You Don't See This Everyday

by Pr. Laurie

“What in the world?” That is what I was thinking when I ran across this artist. These are just a few paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian who lived in the 1500s. He was many things—a costume designer, court portraitist, interior decorator, stained glass artist, musician, writer, and poet—but he is most famous for this. His conventional work on traditional religious subjects has fallen into oblivion, but his portraits of human heads made up of vegetables, fruit and tree roots, were greatly admired by his contemporaries and remain a source of fascination today. Art critics debate whether these paintings were whimsical or the product of a deranged mind. Many of his works have double meanings (look at the top left and bottom right paintings upside down) and many consist of more than fruits and vegetables (like a librarian made of books or a waiter made of dishes). Go ahead. Google him. It’s no surprise his paintings were an inspiration to surrealists like Salvador Dali. You may also recognize his work as the cover of the album “Masque” by the band Kansas.

Today I wanted to talk about the words we use (not at all related to the fruity art). I’ve been hearing people on TV say that words matter. How we use them has consequences, and Proverbs says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. One of the commandments is, “you shall not murder.” We all know that, but we commit murder, or witness murder, almost every day. That is because murder can be more than a physical death. Words we say can be wielded as a weapon and the results can be deadly.

Words hurt, even kill, as they cut down the spirit and slay self-esteem. And I find it interesting that often the harshest words we speak are to the ones we love the most.

So I challenge each of us to pay attention to the words we use. Think of the words you have spoken (both good and bad) and how they have shaped your relationships. I hear the voice of Thumper in my head: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”

Think of the words that bring us Good News: “In the name of Christ and by his authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of your sins.” “The body of Christ, given for you; the blood of Christ, shed for you.” Life-giving words!
Words are powerful and when you receive them, expect to be changed. And when you speak them, handle with care. They can heal, build up and empower; or they can harm, tear down and deflate.

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” –Proverbs 16:24

“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.” -Matthew 5:21-22 (The Message)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” -Proverbs 18:21a

+Pastor Laurie Neill

Featured art: Giuseppe Arcimboldo. From left to right, top to bottom: Fruit Basket, The Summer, Vertumnus, Portrait with Vegetables (The Greengrocer)

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