Ten years ago today, Hannah and Nathanael were doing some cookie decorating with Tiffany at the community centre in Jesús María! Tiffany isn’t in this picture, but you can probably pick out Hannah and Nathanael. Just click the photo for a larger version.
On Saturday four of us left Ixtapaluca at about 5am to attend a meeting of Bible church leaders from the area. I believe about 8 or 9 churches were represented (with three people attending via Zoom, due to a car breakdown and other circumstances).
It was encouraging to spend time together, although concerning at times to hear some of the things that people are going through. These are challenging times, and it’s good to come together as believers and look to the Lord.
We planned – or, I should say, started planning quite a few events for the coming year, including a youth event, a men’s retreat, and a joint service. Everyone is anxious to get together after having fewer activities over the past few years.
In other news, our coworkers Rod and David went to the state of Oaxaca to serve there and see what the Lord is doing. There’s a possibility of sending a team or two there in the future, whether from our area here in Mexico or (and?) from a team from outside the country. I won’t give everything away – there’s more information and a video at Rod’s blog – be sure to check out Reaching an Unreached Ethnic Group.
We’re encouraged to see what God is doing here at home as well. Here’s a recent picture from a Sunday morning, although there were quite a few who weren’t there that day. Nathanael used his growing skills as a photographer (Photography is one of his courses this year) to take the shot (with a timer, obviously!). Just click the image for a higher-resolution version in our photo gallery.
Thanks to so many of you who also are working with us to reach Mexico!
Today we continue our look at Creativity & Communication in the Biblical Anthropology series.
When we think about “art”, we’re often thinking about the fine arts like painting and sculptures. Which, for the Christian, might bring to mind “images” from the second of the Ten Commandments –
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Exodus 20:4
If God is literally telling us not to ever make any image of anything, that would restrict our art significantly!
The translation “carved image” is accurate – this would be an image carved of wood or stone.
This has been a huge controversy in church history, particularly when it comes to pictures or sculptures depicting God, or other religious images such as angels or saints. The arguments became very complicated. Some suggested that a sculpture was sinful, but a two-dimensional icon was all right. I even remember hearing – could someone find the source for me? – that at one point there was a “nose-pinch” test. If the image was three-dimensional enough that you could pinch its nose, it was a sinful image.
I’m not going to get into all of that today! But there are some people who have argued that we shouldn’t have any visual art at all that represents anything in the creation. No photos, no paintings, nothing.
But context is a wonderful thing, and the next verse does clarify what this commandment is all about:
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me…
Exodus 20:5
God isn’t talking about any image, but a religious image that you would bow down to – an idol. Deuteronomy also clarifies the issue:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:8-10
It is prohibited to worship an idol, says Moses. If you serve an idol, that’s a sin. In fact, even if you bow or kneel to an image, you’re breaking this commandment –
…that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them…
Joshua 23:7
The problem is not the sculpture in itself. But the problem is the sculpture when it is created as an object of worship.
It’s also a sin to create an image representing the true God. You might remember that the Israelites had a name for their golden calf idol – it was “Yahweh” (Jehovah). But the Holy Spirit said through Moses:
Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth..
Deuteronomy 4:15-18
These verses don’t condemn art in general, but idolatry, and physical representations of the invisible God to worship.
But there’s another reason why we know that the second commandment is not against art in general. The Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle, according to God’s own instructions, was filled with works of art.
For example, do you remember what was above the Ark of the Covenant? “Two cherubim of gold”. A cherub is a kind of angel.
It makes you wonder – did God describe what cherubim look like to the artist? Maybe – but of course they are spiritual creatures. Real cherubim aren’t made of gold. This was, in the end, an artistic representation of something spiritual.
A study of the Tabernacle – and the Temple – is a fascinating look at how God views art. Let’s take some time in the next part of our study to look closer at the kinds of art that we see in the Old Testament.
I’m coming prepared now, somewhat, every Sunday, to discover what last-minute issues we have right before the service.
Yesterday it was mainly a laptop which decided it was time to update itself. It was the laptop we use for PowerPoints. And this Sunday I happened to be using a PowerPoint for my sermon. With the service starting at 11am, I think it was just about 11am when the laptop finally allowed me to check my presentation. 🙂
For the second year in a row we recognized Biblical Sexuality Sermon Sunday, and I preached on 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, touching on a few other passages as well. We ended with 7 things that these texts give us “hope” for through Christ.
A woman from our church also shared about some of the challenges that our children are dealing with, from interactions with other friends and families and at school.
Even during the service, the unexpected should really be expected. Just as I was starting to preach, loud static suddenly woke us all up – we really need to upgrade our sound system. Thankfully that was fixed quickly (thanks, Ezequiel!).
But during the coffee break, the tent at the front caught the wind and blew over completely! Amazingly it didn’t hit anyone or knock anything over. The keyboard stand did tip, but the keyboard itself landed nicely on the chair behind it.
So for another glimpse into our Sunday mornings, here’s a brief video of the “rebuilding of the tent” (makes me think of Acts 15:16)…
After a pause, it’s time to continue our Biblical Anthropology series, with Creativity & Communication! If you’re new to the series, it would be helpful to click the link and start at the beginning.
Sometimes in math class, a student will ask – why do we need math? Well, math is in almost everything! And the same could be said about art, or at least creativity in general.
Look around you. What examples of art can you see?
When you decide what clothes to put on in the morning, assuming it’s not some kind of uniform or work clothes – that’s art. Making breakfast is art. Taking a photo with your phone. Music that you listen to. Reading Scripture – and the writing of it in the first place – also art. Memes and gifs – same thing.
Graffiti. Comic books. Movies. Ceramics, theatre, dance. How they design buses. Your microwave. Drama, poetry, prose – the list is endless!
We use art to define ourselves and our culture. “Our home looks like this.” “I dress like this.” “My favourite colour is…” “My favourite band is…” The great Mexican artists. Statues and monuments in my city. How people talk around here, compared to a different province or state. Our order of service Sunday mornings. What our music is like.
Art and communication – creativity in general – is hugely important. And as we’ll see, it’s a major battleground in today’s world.
The world may want to tell us that art is simply – whatever, whenever, however. But as Christians, we actually do have a foundation to start from. And if you’ve been reading through this series, you might guess where we’ll start – Genesis 1:1.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Just from where you’re sitting right now, you can see God’s creation, because it’s everything. Just look at your own hand! Amazing!
… [God] gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Romans 4:17
God is the Creator, the Maker. “God created” – everything that exists was made ex nihilo, from nothing. And God didn’t just make a big grey mass of something. He started life! He created colours! He divided things into different categories and groups. He ordained relationships. He created time! He made things happen.
Variety in unity. It all comes from God’s nature. Isn’t it interesting that God is revealed to us as Trinity? One God, one Being. Perfect unity. And yet, in the unity of that Being, three Persons.
We are creatures. We’re not in the same category as God. He is the only one who created everything from nothing. But what was it that God said right at the beginning?
Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:28
We’re supposed to take what He created and use it. Using God’s creation to – create!
And so, although we are creative as creatures and not as God, we still imitate God in His creativity. We divide, we organize. Variety in unity. When we sing a song, we choose some notes and not others. We choose certain words and not others. But it all has (or should have!) a unity.
In this way, we create something that never existed before; even though, of course, we’re always using what God already created originally.
So here’s what we’ll be studying in this part of the series. Creativity in art and communication: Variety in unity. To divide and organize in a new way, in order to speak (communicate) with yourself and/or others.
It’s a broad topic indeed! And the Bible has a lot to say about it. We’ll start a journey through the Bible next time to see what we can learn.