Today’s Meditation

God the Artist

Thou takest the pen – and the lines dance. Thou takest the flute – and the notes shimmer. Thou takest the brush – and the colours sing. So all things have meaning and beauty in that space beyond time where Thou art. How, then, can I hold back anything from Thee?

Dag Hammarskjöld

This was part of my Northumbria Daily Office and I couldn’t help but post this small section. Creativity and the arts seems as if they were in a league table against perceived essentials. They are battling and seem to be seeking re-election after relegation from the league. It reflects in so many different ways what society looks like sadly.

Many years ago, Supertramp released a single called ‘The Logical Song’, and within the the lyrics is a truth where the consequences of rigidity in education results in a society that is stunted and biased towards rationality, in fact, life by numbers. Creativity has been quashed in our schools.

Those numbers drive our 24 hours in different ways. We become increasingly efficient in those expected tasks but dysfunctional in terms of wholeness and more rounded people. There is an expectation and demand to fit into strict, prescribed boxes - those who don’t fit are deemed risky, dangerous and unreliable.

I am not particularly good at anything considered art in any form. I love music and have been on a self-initiated project of working through the compositions of classical composers. I don’t know much in the way of technicalities but I do know what I like and I understand that there is no such thing as bad art. I may not understand some things but that doesn’t make them worthless in any way.

I had the privilege of Baptizing a baby quite a few years ago. In my background work towards it, it was clear that the parents and all the guests that would attend would have almost zero experience of church in any way. When they all sat down, you could sense the discomfort many of them felt and they were quite noisy. The service started, the baby was baptized and during some music I carried the baby around to introduce the baby to the congregation and the church community. It was a golden moment for us all and suddenly the mood was very different.

I stood up to present my sermon, and the whole address was very simple - it was about creativity. The new creation from Genesis to today. I used a video clip of a song that was very unchurchy in many respects but captured what true church should be about

The song was ‘God is a DJ’ by a group called Faithless:

youtu.be/bhSB8EEnCAM

The words are very special:

‘This is my church

This is where I heal my hurtsIt's a natural grace

Of watching young life shape It's in minor keys

Solutions and remedies

Enemies becoming friends

When bitterness ends

This is my church

This is my churchThis is my church

This is my church

This is where I heal my hurts

It's in the world I become

Content in the hum

Between voice and drum It's in change

The poetic justice of cause and effect

Respect, love, compassion

This is my church

This is where I heal my hurts

For tonight God is a DJ

For tonight God is a DJ

This is my church.’

The mood was one of surprise and the video made an immediate impact. A group, a song, a video and a special significance to them. God and His church was suddenly more meaningful to them. The congregation was not lectured, the were not the subject of an evangelistic call to repentance, they instead were exposed to who God is in a meaningful way.

For that morning at least, God and church had meaning.