In the Spring Time (1909)

Harold Knight’s 1909 In the Spring Time is one of my favourites. A beautiful Edwardian couple are enjoying a pot of tea and a plate of sandwiches on a pleasant, sunny afternoon. Both wear the stylish clothes of the decade: they are as dignified as anything Victorian, yet somehow, rather more comfortable. This was surely the golden age of Great Britain and Europe: wealth, power, scientific advances and Christian vitality. Sadly, human golden ages always come to an end; the age of steel and shrapnel would descend within a few years; Europe’s wealth would be squandered on wars and the churches and chapels would slowly empty, as grotesque 'liberal' theology suffocated gospel light. Oh, and the fashions would become uglier with each succeeding decade.

Man’s glory is brief and fleeting. Christ’s glory is eternal and everlasting. Seek that which never fades.