From our earliest days, as a species, art has been a means of expressing our reality and understanding our world.  Some of our most profound art, I believe, is some of the most primitive:  paint blown onto cave walls to create neolithic images of human hands.  They proclaim both the fact and mystery of our existence, our undeniable presence and extraordinary uniqueness in creation.  I believe art is one of the most vital of spiritual gifts; that art is the voice of the Spirit, speaking in and through us.  The first poem was uttered by the first cave dweller that wandered out to behold the wonder of the night sky in amazement:  Aaaaaah!  The primordial heartbeat, our first music.

 

Through art, we have been reaching toward the source of that divine inspiration ever since.  From the high medieval art of Michelangelo adorning the Sistine Chapel, to more contemporary expressions, art becomes our means of finding and making meaning out of our experience of being. 

 

Through art we reach toward the God who reaches toward us, longing to know and to be known.  Through art we shine light into the shadows, illuminating the truth … of us, in relationship with creation, and in relationship with God.  We discover the divine in our own humanity and in the natural world that surrounds us.  In worship in coming weeks we will be exploring ways in which artists have made sense and meaning out of major  elements and events in our Scripture and our theology.  And perhaps we’ll discover that voice of the Spirit in us that longs for deeper connection with God through all the joys and sorrows of life.  Join us, we’ll make our way together.