Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what
the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you
everything that I have heard from my Father.
Now consider who we are. We are students in Christ's school. We are not masters. We simply
fill in the sketches he has already begun. When we have done all we can, he provides finishing
touches to produce a masterpiece. To understand our role in such a way relieves us of the
burden of being sufficient in our own abilities to do what he has called us to do. We are his
students, his servants, his apprentices. He is the Master.
(John 15.15
NRSV)
The painter Rubens is recognized even today as a genius. His work has been so influential
that we sometimes talk about the "Rubinesque" figure. Rubens was also quite a businessman.
Unlike many other immortal artists, Rubens was fortunate enough to taste the fruits of success
while he was still alive. He was highly commissioned for his work. In fact he was so highly
compensated that he opened what one writer called a painting factory. He hired a school of
pupils, and started an assembly line! He made the initial drawings and the pupils filled them in.
Then with a few master strokes, he completed the paintings.
God of the master, help me to be a good student and servant in sharing your wonderful
masterpiece. Amen.
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