Since people first scratched out petroglyphs or used charcoal on cave walls, they have attempted to convey some message through their art. Looking back, we can see great works of art from folk, like Michelangelo’s statue of the ancient Jewish king, David, or the masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling. Later, in the 1660’s, Rembrandt painted himself helping crucify Jesus. In the 1960’s Andy Warhol painted Campbell’s Soup cans.
Art says a great deal about its artist. But it also says something about its culture of origin. The choice of topic is revealing in and of itself. To venerate, to worship, is central to the human condition. What does our art say about what or who we venerate?
Modernity, the worldview that was dominant until a few decades ago, would say to us there is nothing worthy to worship. We’re simply particles afloat in space without meaning or purpose. Yet, we have a deep, gnawing inside us that cries out for meaning. So, we worship material success or something like it.
There’s an old, old book in which the author wrote,
“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…” He went on to write, “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.”
When one looks deeper into its meaning, the language is painting a picture. That picture tells us that he believed that God creates each of us with a space in our hearts, our souls, that is uniquely designed to be filled with God Himself.
How about you? What do you worship? What have you allowed to fill that huge space in your soul? I want to invite you to RiverStone Church this Sunday to experience and know the Great Artist, Jesus Christ. You will meet people there who are all along the continuum of discovery. Each of them will welcome you to be part of the collage of our fellowship.
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