I Was Just Thinking...........

This is one of my favorite paintings, “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. I’m currently reading a book entitled, The Divine Commodity by Skye Jethani. Skye talks about van Gogh’s love and devotion to Christ and that he was even a missionary at one time. He became very disillusioned with the institutional church at that time though and left it, and chose to hang out with peasants and prostitutes.

Van Gogh said, “When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - religion, then I go out and paint the stars.” His painting “Starry Night” depicts God in the deep indigos of the sky, and yellow is used for the heavenly bodies. A color he used for sacred love. The warmth of the yellows are also repeated in the village with homes illuminating. Yet you can see the church is dark. His judgment of the institutional church. No divine presence, light or love.

This was van Gogh’s take on the institutional church of the late 1800’s. I wonder what he would think today? Moreover, I wonder what God thinks? And I’m not about to presume what God thinks. But, there is such a huge difference between the Church (even though they faced problems too) we see in the New Testament and the present day institutional church despite how the times and technology has changed.

In general I wonder who, what or where is the focus of the Church? And who or what is it emulating? Is there so much clouding our vision that we miss the “stars"?

And then I ask, where should our focus be and who should we emulate?

The Original Artist, and His wonderful use of illuminating yellow.