Posts Tagged ‘art’
Origins: redemption artwork and thoughts
Noah’s story is NOT a kids story. Every children’s bible I’ve ever seen has it in there with cute little pictures of bears, elephants, and giraffes. I’d love to know how many kid books have been written on Noah. It has to be the most retold story in scripture.
As I stated this past week, I’ve yet to see a kid’s story deal with the 3 core difficult pieces of this story. Who exactly were the sons of God? What does it mean that God grieved and was sorry he had made mankind? By destroying the entire human race (save Noah) and the land animals, Did God call into question His goodness?
The Flood can be interpreted in two very different ways. It was the reaction of an angry, hurt, disappointed God. That mankind deserved this and God wanted a do-over. Somehow the killing of all of those people and animals appeased him. The rainbow stands as his apology of sorts that He won’t ever do it again. Noah somehow was the best of the worst and was ‘saved.’
Or maybe the Flood was just God bringing to the forefront the natural consequences of the choice humanity was making at that time. If the end game of all sin is death and something innocent dies with sin. If the utter reality of all sin is the ambushing of the human spirit and soul, God just brings the inevitable to the forefront with as little suffering as possible – relatively speaking. If every inclination was evil, death was the conclusion. The Ark then becomes a story of redemption.
How we view the story really hinges on how we view sin. Is it as bad as scriptures say it is or is just a flaw, a minor bother? Is sin really deadly or more of a nuisance?
Sherri was our artist for these pieces. Sherri has both learning and emotional disabilities that make expressing herself difficult. Art has given her a venue to show the rest of us what she sees and feels.
Origins: Murder, the art and the thoughts
The story of Cain and Abel disturbs me on many levels.
The idea that sin is out to ambush Cain…on purpose…with no remorse…to destroy him…that’s disturbing enough. That’s reality though, a reality I’m afraid that so few of us take seriously. Sin’s end aim for humanity is to kill and destroy. I learned in the Army that ambushes weren’t designed to have survivors and the best way to deal with ambushes was to avoid them all together. It’s hard at times to see my sin in this light…but it is whether I believe to be true or not.
But God’s words to Cain that he MUST, he CAN master it are equally disturbing. I’m pretty sure Cain didn’t feel that way. I’m pretty sure I don’t feel that way at times. It doesn’t FEEL like we can MASTER it but it is MASTERING us. God’s formula of mastering it – ‘do what is right’ – sounds both so ridiculously simple and difficult. Just do it. Don’t do what you feel, do what you know is right.
There’s the not-so-secret formula for avoiding ambushes and spiritual transformation in general – do what is right in spite of how you feel. That was Cain’s downfall – and mine at times – he let his emotions win, not his mind. He felt downcast and rejected because his offering wasn’t accepted by God. It wasn’t accepted because he did not do what he knew was right. God gave him the chance to fix it. When Cain didn’t, Sin pounced. The pattern is there in my own life — the feelings trump the facts, God doesn’t get the last word and when God doesn’t get the last word, sin does and sin always kills something innocent.
The 7 hands (can you find them all?) depict the 7 deadly sins (can you name them all?). I like the idea of the hands. It’s our hands that carry out the directive…we put ‘hands’ to the thought. I think there is something deeper at work here as well – that is there are no faces. A face would make the sin more deadly and therefore harder to dismiss and rationalize. Without the face, we can blame others, diminish the seriousness, ignore the victims, fall into a false sense of security that maybe the deadly sins aren’t really deadly. They aren’t. It’s just easier to justify living with them without faces.
What is Cain looking at? His past? His future? Why is he even given the opportunity to look in the first place? Why did God spare his life? Was allowing him to live but outside the presence of God really ‘sparing’ him? Sure Cain got to live but not really live – a wanderer, constant fighting with the land, the mark a constant reminder of his failure, not able to reconnect with the lover of his soul. It’s another layer of disturbing – God doesn’t avenge Abel. Grace wins again? Yet Cain’s banishment is the definition of hell – living outside the presence of God.
First Friday Artwalk, Origins, and Circle of Friends
This Friday night (February 5) at Warehouse 414 (map, facebook), the entire Origins series will be displayed and auctioned with all proceeds going to Circle of Friends. As to how this all got started, you can read that story here.
The auction will start at 5.30 pm on Friday night but Warehouse 414 is going to extend the auction throughout the entire month of February. After Friday, the art will be back on display at Western Hills for our services on Sunday then back to Warehouse 414 on Monday for the rest of the month. On February 28, the auction will close and the paintings sold to the highest bidder.
There has been quite a buzz generating throughout the city about this. In fact, Warehouse 414 published the following article to their art followers:
Students involved in Circle of Friends were given a blank canvas and the opportunity to tell one of the stories of ORIGINS found in Genesis. All of the pieces are available for silent auction with all proceeds going to Circle of Friends at Washburn Rural High School. The following is an interview with Grant English lead pastor at Western Hills regarding this show:
“I stumbled on this stunning piece of art at WRHS one afternoon last fall. I’m an art geek, so I wanted to know the story and meet the artist behind the piece.
