18th October 2020

Your weekly newsletter from Yeadon Methodist Church

Dear friends

The other week I visited Leeds City Art Gallery for the first time – it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for ages. The gallery has partially reopened with paintings and wooden sculptures on display plus the wonderful tiled café! I wanted to see the painting pictured below, The Shadow of Death by William Holman Hunt. It depicts Jesus the carpenter in his workshop with Mary looking at the magi’s gifts which she’s kept in a chest but startled by Jesus’ shadow foretelling his crucifixion. In the one scene you have Jesus the man, his birth and his death and also a lot of detail to look out for. I shared the picture via Zoom with the Friday prayer meeting and wrote the accompanying prayer. 

How does the painting speak to you and what prayer does it prompt?

Roger.

I look to Jesus:

help me to enjoy the work I have to do

and help me to embrace life.

I look to Mary:

help me to value what is precious

and help me to face darkness.

I look to the Psalmist:

‘Even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.’

(Psalm 139 v.12, NIV)

Drawing Good News

The Bible seemed so dull and black and the gap between people and the Bible seemed to be growing. So Annie Vallotton, a Swiss-born artist, asked herself “If I really believe that love and hope is in the Bible, what should I do?” She soon had the answer to her own question. She was invited to provide the 500 illustrations needed for the Good News Bible. Wherever the new, lively, everyday version was read, Annie’s pictures would be studied too.

Her line-drawings may look simple and unelaborate, but she drew them with great care. Annie made about eighty preliminary sketches for every drawing, and she herself acted out many of the poses in front of the mirror in order to get them just right. She said that she aimed her drawings at “the child-like part that remains in each adult”. She tells the story of a child who had to give the Scripture reading in church. Instead of prefacing it with words such as ‘Here beginneth the lesson’, she said ‘I have a lovely story for you today – it’s from…’

Taken from The Everyday Book by Mary Batchelor, a unique collection of stories, themes and quotations – 366 stories. This one is for the 12^th October. (Supplied by Jean Richardson).

And finally ... with COVID-19 travel constraints drastically changing my usual working patterns, I've updated by travel guide shelf: