Calling All Creatives
I come from a deeply intellectual fellowship, one that has focused far more on left-brain activities when it comes to spirituality, such as reading the Bible and studying it in depth or going to Bible class to learn facts and timelines and outlines. Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate the depth of biblical knowledge and connection I have derived from that upbringing. But I also believe there are times when this intellectual pursuit cuts us off from a part of human experience, one that has been with us from the very beginning.
The first words of the Bible are “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God created, and with dynamic creativity. God speaks and things come into being—the spiral of the Milky Way (not to mention the rest of the countless stars and planets throughout numberless galaxies), the water cycle, and the changing of the seasons. He makes birds that fly and fish that swim, and some birds that don’t fly (e.g., penguins) and fish that jump through the air with the greatest of ease. The long-nosed aardvark and the long-necked giraffe. I could go on!
Yes, he created with intelligence and wisdom (Prov. 8), but also with dynamic innovation! God’s divine artistry and innate creativity are on full display as he delights in that which he is creating!
God speaks, God names, and God declares things “good” or “very good.” And then God physically shapes humanity out of the dust of the earth, creating human beings in his tselem (image). He makes little versions of himself and then makes them co-regents with him over his creation with the ability to create little versions of themselves, too, and name the creation. And God gave them the ability to create artistically, as well—Adam’s first recorded words are a love poem about the woman that God has created to be with him (Gen. 2:23)! Humanity’s creativity is on display from the beginning—rock art and cave paintings, storytelling, music, tool creation, pottery, food, dance…
God designed us to be artists. God programmed in us the need for transcendence and resonance and an appreciation of beauty. God wired our brains to look not just to functionality but also to beauty. It is something he has placed on our hearts so that we might begin to look for Him, to seek something bigger than ourselves.[1] C. S. Lewis writes about Sehnsucht, a German word that means “inconsolable longing” for something greater than ourselves, and often it is beauty (the beauty of nature or of created things, even the idea of beauty and goodness itself) that points towards a God who exists.[2]
So if all of this is true… then the Church needs more artists! People who embrace their artistic giftedness to speak truth through beauty, to enlighten hearts and minds through transcendence, to point the way towards the Creator. Yes, “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,”[3] but he also made some to be artists, musicians, woodworkers, architects, and dancers. Indeed, the first indwelling or filling of the Spirit in scripture is found in Exodus 31, when God empowered Bezalel and Oholiab to create the beautiful worship implements for the Tabernacle.
God created us to be creative, and if co-creating is a way that we can experience the divine—well, God is making things beautiful in their time. And God allows us to join him in that endeavor so that the world will see him, know him, and come to glorify him.
The Church needs more artists to help us connect to the creative Creator who empowers us to co-create with him, bringing beauty and transcendence into the world.
Over the course of my next few articles, I will touch on ways that art influences faith and calls us to faithfulness. But as ministers and leaders, I want us to think about some practical ways we can incorporate art into our worship. Here are a few quick ideas:
Make GOOD PowerPoint slides. They say a picture is worth a thousand words… so put it into practice.
Empower artists within your church. Ask people to share the lyrics of songs they’ve written; ask artsy kids in the youth group to share their works of art; allow the actors in your congregation to read scripture in a dynamic way. Encourage them in their craft and help them see how their gifts can be used in the church.
Use art as a communion reflection. A painting might be better than someone’s random musings to focus our hearts and minds on the Lord’s Supper. A video might help us do this in remembrance of Jesus.
Start book clubs in your congregation that encourage reading and reflecting on meaningful literature, books that call us to consider or question.
I’ll continue to share some ways we can do this as we move forward through this series.
May God continue to help us embrace our creative callings, utilizing all the gifts he has given us for his glory.