Turns out, this student was a part of Circle of Friends. As I learned more about Circle of Friends and saw how disabled students were being touched, I was floored by both the simplicity of the program and its power. It’s the human touch and how redemptive and healing it can be. Art was one of the tools they used.
I had this crazy idea of asking those students if they’d be interested in painting some themed art around the ORIGINS stories Genesis. We could use the art to introduce the story during our worship services then after the series more than likely some of our members would buy the paintings.
The crazy idea sort of took on a life of its own after this. First, Hobby Lobby helped with the canvases and then we had the idea of showcasing them at the First Friday Artwalk but no real venue to partner with. Warehouse 414 graciously stepped in and offered theirs.
The result of all of this? Stunning. Art has always inspired and provoked. With this project we also get to be a part of the healing.”
So if you are in Topeka this Friday night, come see me at Warehouse 414 and see these incredible pieces.
I Thought We Were All Better Than This
Christian popular culture is like a reflection of regular pop culture through a funhouse mirror. In Christian-World, Kirk Cameron is a huge star, Jars of Clay is a hot music group, and sending money to strangers who browbeat you on TV is a rational decision. From G4tv.com.
So starts the review of a new video game coming out this year – “Left Behind.” Generally, I’m a positive person and enjoy sarcasm and the well placed barb with the best of them. For some reason this morning, this all hit me wrong…on multiple levels.
I was offended by the writer. I wondered if he had ever read C.S. Lewis, Donald Miller, or a host of other writers who are creative, thoughtful, insightful, and funny. I wondered if he was just as guilty as the “Christian sub-culture” – staying inside his particular world, never straying outside it to give the other side a fighting chance. I wondered if he had ever even met a real, thoughtful, Christ-follower.
But more than those feelings, there was another set rising in me. Why release a cheap, less than excellent video game? Why make corny, cheeseball movies that make everyone feel awkward and think they are watching a middle school production? Why scream and holler and generally make stupid comments of how God hates people? Why do all of these things then blame Jesus for it? And we tolerate it – we meaning the Christ-following subculture.
The gentleman at G4tv.com closed his article with this:
I’m not mocking Christians, the Bible, or Jesus. I’m poking fun at the man made junk that surrounds Christianity. The terrible cartoons, bad movies, half-***ed video games and obvious hucksterism is funny, no matter who you worship. … I wish Christians were being served with Art that is as great and formidable as their religion. With the exception of Mel Gibson films, the Christian entertainment I’ve seen is simplistic drivel.
I agree with him. The man-made junk that surrounds Christianity – I think Jesus’ reaction in the Temple gives a clear picture as to his opinion on the matter. I too desire Art that is as great and formidable as our faith. I’m hopeful the tide is turning – The Blind Side, The Book of Eli, and How To Save A Life all are movies that I think are great and formidable.
For years this was true – the masterpieces of Art that hang in museums around the world were done by people who loved God or were commissioned by the Church to paint them. In a world that valued military conquest and intellectualism, the Church for centuries was the only place that protected and elevated the arts.
I hope we’ve done this at Western Hills through this series. That wasn’t the goal…the goal was to create an experience for people to connect with God. I think ‘great and formidable’ art does this. I think it stretches us, demands more from us. I think it can take us to these thin places where God is easier to connect with.
I think if we – Christ-followers – would continue to uphold and demand this kind of art, Jesus would be easier to find. And the man-made junk that surrounds him would be easier to dismiss.
Origins: humanity, the art and insight
Sermon on January 10 was about humanity. Philip was our artist. He is a senior at the high school and works with Circle of Friends. He’s a very soft-spoken young man.
I think there are two opposite and incorrect extremes in understanding humanity. The first is seeing us as the center of the universe, the focal point. Refusing to acknowledge that we are broken in some way. In essence, making ourselves our own god.
But I think the opposite extreme is also wrong – thinking that mankind is so totally depraved and wrong of being of any value at all. The mere fact we are made in the image of God gives every human value and dignity, regardless of station in life.
We are beautiful, deep, broken, repairable, redeemable creations.
There are some subtleties in these paintings that if you are in a hurry, you will miss. The first is how every color in the palette is used to make Adam and Eve. Philip said, “I really don’t know what color they were so I used them all.”
The second thing to notice is the serpent. He’s there. He’s not overbearing, he’s not dominant. He’s subtle, like a whisper. Can you find him? I love this depiction of the serpent. He’s not offensive or overbearing, you can miss him. But once you recognize him for what he really is, you’ll never miss him again.
