As the civil unrest in our country escalates the time to take action is now. What kind of action, riots, protests, activism? NO. I am talking about something far more lasting, the condition of the human soul. Where are we going when we die? Do we know? Are we right with God? There is a limited amount of time, a measured out span of days allotted to answer these questions, to decide who and what we will place our trust in. Did you know that you have a soul that will live forever in one of two places? Did you know that you have a Saviour who loves you? His name is Jesus Christ and He is God. He is the one who made you, loves you and wants to forgive all of your sin and mine. He desires this so much that He bled on a Roman cross to pay the sin debt of the whole world! He atoned for our sins in full. Yes we have all made mistakes, every single member of the human race. He died for ALL of them and He loves ALL of us. There is no greater hope than to be found in the book of John where Jesus invites us to believe on HIM and receive eternal life. In John 6:47 He says ‘ Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. In verse 35 of the same chapter He says, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; HE THAT COMETH TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER; AND HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME SHALL NEVER THIRST.’

We are living in dangerous times, but today is the day of salvation. God has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him. We are all sinners, the Bible states this fact in Romans 3:23, ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’. There is a punishment for sin before a Holy God, and this is an eternity separated form Him in a place called the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:11 states ‘And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.’ ‘But God , WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US, even when we were dead in our sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God: Not of works , lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:4-9. This gift is available to all, but we must do one thing, Believe on His name. In other words, trust Him, put your faith in Him alone to save you.

No matter what happens in this world, Jesus gives us this hope. It is a hope for all and will unify all who come and take of the water freely that Jesus Christ has offered. Will ‘Jacob’s Trouble’ come, yes. But we have a way of escape and a tremendous blessing, even eternal life with our Saviour if we will take Him at His word.

I am beginning to collect many paintings in my art studio. They line the walls, chairs, and floor. I am running out of space. I love to look at all the bright color and art before me as I paint another new painting, but I have discovered as of late an even greater enjoyment, and that is in giving my art away as gifts. Nothing pleases me more than to see someone blessed by my creativity in such a way that it brings them joy and happiness. It is even more fun to invite them into my art studio and let them scout the many paintings all over the walls, shelves, chairs and floor and chose one. I am so delighted to see which painting they will chose and wonder why they chose that particular one. It gives me great pleasure to think that they would enjoy my art and appreciate a gift that I could give them. Truly there is joy in giving. As I was out on my walk the other day and pondering this truth, a spiritual analogy came to my mind as I was thinking about the most gracious giver in all the world and the most priceless gift ever given. I am talking about the Lord, our God and Creator. There is only one God and His name is Jesus Christ. The Father gave us the greatest gift in the world when He gave us His Son. The Son gave us His very life, His body broken for us, His blood shed for us , that we through faith in Him might be saved. Jesus is precious! There is truly no greater gift in the world and no greater giver! For He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He gave us His perfect righteous life, a sinless life that only He could live. He offered it up, and gave it to us, to become our imputed righteousness. He shed His precious blood on our behalf and washed away our sins with it as He took our punishment on the cross, the death we deserved, He experienced, so that we could be forgiven and live life eternally in heaven with Him. Such a love gift will never be matched in all of history. Our Creator God loved us so much. As I mused on such amazing love the thought dawned on me, I wonder how much joy the Lord Jesus Christ receives when someone accepts His love gift? Oh it must be immeasurable! He paid the ultimate price, what delight and jubilation He must experience when His creatures believe on Him, receive from Him and are blessed by Him with eternal life! For when they receive this gift, they become His children, sealed forever in the kingdom of God. They are His, for He gives Himself to them completely and will never leave them nor forsake them. What could ever cast a shadow on such kindness, such generosity? The freedom with which such goodness is bestowed should be so easily obtained by all. For He certainly intended for all to have it.Yet the Bible reveals a shocking truth when the disciples ask Jesus if few be saved and He answers, “strive to enter in at the straight gate for many will seek to enter but will not be able. Many are called, but few are chosen, and He goes on to warn us that broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which go in thereat, but narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. Why do only few find it? Could the sad but simple truth be that they simply don’t believe the freeness with which salvation is offered and rather try to pay for it with their own good works, social gospel, or belief, not in Christ but their own human goodness? Sadly I do believe this is a reason that so many miss the straight gate of salvation. They fail to see the sincerity in our Lord as He offers them a “gift” that only He could have paid for. They seek to pay for it themselves in false gospels like Lordship salvation, where a christian must make Jesus “Lord” of their life and keep all the commandments in the Bible in order to earn and keep their salvation. Or the belief of calvinism where a christian is taught that he was chosen by God over others and elected as it were so that now he must spend the rest of his life proving that he is truly worthy to be elected and saved by his good works and perseverence to the end. Or the false gospel of Arminianism where a christian must keep himself saved and keep Christ’s commands in order to avoid “loosing” his salvation. These false versions of the true gospel of free grace are a profound insult to a Holy God who did everything divinely possible to save us and accomplished our salvation single handedly by His own power. What a disgrace to imagine that we could offer to pay for or even contribute the smallest mite so as to add to so extravagant an offering. Though the similarities are few, I imagine offering someone a gift of one of my paintings and instead of graciously accepting my gift, they refuse and merely find a picture somewhere else that is like the one I made or try to paint one themselves that is more preferable to them than the one I offered. It is certainly not that my paintings are so special, but rather the insult comes in robbing that one of the joy of giving and not allowing them the blessing of being able to bestow this kindness. This is what we do to God when we refuse to believe in His goodness, that He should be sincere in His offer of eternal life free, to all who believe! When we try to pay for our salvation we rob God of all His joy and all His glory, but we also rob ourselves of the very gift of salvation itself. For it can only be received on the terms in which it was offered, a free gift, paid for and nonnegotiable. Salvation is of the Lord! We cannot merit it, nor can we add one iota to it. It is a gift. Gifts are free, though this gift cost the giver everything.

