The expression of the biblical story through art has been huge throughout church history. It is beginning to happen again in churches, but still has a long way to go in many areas. Part of the challenge is helping people accept the arts as valid expressions of worship.
The expression of art can take many forms. There are those things that comes to our mind automatically like painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, poetry and the like. But art is also expressed through drama, textile means, decorations and interior design, dance, and modern things like graphic design and videography. Art that is done well and authentically by people with their eyes fixed on Jesus can hugely communicate the story of God’s love toward us, theology, and the reality of God. It can open people up to the truth of God and working of the Holy Spirit who might otherwise be closed, and, dare I say it, may even communicate to some people better than the spoken word.
Art moves us. I remember still as a kid how captivating it was to watch someone draw or paint and to be drawn into what they were creating. It is a powerful means of expression. It sensitizes us to the things we may not be able to see. (Dan Wilt, The Language of Art and Music video, www.essentialscourse.com.) Yet, even as it draws us together and opens our hearts and souls to remember, recall, and reclaim, it can also divide us because of the vast preferences in our churches. It takes great wisdom to use these tools well to point people to God, draw the body together, and not let it become idols or hindrances.
I’ve long wanted to see a greater incorporation of arts in the churches I’ve served. I’ve had a hard time knowing how to do that. Sure, we’ve used drama, writings and poems, visual art on screens, and visual objects, but it’s often been the result of a small group of people/artists. I’d love to see a greater worship expression of art. I just haven’t been able to open the gate of those things, either because I don’t have the key or am not using it correctly.
Fortunately, God sends people with better ideas and abilities than me. One is my friend Brandon, who is a whiz with video. His idea this summer is to do a Photo Club that will draw people in, teach some skills of photography if necessary, and then go as a group to different places in our area to take pictures. At the end of a number of weeks, we will display the pictures for people to see. I’m excited about him doing this, and hopeful that folks will take advantage of this opportunity.
Art has a great history and a great future. Even in movies, older stories are being reclaimed in new ways. As worship artisans we should not be afraid of recapturing art of the past since we have a way better story to tell than Hollywood. But we also shouldn’t be afraid of new forms of artistic expression. I’m learning that it may not matter as much what period art originated in, if done well. The incorporation of a multitude of art styles allows for a great expression of the diversity of worship in our churches. It would behoove us to move beyond the song and sermon model.
