The Sacrament of Art
The laughter heard from the neighbors house, the scraped knee in need of a bandage, the baby sitting up by herself, the young man holding a Bible for the first time, the spicy food that makes you choke, the random man who is hoping to “get lucky” tonight, the wind whipping your face at 90 km per hour, sitting atop an elephant, the woman weaving the silk by hand, the colors of the sunset, flying halfway around the globe in an airplane made of steel, the first experience with a slip and slide, being chased by rabid dogs, observing monks in worship, dancing freely to American hip hop, praying for a woman’s healing… These are the moments of life…sacred moments…moments that we all experience daily.
Some moments are forgotten almost instantaneously, while others are recounted for decades with a vibrancy that would seemingly date them only moments prior. We write about them, photograph them, tell stories about them, draw them, paint them, sculpt them, reenact them for others, and sing about them. Abraham Heschel suggests, “Something sacred is at stake in every moment.” If that is true, then the most ordinary of moments in an ordinary moment could possibly become extraordinary, showcasing not only our humanity but also His Divinity, if only we had ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart ready to receive.
In his book, Seeing What is Sacred, Ken Gire offers a unique perspective on the exchange that happens through the written word. He suggests that books are sacraments that provide a communion of sorts between author and reader. They provide a medium in which the musings of one heart are made available to another, like wafers that represent a remembrance, given by one and taken by another. Gire writes, “It is not the words that are sacred but God who is sacred…and the person to whom He comes…the heart that writes the book and the heart that sits in silent communion to take and read what has been written.”
Is this true only of written words? Can this idea of sacraments for communion not also be applied to all forms of creative worship? Creative worship is the opportunity to share your relationship with Him with brothers and sisters in Christ. What is He telling you? What are you learning about yourself and about the world around you? How are you being changed and being transformed? What are you laughing about? What are you fighting about? What are you learning of the Kingdom? What is He revealing to you about Himself? What intimate moments are you sharing? What ordinary moments have become extraordinary because of Him?
Creative worship is not about having a magnificent piece for others to “ooh and ahh” over. It’s also not about creating for the sake of creating. Creative worship is about your communion with Him, your fellowship with Him, your life with Him, expressed in a sacramental form and offered for communion with Him and with others.
As we prepare for art Sunday, may we not be limited by our considerations of what others will think or by our own judgment of what is artistic. Rather may we come joyously to the altar together sharing with one another the treasures that He has given, the secrets He has shared, and the hope that we have in Him alone. There is great cause for celebration! In Him, the ordinary has become extraordinary!
See you September 2nd at the altar…
Ashley Vass