Hope Rooted in Promise

A beautiful, early fall day on a college campus last weekend found me to stumbling upon this sculpture--

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 25:8 (The artist is unknown to me. I am sorry I cannot give him credit.)


In the studio we are preparing for Advent. When I read scripture, such as this passage from Isaiah, I never cease to be in awe of connections made between the Old and New Testaments. I shouldn't be amazed because of course Gods plans and actions are all bound together! So we look forward to welcoming the baby Jesus at the end of November when we prepare our hearts for Christmas. This of course starts the cycle of the church recalling Christ's life and leads us to Easter when we remember that by his death the power of death was destroyed. I believe this is what Isaiah 25:8 refers to. 


This verse from Isaiah is an example of how God gives us visual images to help us relate to his message. "He will swallow up" is probably a reference to a whirlpool or violent, turbulent situation in the ocean. I don't know about you, but that presents a very scary image in my mind. Thankfully this image is presented to us so we'll know that God will abolish death and He will triumph. As we follow God's example of including an image to emphasize a point I wonder what you are planning for Advent? Will your worship space entice our senses with purple for royalty or blue for the heavens that we aspire to? Will you include hung banners, Bible book marks, or processional banners in these colors? Is your stole ready...cleaned and pressed? Maybe this year you'll wear a different stole for each Sunday of Advent with symbols that match how we move through the teachings of the season. And we know you won't neglect the visual possibilities when sharing the "children's moment" in worship. This is a great teaching time that usually speaks to everyone in the congregation--not just the children. Perhaps this is when you teach about the symbols we often take for granted during Advent such as the candles, the evergreens, or the Jesse tree. 


As we all prepare for Advent, I'll leave you with some thoughts from William Dyrness, professor of theology at Fuller Seminary..."paying attention to visual elements need not distract from the central elements of worship—preaching, prayer, singing—but can enhance and accompany them with a kind of visual continuo. Heaven is often pictured as a place where all our gifts will be given over to the eternal and joyful worship of God. In this respect our worship on earth can surely anticipate that celebration."

Shall We Fight On?

In Happy Valley with my dear daughter.

Sometimes our minds are nudged to think about faith in the oddest places, aren't they? Last Saturday while visiting my alma mater I had one of those moments. I know most of this audience doesn't bleed Penn State blue and white the way I do, but maybe you'll hear me out anyway. 


My thinking all started as we settled into the football stadium and sang our National Anthem and the Alma Mater. The Beaver Stadium crowd takes this seriously and they sing with much gusto--even those like the gentleman behind me that can't carry a tune! So I was thinking, when we join together in worship do we sing the Doxology this way? Do we sing praises and thanksgiving like we really mean it? 


Additionally, people that are Penn State fans tend to be very enthusiastic, hospitable and welcoming. For example, Penn Staters tailgate like no others. The cars line up in make shift parking lots for miles around the stadium. Regardless of the weather and regardless of whether they even have tickets for the game or not, they spend the day in fellowship. Tailgating involves sharing a meal, catching up with old friends, making new friends, and setting aside the demands of daily life. So my analogy is that as Christians I wonder how often we take the time for this type of fellowship and hospitality? Tailgate enthusiasm is like a magnet. Moreover, since I was a student 20+ years ago I've witnessed the tailgate area around the stadium grow and grow. Does our faith have this type of magnetism? And what are we doing to grow the Church?


Finally as the Carrot Top Studio owner/artist I can't resist also making a visual connection in this line of thought. Penn State events prompt most everyone to be decked out in blue and white. Most everyone joins in the enthusiasm and wears it with pride. They call it spirit wear for a reason! This makes me remember the first game a friend's wife tailgated with us. She was not a Penn State graduate and having no idea what she was getting into she mistakenly wore red to the game...the opposing team's color. We of course love her regardless of this misfortune but she wanted to be part of the spirit and has since then accumulated blue and white in her wardrobe for such events. You know the passages about putting on the armor of God (Romans 13:12-14)?  I'm not talking about t-shirts that proclaim our faith, but I'm wondering if our actions and deeds proclaim that we are Christians. And, is what we are wearing--what people see-causing others to come along side of us? 


At a Penn State sporting event we sing the song "Fight on State", but I'm not in the stadium today. Today I say fight on Christians. I sign off to go sing my praises loudly and with passion, to be open to whom I can show hospitality to, and to dust my armor off. Join me today in these tasks....and if you're ever looking for a Penn State tailgate let me know because I'd love to have you over! Fight on!

Book Review-Part Two

Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait, ca.1556

I've wrapped up my summer reading and I'm here to report on the second half of For the Beauty of the Church. Each chapter is written by a different author and I found this refreshing to have so many viewpoints within one text. If you missed our, you may read my last post here. And now some more points that were interesting to me:

• "there are two kinds of people in the world: people who are artists and people who are supposed to support them. We should figure out which you are and do it with vigor." Isn't that a lovely notion?
• artists aren't the easiest bunch to shepherd. They need patience, prayers, and love just like everyone else so that their gifts can be nurtured.
• the arts are not buttons to be pushed just to enhance a sermon. The arts in worship should bear witness to Christ in a way that artistic creativity can flourish.
• "a full, gospel vision for arts ministry is one that attempts to nourish a wide spectrum of the arts, both inside and outside the church building." Christian artists are needed to work in the church and there need to be those that work in the marketplace. This is not just about Sunday mornings!

Lastly, whether you are an artist or are an arts supporter this book is a recommended read for the content and for the bibliography at the end of each chapter....the generous and intriguing lists will keep your bookstand full for quite some time! 

In the afterword the book's editor, W. David Taylor has written a lovely list of prayer requests for artists and pastors. He ends with "may each of us remain faithful to the calling God has placed upon our life and upon the life of our church. And may it give us great joy." I recently have been thinking about the differences between a vocation and a job. With the exception of the drudgery of keepings the books, I think most of what I do in the studio is vocation. Having found my way to being an artist for pastors and churches gives me great joy. For this I remain thankful and am appreciative of God's patience with my endeavors as I attempt to serve. 

For the Beauty of the Church, Book Review-Part One

Summer allows me some extra reading time for both pleasure and for professional growth and development. One of my selections this summer was For the Beauty of the Church edited by W. David O. Taylor. This is a really unique book...I haven't stumbled upon too many others regarding church and art and how they connect. Here are some things I found interesting to ponder from the first half of the book...

• how can art serve to deepen and challenge our corporate worship? Artists should think specifically about how their art strengthens the communal dimension of worship.
• the best liturgical art expands our awareness and experience of the church as a functioning corporate body that transcends time and place.
• liturgical art should deepen the relationship between God and the gathered congregation.
• liturgical artists should be able to get feedback from the congregation such as, "your song, your poetry, your dance helped us to pray, to hear God to know and love God."
• thinking about Exodus 15:2 (The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.) how can an artist beautify God with praises?

The first half of this book is making me think I need to revisit the last chapters of Exodus beginning with 35 where instruction was being given to bild the Tabernacle. I know that, because of Jesus Christ we no longer need a temple to be The Church. But what can artists, pastors, and those that worship in community take from this Old Testament wisdom? I leave you with this thought and will look forward to posting about the second half of this book next week.