Hearing the Music

Art as wisdom, worship and obedience

Since art is woven into my being from my earliest memories, here are a few thoughts about the significance and value of art. They are in no particular order. I share them with you for purposes of encouragement and for God’s glory. Maybe you would not describe yourself as artistic but everything that I will say applies to art appreciation and any artistic endeavor however great or small, clumsy or fine.  I am no musician but find myself more often moved by the art of music to praise God than any other artform – a beneficiary of other people’s obedience to their calling.

Art as wisdom: In della pittura (1435) Leon Battista Alberti called art “sensate wisdom” and I agree with this definition. Our sermon passage tells us of a young Timothy: “…that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (NKJV). Alberti writes of another kind of wisdom that begins with observing the handiwork of God all around you; a wisdom that increases by looking at these things intently, over lengths of time to see how Christ sustains it and holds it all together, redeeming everything in due time. We increase our knowledge of God and His mighty works as we represent the continuous masterwork of creation to one another. While human art can never be superior to the world around us, it is a lovely and valuable signpost along the path of His redemption plan toward our eternal destination. Here we see that God has made this massive oak or, in His image, an old man stooped over with age. Mighty are His works… What comes next? The dim light will strengthen in the spring and the leaves will come back and the man will be brought home to glory. Thusly we have observed God’s faithfulness toward His artwork in the world and we can now make a visual testimony of these things on paper.

Art as worship: I play no instrument and am not a great singer, but I love to sing. Christ Church monthly shape note gatherings have been meaningful times of worship even though I would not be credited with having any giftedness in the music department. God is not looking for perfection but desire. If you think that you do not possess an artistic gift, I encourage you to try out an unfamiliar artform and bring a desire to worship God through feeble efforts and dedicate it to Him. In a world of inputs, I find a worshipful dialogue taking place in the quiet moments of artistic planning and output. My meandering thoughts over the hours inevitably end up in praise to God for the wonders of His love and delight in Him. I am filled with gratitude for the things that I am rendering – especially trees which I greatly enjoy drawing and painting. I am daily in awe of God as I work on designs with materials that He provides and see them built and finished in His light. And I am pleased to show Him the results of any work that I engage, and I hope that He is pleased to see it.

Art as obedience: “ See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship...…  and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee” (KJV). While Bezaleel is uniquely pointed out in the passage, it must be noted that the same spirit is issued broadly for many to contribute to the work of the tabernacle and in every case the initiator is the spirit of God, in wisdom. This is consistent with the creation mandate; be fruitful and multiply. That is to say; “be creative, make things, arrange things, invent, design, carve, photograph, color, cook, draw, paint, sculpt, cut, stitch, sew, build, write, make music, sing, dance” and then go back and do it again with improvements! There are no people on this earth to whom that mandate has not been issued. When we obey God’s creation mandate, we are spreading abroad the goodness of God and the gospel of His salvation through Jesus. I suppose some people obey unintentionally – Rafael is responsible for many marvelous religious artworks (my favorite is Deliverance of St. Peter, 1514) but in life he was kind of a dirtball and fortunately confessed his life of sin on his deathbed at age 37. At any rate, for those that obey out of a desire to please God and worship Him in artworks, get used to all this creativity – this is something that will not only continue in Heaven but will accelerate.

Promises

As we have navigated Second Timothy, Paul has been insistent that Timothy remain rooted in the promises of the Gospel. The truth that Jesus entered this world and, though he was sinless, died a death of atonement on behalf of all those who would acknowledge their sin and need and surrender to him as Lord and Savior. It is an amazing truth filled with amazing promises. Promises that whisper to us that we are beloved in Christ (Is. 43:4).  Promises that shout to us his abiding presence with us (Matt. 28:20). Promises that reason with us that though all the evidence seems to show that we have blown it, our sins have been forgiven (Eph. 1:7).

Jack Miller, late theologian and pastor, recounts his own journey of finding his footing in the promises of God:
“Back in 1970, my life seemed to me just to fall apart: nothing seemed to be right; everything went wrong. I was so disgusted with everybody else, that I resigned from Westminster Seminary, and I did it with enough of a splash that the word got around. I was mad. And I resigned from Mechanicsville Chapel. I made a bit of a splash there too. And it was a difficult time for me. Terrible time. Seemed like the end of the world, but out of that darkness I began to study the promises of God. 

Now what I’d intended, was to see everybody as the problem. I didn't necessarily see myself as the solution, but I saw everybody else as the problem. And during that time, for several months I just studied the promises of God. And those promises made me a different person, but God had to break me. And out of it came the tremendous awareness of the power of the Gospel.

At that point I began to see that when God promised something He really meant it, and the gospel was the cutting edge by which that was realized. ... God breaks in order that He may build. 

Both Paul and Timothy know what it is to be broken and to be living in a broken world. Whether you discern your current struggle with brokenness as emanating from without or from within, you will find rest for your soul in the promises of the Gospel.

Beautiful

Art begins with noticing. Perhaps the colors of the leaves catch your eye, as they vary their glow from tree to tree, their intensity changing with the weather, and with the light. Maybe you catch the scent of the outdoor air when your children come indoors, or notice the frosty crisp smell of hunting season. The wrinkles in a face you hold dear, the sound of a beloved voice, the roughness of firewood, the bracing cold of a fall breeze, all of these things and many more create a vision of the beautiful, the sense of loveliness, a recognition of the things created that God called good. A true student studies this vision, pursues it, and eliminates anything that would detract from its beauty.

I admit that at first I did not see any connection between Art and the passage being preached this coming Sunday. But truly, both art and II Timothy 2:22-26 are about seeing a vision of the Good, a vision of the Good news that can re-shape our perspective of how the Christian sees himself, and of how he views those who do not know the Gospel.

Paul not only gives Timothy a vision for his own life, through righteousness, faith, love and peace, but also a vision for life in community with the saints. When these beautiful traits characterize the palette of a healthy believer, the power of God works through them to lead others to the truth. Could there be a more beautiful expression of the Good News?