Can the beauty of a sunrise eclipse the beauty of a
sunset? The answer sure must be: only if
the artist so desires as he uses his brush in expert and deft strokes to produce
yet another of his masterpieces. Yes, it
must be at the whim and fancy of the artist, I suppose. But, to be frank, never have I seen a sunrise
surpass the beauty of a sunset. No, if
one were to really compare the most beautiful sunset with the most beautiful
sunrise, one would have to conclude that the sunset would win without a
doubt.
Perhaps it is the darkness that follows that accentuates the
beauty of the sunset as compared with the brightness of the great light that
emerges from a sunrise. Perhaps too, it
could be that in the case of the sunset, the display of radiant hues of red,
yellow and orange as they linger on the screen of the mind is of such
tremendous note that it is virtually unforgettable. For while I am wont to remember the scenic
beauty of the sunset as the darkness envelops everything, I have no such
longing in the case of the sunrise. For
the beauty of the sunrise is soon forgotten with the ascent of the sun. “Yes, yes,” I hear you say, “Give me a sunset
any day.” In winner’s closure must be
the sunset. For, while the impression of
the sunset lingers with me through the night, the sunrise is lost in a blaze of
glory of the brilliant sun.
Therefore, it would appear to me and I dare say to you, there
is no comparison between a sunrise and a sunset when one thinks of a thing of
beauty. The sunset wins!
But is this the end of the story? Why do I get this dissatisfaction that so
often accompanies an unsettled question?
It is as if justice has not been served.
Could it be that we, the judges, were prejudiced or that we simply did
not examine all of the evidence? And, if
there is more evidence, where is it to be found? Ah, back to the drawing board, back to the
canvas: can the beauty of a sunrise eclipse that of a sunset?
But, if justice has been done why do I still have this empty
feeling? Why does my innermost being cry
out, “This is not the end of the matter.”
Is there more to this matter than our finite minds and limited
intelligence can grasp? I shudder to
think that rather than enjoy the sunset and the sunrise of each day I have
remaining on this terrestrial plain, I must be obsessed with an attempt to
determine which has greater beauty. And
so, I rest my case. It is not wise, I
suppose, to compare the beauty of the two but to enjoy them as long as we
live. And so, my prayer of thanksgiving
is, “Lord, thank you for every sunset and every sunrise that you have given to
me. You alone know the number of my days
and since I can only count them by each sunrise and the sunset, I thank you for
them all. Amen.”
Yet, I am still not satisfied, Lord. I feel as though there is something greater
that you want to teach me when I gaze on every sunset and every sunrise. Tell me Father, what is the ultimate lesson
that I should learn from these two paintings of nature? To what beyond themselves do they point?
And then, as the sun begins to rise in the east, as it
commences to bring light to my groping eyes, His light begins to shine on my
reverie. The answer slowly dawns on me
as I contemplate a number of critical questions.
“When you examine the work of a great master painter or
sculptor to whom does that work point you?
Oh, that’s simple…to the painter or the sculptor who produced the
work. And as you think of the artist do
you not think of the message he is sending to his viewers? Do you not think, for example, that rather
than attempt to rate his works, it might be better to dig a little deeper and
discover the message that is in them?
Consequently, do you not see a message in the beauty of the
sunset? Do you not remember what I
showed you as you gazed upon that sunset?
Come on back with me now and cast your mind’s eye on that moment…”
“Hey, that was not my magnificent best. There is better. Cast your mind back to another sunset in
another time. View there the object that
was silhouetted against the light of the sinking sun. Tell me, what do you see? Isn’t that by far a more glorious
painting? Listen my child, even I could
not exceed that. That was my magnificent
best. And guess what! I earnestly desire to paint it on every heart
that would gaze there on.”
“But there is
more.”
Suddenly a greater light enveloped me as I gazed
on that scene as if I were present when it happened. Projected from the light in my heart and
visible before my mind’s eye was the most glorious sunset I had ever seen. And there, silhouetted against its background
was a cross and on that cross was my Saviour…
“Only that it was not just a sunset
depicting the sinking sun in its departing radiance, but the sunrise was
already in evidence.”
It amazes me how so very often we extract the
wrong answers even when we are in the right places. There was I then trying to dissect the work
of art of the Master Artist and here I am now trying to compare His sunset and
His sunrise to determine which is the more glorious. It as if we never really grasp the lessons
that He brings to our wandering minds.
Then, I had viewed the sinking sun and the silhouetted cross and only at
the last moment had I perceived the initial evidence of the sunrise. But, it was there all the time. I hear you ask, “But where was the evidence
that you speak of?”
Oh, it was there all right. It might have been obscured by the shadows of
the mind but it was there.
Were I one of his disciples, perhaps I too would
have missed it then. Not only had they
misunderstood the purpose of the many miracles they saw him do but they had not
even taken note of what he said. In
fact, Peter had even determined that the prophecy of his demise would not
materialise if he, Peter, had any say in the issue. Thank God he did not have a voice in the
matter.
Neither did they understand when he rewarded the
thief on the cross by offering to him everlasting life. And, if that was not sufficient, they
certainly did not understand his triumphant words, “It is finished”. For them, that sunset spoke of certain finality. “It is finished.” There would be no sunrise. For, even if the sun should rise for them the
next day and the next and the next, there would be no Master. For this champion who had come into their
lives for a short while had now been taken from them. The sun had set on his radiance. Like so many of our relatives and friends
now, for them then, “he now lies in yonder cemetery”.
They simply did not grasp the panoramic view of
this tremendous painting. They were
oblivious to the sequel of the sunset they still beheld. All they saw then was the sunset with its
beauty soon eclipsed by the despairing gloom of the dark.
Why, even Satan and his hosts misread the
canvas. Their rejoicing was soon short
lived as the sequel across earth’s canopy radiated into the most glorious
sunrise ever. “Why look you for the
living among the dead? He is not here He
is risen just like He said he would.”
So you see the works of God are not to be
compared. He simply cannot out do
Himself. We ought not to compare the
sunset with the sunrise. Instead, we
ought to see them both as paintings on the same canvas. His wonderful works are beyond comparison. While we join the songwriter in “glorying in
the cross” let us also remember that the power of the cross is in the blessed
resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For there can be no crown without the
cross and the cross is become a futile hope if there be no resurrection. Thank God for the cradle in which He lay, the
cross from which He hung and the crown of everlasting life we shall gain at His
glorious coming again.
Stewart
Russell © 2009
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