Art in Worship, Art as Worship
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, this is your spiritual act of worship.
-Romans 12:1
On this page, we will explore using visual art in worship. As a Christian, I believe that everything I have and everything I am belongs to God. I beileve the gifts and talents He has given me were given to me to accomplish a mission that God has prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10). Because of this my work should be done to His glory, and doing this work (at least at its best) is an act of worship.
Most of the work that will be seen on this page is work that has been done in the context of a worship service. It is work that I believer God inspired to help me to communicate a message and cement it in the minds of my congregation.
Most of the works are done at high speed (ten to fifteen minutes) and are meant more to communicate than to hang in a gallery. Basically I am doing the very best I can in the amount of time that I have. Occasionally, an image is revealed to me that will take much longer than the amount of time that I have. In these instances, I will do one of two things, either begin the work at home and take it to the point of completion in the service or complete the whole piece at home and just speak about it.
These images are not necessarily presented to say, "here, do this," though if you think it would be useful to your message, go right ahead. They are actually presented here to give you a jumping off point for your own creativity. But please keep in mind to bathe all these things in prayer. After all, I don't consider this page any kind of monument to my own creativity. I consider it a tribute to my creator.
The Most Recent Example
Genesis 3
In Genesis 3 we get a prophecy on the future of the serpent, Satan himself.
The Inspiration
Last Easter, my wife and I saw the Passion of the Christ. I cheered when Jesus stomped on the head of the serpent. Little did I know the fangs the serpen had.
How I did it
The painting was done at probably the toughest time in my life. I had just returned from the hospital (My first time there since I was 6 years old for my tonsils). From that day forward, I would live my life as a man who had had a heart attack. I was 40 years old, this wasn't supposed to be happening to someone my age. Person after person told me I was too young for it and yet there I was. My heart attack was mild and I have made for the most part a full recovery but at that time, I had more questions than answers. Why now God? Why me God and on and on? I was shaken by this and Satan hit me and hit me hard. I wanted to defeat him so bad that I had forgotten the most important thing. It wasn't my fight. This painting was my reminder. The foot print over the head of this primitive and stylized snake has a hole in it. I am instructed to resist his temptations but it is Christ who wins the victory. To get through this wasn't going to take my strength, I was going to have to rely on Him!
The Service
I preached on the Genesis temptation and Jesus' ultimate victory and I display the painting to remind us all that the battle is the Lord's.
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