Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956) was a painter of the Cubism Movement. He sought to simplify his subjects by reducing these to geometric shapes. In The Bicycle Race, which is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., he shows us abstracted bicyclists floating on a surreal plane without a horizon line. Both soft and bold colors add to the drama of this racing snapshot.

Lyonel Feininger was an amateur racing cyclist. He knew what it took to give your best within a crowded field steeped in human effort and competition. His abstraction shows us the fierce and focused determination of minds and bodies racing. It might also prompt questions about the place of kindness and cooperation within this whirring challenge.

Athletic competition can be a prompt for many questions. What do I value here? What am I willing to do to win? Would I stop to help a fallen racer? Is there room for God’s love in these miles? In the broadest sense these are important, faithful questions for ourselves, our children, our leaders, our world, our prayers.

In all things, may love win.

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church