Worship Through Art

This first picture is a piece of liturgical art that I found particularly powerful by John Kiefer. It is entitled, "Can you drink the cup I am to drink..."

The rest of these pictures are sanctuaries that used art to transform their church into a worship space.

Tradition (continued)

After writing my previous post, I learned that the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles has artwork on the wall representative of this tradition. I have linked included a link for those who are interested. From what I have heard, this is a tapestry that is mounted on the wall that gives the illusion that one is worshipping with the saints.

I am currently taking a class titled, Worship, Theology and Art and I want to share a quote from one of the lectures.

"Christianity will not win the war of ideas, as long as it continues to lose the war of images—this is where the decisive battle is being fought today. Who has the better story? Who shows it in the most dramatic audience immersing way? This is what this course is about."

I have become increasingly interested in how artistic expression can be incorporated into worship and in the creation of a sanctuary.

A Tradition

Someone once told me that the church is weaker the moment I walk in the door. While this is a valuable insight, I prefer the comment of my amazing wife. She reminded me that I have something unique and important to contribute. This doesn't just apply to me, but to everyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ. Being a Christian means that one is now part of the larger history and tradition of the Church. The history of the Church includes those brave souls who loved the church so much that they were willing to die on its behalf. I am humbled by the fact that I am now part of this tradition.

The Giver

Grace is not an easy gift to receive. I am not very good at receiving gifts in general. I have always been one of those people who thinks that everything I have has been earned. It has been a hard road for me to be where I am today (or so I tell myself). It is incredibly humbling to see everything in my life as a gift from God. I sometimes resent those gifts because of my pride. I want to believe that God gives me gifts because I do the best I can and live according to his Word. Fortunately for me, God is a giver and his giving is based on him and not me. His gifts are based on his eternal love and have nothing to do with how hard I work. Don't get me wrong, God wants us to work, but his gifts are not based on merit.

Matthew 20 (included below) is the parable about the vineyard owner who goes out and hires laborers all throughout the day. Some he hires in the morning and others in the afternoon and evening, but he pays them all the same wage. My mind screams, "that's not fair." It is even harder to accept God's gifts when I compare them with other people's gifts. I think that behind this has been my fundamental misunderstanding of giving. Giving is based completely on the generosity of the giver and is not based on the merit of the one receiving the gift.



Matthew 20

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard 1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.
"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

After the Fire Came a Gentle Whisper

1 Kings 19 has an amazing story about one of God's most beloved prophets, Elijah. This story always encourages me and reveals so much about God's character. To set the story up for those who haven't read it in a while, Elijah is running for his life from the evil Queen Jezebel. Elijah, facing a death sentence, journeys into the desert broken, battered and alone.

1 Kings 19:3-13

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God
There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

A Few Comments
These verses are so encouraging because it is a picture of how God constantly provide us with what we will need for our journey through life. He is always concerned about our needs and will never send us out unprepared for the journey ahead.

Another interesting thing about this passage is how God chooses to reveal himself. God is so great, mighty and strong, but he chooses to reveal himself or as a gentle whisper. This speaks to the paradoxical nature of God. God is capable of coming in power, but more often than not God comes in humility (see Jesus Christ) and quietly speaks to our hearts.

Susanna

I was doing some research for one of my papers and I came across the apocryphal book (a book that is recognized as profitable, but didn't make it into the Bible), Susanna. Read it if your interested.

For some reason the text is missing verse 1. It reads, There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim