DAY 87
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
WEEK THIRTEEN: TUESDAY 9 JUNE 2020
What Happens When We Lose the Art That Brings Us Together?
“Entertainment might seem trivial in the coronavirus era, but the closing of places that enrich us culturally is also a cause for much grief. What do we do now? What actions can each of us take to stay healthy, connected and sane, to fight the dangerous secondary infections of boredom, selfishness and panic? How are we going to stay busy? How are we going to keep ourselves entertained?” - recent newspaper article by the same title
Entertainment – that which might appear a bit inappropriate for a topic of reflection during a pandemic might seem so because of a bit of residual legalism in our inherited DNA. Even today some religious cultures deny engagement in the arts on Sunday, ‘the Sabbath,’ as though somehow God is offended by that which, more than any other activity, reflects who God is – One who creates ex nihilo, out of nothing. And is this not what all art is, that which never existed until it was birthed within the artist, created out of nothing, a broken reflection of God’s nature?
The etymology of entertainment finds two Latin words juxtaposed – ‘inter’ meaning ‘together,’ and ‘tenere’ a verb meaning ‘to hold.’ So, entertainment is that which holds us together. This is what the arts do when we are exposed to them – they ‘hold together’ something within us that needs holding, nurturing, exposure to the creative as reflections of the Creator.
I am moved by music. I close my eyes and feel roiling emotion when hearing Handel’s “Messiah” as “Worthy is the Lamb” is sung because someday I will literally get to sing that in His presence. But Brahms’ piano concerti can move me as well. And who can watch and listen to ‘Les Miserable’ and not come away feeling hopeful? Of all the arts, music in particular, is used by God in our lives.
From the artisans in Solomon’s temple to the singers and dancers in temple worship in antiquity, to the dazzling three dimensional artistic rendering of the holy city in Revelation with streets of gold and a catalogue of precious jewels in its construction, and the songs sung by the redeemed, heaven will be a visual and audio feast of the arts fulfilled by God Who created them.
Reflective question: What in the arts helps to ‘hold you together’ during this pandemic?
Reflective Scripture: Exodus 31:3 - “I have filled him with the Spirit of God…to make artistic designs …”
Reflective hymn:
“Come to Us, Creative Spirit” – David Mowbray (1938 - )
Poet, painter, music maker, all your treasures bring;
Craftsman, actor, graceful dancer, make your offering:
Join your hands in celebration! Let creation shout and sing!
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