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As many states have shut down and the COVID-19 virus has sequestered many of us to our homes we have the opportunity that few circumstances would afford of simply spending some time in quiet reflection about our lives, the changes that this situation will undoubtedly bring about and the direction for the future of our lives as we reassess what is really important to us and what is not worth our pursuit in the future. Coming face to face with our own mortality has the unique ability to cause us to take stock of our lives, to realize that there is a limit to what we can accomplish in our lives and the fact that one day, it will all come to an end. Our lives are finite and we are entrusted with a certain number of days, weeks and years. We are not here forever and there is surely an end. Life is too short to waste, worry about what others think or continue in a direction that is unprofitable and leading nowhere. It has been said that we resist change, but when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, then we will change. We cannot go back to the past and start again, but we can start where we are and change our ending. Just some thoughts I’ve been musing on as we head into April of 2020.

There is no place like the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona and New Mexico. It is a vast wilderness of endless space, filled with large saguaros, many hundreds of years old, Ocotillo’s, mesquite trees, Palo Verde trees and many other types of cacti and plants, not to mention the wonderful desert creatures that scamper and slither across the dry desolate landscape. It is all so beautifully majestic with the backdrop of stunning clear blue skies and the warm dry sunshine. There is no place like it and for this New England city girl it was a shock to behold for the first time at 25. I have since spent many years in the southwest and grown to appreciate and love the uniqueness and beauty of this barren landscape with very large cities in between hundreds and hundreds of miles of empty space. I have since come back to my New England home and the green landscape and trees, lakes and rivers I grew up loving so much. But I still think back to the years I spent out in the desert and all that my Saviour taught me and blessed me with as he called me “out west” as a young woman who had never ventured out of the little state of Rhode Island so many years ago. It has been a long journey since I left home back in January of 1987. God has been so good to me! Now I am back home and likely to stay put, but I reminisce those years with fondness and thankfulness that part of God’s plan for me was to explore and live in this beautiful desert country for a space of time.

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It is spring in the southwest and the beautiful azure skies give charm and delight to the adobe structures that stand tall in the New Mexican sun light. So many memories were made in this wonderful city and the inspiration for art is immeasurable.

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It was about a year ago, last fall. I sat in the examining chair waiting to have my eyes examined. It was my first time visiting this optometrist and I was typically nervous. I dislike doctors in general and will avoid an appointment with one if at all possible, but this was, after all, an eye appointment, what could go wrong? Well after my usual refusal to have my eyes dialated as I prefer to avoid medications if possible, I was informed that there was a somewhat suspicious picture as the doctor had looked into my eye with his otoscope and he wished to get a better look. So an interesting glaucoma test ensued. It was painless and very simple, I was instructed to look into an eye piece and click a button when a green cross appeared. Not hard, anyone could do this without too great a degree of anxiety, but I was nervous anyway or shall I say at least in a sober frame of mind. Of course I wondered, ” will he find something wrong” , ” what if this is it, glaucoma!! While the room was quiet and dim, and the technician pleasant, I, in a somewhat anxious state, peered into the eye piece and clicked the button as the green cross appeared. While this painless simple test was being performed, my mind looked at the green cross against the black background. It would flash before me, silently yet significantly. As I looked , a deeper meaning came to my mind about the green cross. The cross, a symbol of our only hope, the means by which our salvation was purchased, the symbol of the only way we will enter heaven was flashing silently before me. It struck me how important that cross is and will be in the end when we stand before our creator. What did we do with the cross? What did we do with Jesus? Did we believe on His name and receive His love gift of eternal life, through His blood shed on the cross as full payment for our sin? It is free, to all who believe and call upon His name. It is free to us, His gift to us, yet it cost Him His life to give it.The green of the cross as it flashed before me, reminded me of the green light we see in traffic signals. Green signifies GO! Free to go. Free to pass through. A green light says ” yes, enter” . The flashing green light on that great day of the Lord when all of heaven and earth shall flee away and we stand before a Holy and righteous God who will declare ” enter, free, loved, forgiven, safe, secure forever in the arms of the loving Saviour. It also struck me that it is the only manner of entrance. Good works won’t allow acceptance in that day, church membership, baptism, the Holy sacraments, our own social gospel or the many roads which lead one to worship many false gods which all lead to hell won’t give us a green light in that day. The symbol of the cross speaks of our only hope, the green color proclaims our justification, and the payment which was made on our behalf by the sinless Son of God to pay our sin debt, that we might ” Go Free”!! Nothing else will matter in that day, no false gospels or religious self righteousness will be considered or accepted. Just one question, ” Did you believe His words” Did you accept His love gift to you, the full payment for your sins, Did you hope and trust in the crosswork of Jesus Christ? If the answer is no, they will not enter in. The Bible says few will enter, because so few believe in the words of Jesus in John 6:40. “Verily, Verily I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day”

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