Where are We Looking?

This painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder circa 1560 is one of my favorites. What do you notice in the scene?  Where is the movement?  What are the people doing? What emotion adjectives might you use to describe the scene? What is the most important part of the painting?  Why?

Perhaps you noticed the flailing legs of a young man falling headfirst into the water (bottom-right corner).  The title of the painting is The Fall of Icarus, a depiction of the death of the young man who, in Greek Mythology, flew too close to the sun, whereupon his waxen wings melted and he plunged into the sea and drowned.

I am making no comparison between Greek Mythology and Christianity here, but to the nature of humanity.  How often are we busy with all manner of things, that we miss what’s most important?  In the painting, the people miss the drowning boy because they are tending to their own business.  In life, we miss the love and care God provides for us and often take His provisions for granted.  We miss the goodness of God by focusing on those “things” that are right in front of us.

Lord, give us eyes to see how much you love us, how you have planted us on a rich and fertile hill, plowed the land, and cleared the stones in our lives. Grow gratitude in our hearts that we may ever praise you.

The following poem is a response to the above painting. How do the poem and the painting remind you of Isaiah 5?

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
by William Carlos Williams, 1962

According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring
a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry
of the year was
awake tingling
near
the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself
sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax
unsignificantly
off the coast
there was
a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning

Grace Discipleship:  Pray for the Leaders of Grace Church

Lord, we thank You for the bond of unity You have given to the leaders of Grace Church. We are grateful for the wisdom and insight You give them to work with one another in love and harmony.

Help our leaders to be humble and meek, and to rely on You and Your Word to guide them in making the right decisions. Give them courage to stand firm and make hard but necessary decisions according to Your will and Your Word.

Help us to continue to work together to bring Your kingdom here on earth and to share Your love and grace with all. We thank You for the unity and love You have instilled in our Church leadership. In Jesus’ name, Amen