Worshipping as a Creative
As an artist, I often find myself caught in the tension of wanting to worship through art and not always having a space in the church to do so.
The Church has adapted throughout history. However, we often focus so much on reason that we cut out the need for beauty. In our quest to escape the idolization of art, we can minimise the importance of art and isolate artists from the Church.
This Easter, my church in Birmingham, UK wanted to find a way to reach the creatives. We desired to cross the rift between beauty and the church and celebrate the resurrection.
In Exodus, the Tabernacle is formed. Different artists from the people of Israel have the chance to create a space of beauty and worship. The gifts of creatives bring us to a liminal space, one where the line between ourselves and heaven thins.
When I read the crucifixion story, I am always struck by the moment Jesus dies. The veil to the temple is torn and the Holy of Holies becomes fully accessible to the people. Christ invites us into the heart of the temple, a place where we worship through art, lifting our heads to the King.
We called the event Through the Veil—a reminder that the art we create is worship. This creative worship is worthy to amplify the church as we come together in community.
Thirteen artists across Birmingham came together to worship through poetry, spoken word, dance, painting, and digital art. Each created a piece that reflects what Easter means to them. Our goal as artists was to invite people into that meaning with us—to put our hearts on display through craft and ask others to see what it stirs in their own.
We have a unique chance in Europe to meet artists from a rich history of connecting art and the church. To reach them, we have to do the same.
In Francis Schaffer’s Art & the Bible, he says, ‘An art work can be a doxology in itself.’
This is what it means to be an artist, to sing a praise of truth and seek to share beauty in the world here and the world eternal. Art connects people across cultures, oceans, and time periods––a heart language known universally.
Through the Veil was a chance to see how art stirs us to think and interact with the gospel. It allowed us to worship in a way we have forgotten and see beauty in the church, again. Reaching into the heart of Europe, we see how God can be glorified in all mediums.
Platforming artists, their work, and the heart behind it was something our community was searching for. After the event, artists and attendees shared their desire to see more come from this. They encouraged one another to keep exploring how we can share the gospel through the arts.
Stepping into this idea, we have churches in Birmingham looking to give a stage to artists. We want to meet them in their space, sharing truth in beauty with artists who don’t yet know the gospel.
Art is vital to our faith. We seek a creative God who looked at the world and gave us beauty for our enjoyment, pointing us back to Him.
We have a chance to see visions of the kingdom here on earth through the art we create. People will always seek the beyond, into something just outside of reach, and fight to make it tangible. We have a chance to make the kingdom available to them.
Pray with us for the artists of Europe. Pray they know where their desire for creation comes from and discover the source of all that is beautiful.
About the author: Kavi Collins served in Birmingham, UK with Greater Europe Mission.