music
Try to define it, seek in vain its source
or where it vanishes. By formulas
and theories tell me what it is I breathe,
what makes the stars bright, why the waves are long
unending servants of a master-moon.
Tell me why I love, why I see blue
in a sky where no blue is, but only light.
Tell me my pen is nothing but a force
my hand (which is not either) works upon,
and that the keys my fingers linger on
are never ivory, but are molecules
“gyrating in a predetermined form.”
Tell me the scent of lilacs is not real
but only a fusion working on my sense.
Tell me the fresh green of a new spring lawn
is chlorophyll. Tell me turgidity
makes hyacinths stand stiff beside the path.
Tell me all this. I shall believe you true
and grant you what you say. But music – there
try to define it! Seek in vain its source,
its essence, where it waits for my two hands
to call it forth from yellowed, singing keys.
Put it in tubes, solve its complexities,
tell what its structure is – yes, if God will.
But you can hound it down the path of years
and curse and stamp. It shall elude you still.
- Jane Tyson Clement
My dad sent me this video and asked me what I thought:
I definitely see their point about being a gospel-centered place of worship and understand their warning about cutting-edge performance becoming an idol. I think that’s a message that EVERYONE should hear because it’s easy to what you do to become who you are.
However, I really disagreed with some of their definitions and conclusions. It seemed to me that the discussion created a false choice between creativity and the centrality of the gospel. I think they needed to define their terms more clearly b/c most of the time when they were using the term “creativity” what I think they meant was “sensationalism,” –doing something for the wow factor that is often exhibited in a product that is slick and surface level. In short, a self-centered performance. But creativity is just the opposite. I really heard this when the one pastor said, “We don’t want to be a church that’s known for it’s creativity.” To me, that smacked of a very narrow understanding of the nature of creativity.
It’s refreshing to understand that it isn’t our responsibility to woo people into the kingdom by our art. I completely agree. That’s in the job description of the Holy Spirit, but I don’t think that’s any reason to devalue the place of art and beauty–even those that don’t necessarily use overtly biblical themes or text. In fact, excellent art is anything BUT sensational and seeker friendly. It requires humility, patience and receptiveness to understand, think about and appreciate. Like finer points of science or nature, it can also illuminate the truths of the gospel in ways that sometimes cannot be experienced just through words. I strongly believe that the more we pour ourselves into doing beautifully honest, excellent work the more opportunities we give ourselves and others for experiencing God on a deeper level. This is especially true of Christians. Creativity flows from a person’s worldview and toward their endgame. If our worldview is biblical and our endgame is Christ and his kingdom how cannot it not serve to glorify him?
Sensationalism and self-centered performance seeks to glorify ME, but true and biblical creativity exists to give. One of the primary ways to worship God is to be creative. Being creative simply means to use the resources God has given you to make or restore, in other words, redeem. Creativity and worship go hand in hand. We should be churches known for creativity because we should be churches who are full of renewed people who are energetically redeeming the environment around us because we are drawing inspiration for our creativity from the gospel.