More Thoughts On Origins:Sin
What a Sunday. You can listen to the service here. Rick – once again – hit it out of the park with his acoustic version of Gravedigger. I’m going to go back and do a quick overview of each week with the artwork and a quick bio of the artist.
Spencer was this week’s artist. He is a high school student that has autism. Normally he works with chalk, dealing in very bright and vibrant colors. These were here interpretations of sin.
His work stirred two very profound insights for me. First, there is a layer of darkness over the entire painting. Sin darkens everything it touches. Something innocent dies with sin. Always. Completely. The effects of sin are overwhelming, overarching. Fatal. Inescapable.
Second, it’s still possible to see the good through the darkness. As horrible and horrific as sin is and its effects, God’s grace is bigger, brighter, and better. It takes a greater good to beat sin and God is that greater good. Grace trumps all. The real philosophical insight isn’t – why do good things happen to bad people but rather, why isn’t worse than what it is? Why is it in every tragedy, there is still hope? Light? Yes, sometimes it is hard to see. Sometimes our perspective and where we sit in the middle of the darkness makes it almost impossible to see. But it is still there.
Very grateful to Spencer for his insight and his art.
Origins: earth
And it was good…
All good theology starts with Genesis 1. That is, I think all good theology starts with the concept that God existed before the beginning and He created and what He created was good. Why?
Because God is good and the creation has His fingerprints all over it. It is creative, diverse, wonderful, complex, beautiful, full of folly, complicated, simple and….good. Because if it isn’t good, it isn’t worth redeeming which makes the rest of scripture pointless.
These particular paintings were done by Jenny who has Williams Syndrome. WS is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder but Jenny has a very sunny, fun disposition in spite of this. You can probably see this in her artwork. It made her the perfect choice to be the artist for this topic.
Another aspect about Jenny came out in the artwork. She loves to help people. That’s part of God’s good creation – people, the ability to help and receive help from others. Jenny recently graduated from Washburn Rural and started her own business JennyLu Designs.
Art, ORIGINS, and Circle of Friends
I had this crazy idea one day last November while visiting Washburn Rural High School. The backstory: I’m a bit of an art geek. Yes, it’s true. The Denver Art Museum was a haven for me. In fact, last month I took the kids to the Kemper Contemporary in Kansas City. They like it as well – at least the older two.
There is something that happens to the human spirit when it observes good art. I’m not sure if it’s completely fair to call it worship but I don’t think that’s all that far off either. So I’ve had this desire to include art any time it’s possible in the context of worship.
Back to my crazy idea – I knew we were going to do this series on ORIGINS and I wanted to have dramatic art pieces that went along with each of the stories. But who can paint 12 different paintings, 6 different themes with the first one just a few weeks away? That’s when I saw the painting at WRHS. So I asked around to see who painted it – turns out I knew him and his mom worked at the school.
That’s when I first heard about Circle of Friends. I walked into the mom’s office and there was even more artwork. Most of it done by disabled kids. Circle of Friends paired disabled kids with ‘abled’ kids for the purpose of creating a ‘normal’ high school experience. Lunch buddies, class buddies, peer tutors and art are just some of the ways this club is bringing healing to these students.
I asked about the possibility of these kids in this club painting the stories of Genesis – no rules or direction other than read the story first. What could they come up with? Would they even be interested in doing something like this?
The answer was an overwhelming yes. All of a sudden this whole project kind of generated a life of its own. Hobby Lobby sold us the canvases at an incredible discount. The idea of selling of them to benefit Circle of Friends turned into an auction, turned into an auction on the Topeka’s First Friday Night Artwalk February 5. Warehouse 414 stepped up and said they’d sponsor it for us.
All of this is great and there is no telling how all this will play out but I’m struck by a couple of observations.
I’m hearing from some of the students that are painting that this is the first time they’ve ever read these stories in Genesis. For some, it’s the first time they’ve ever read a Bible at all.
When the pieces are revealed, there has been this pause…this holy silence of wonder. Then applause. I think the art for some is ministering to a place in their soul they didn’t know existed. And they’re liking it.
It’s another avenue to connect and serve the community around us. With budget cuts, the arts are going to suffer the most. And when the arts are left out of a kids education, we all suffer from it in the long. I think beauty and the appreciation of beauty is part of what makes humanity very different from every other being alive. When we lose this, we lose a part of what it means to be human.
What an opportunity for us..to provide a context for artists to experiment with these stories, our stories. A chance for some to hear God’s story for the first time. A chance for us to see God’s story through a different lens.
If you haven’t seen these paintings, you need to come by and spend some time in our worship center. For those who are out of town…I’ll try to upload some pictures later.
Van Cooper
Cooper seems to be doing very well at his new school.
First, he won the school spelling bee and is now his school’s rep in the county spelling bee.
Second, his piece of art was hanging in the hall this morning when I dropped him off.
Pretty humbled to have the kids we have.
