I read an article in a local periodical (the free kind on cheap newspaper stock) about a painter. What struck me about her is that she’s painting these things she calls Elementals, which are apparently beings that live on the same plane as the elements, and which are visible in her crystals at dusk. Don’t worry, none of that made any sense to me either. For those fond of labels, I believe this means she falls into the new age/hippie/spiritualist/possibly Wicken category. But her label really isn’t important. If it was, I’m sure we’d all get signs we could wear telling the world which stereotype we fall into.
Since the sign thing hasn’t been passed into law yet, I’d like to look at why she was painting what she was painting. She said that the Elementals were active, that is, they communicated with her in some way, shape, or form. Assuming for the moment that the crystals really aren’t filled with Elementals which call to her (and you can feel free to argue that assumption if you like), what I saw when I read that was a woman who was searching for a way to contact the spiritual, to contact, in one way or another, God. She was displaying one of the most basic human urges, the urge to know something, Someone, above and beyond the world we live in.
In the modern world of science, one could argue that such desires aren’t really basic at all, but are relegated to the fringes of polite society: the hippies and crystal-worshipers and Buddhists and Christians. But those who argue that have never talked to a small child. The belief in the supernatural has to be trained out of a child. You have to work hard, very hard sometimes, to truly convince a child that there is nothing more than what’s at the tips of his or her fingers. There’s something in humanity since birth that knows or wants to know about what lies beyond the bounds of modern science.
The article reminded me of the time Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Once the woman was convinced he was a prophet, she asked him where the right place to worship is. The Jews worshipped in one place, and the Samaritans worshipped in another. Jesus didn’t exactly answer her. What he said was that the Samaritans didn’t know what they were worshipping. Note that he didn’t say that they weren’t worshipping. He said they didn’t know what it was that they worshipped. That’s what I think about when I meet people like the Elemental artist. Not that she’s a wacko (as many people who fill Christian churches would say), but that she’s trying to worship God, she just doesn’t know how.
The other thing that struck me was the need to make the spiritual visible. She painted these Elementals, made a corporeal representation of an ethereal form. She made her gods into images. This is where that basic human need for the spiritual always seems to take a wrong turn. This is where we take the unknowable, give it a friendly shape, put it on the shelf, and forget about it. And this is by no means a problem specific to the non-Christians.
Walk into any Christian book store and you’ll see paintings of angels, recreations of classic Biblical scenes, even paintings of Christ. To my knowledge, Christ never commissioned a painting of himself while he was on the earth. The man looking at you from those paintings is not Christ. Those angels with their great glowing wings and flaming swords are not really what angels look like.
Am I trying to say that all Christian art is idol worship and that we should destroy it all and live in blank houses, stare at blank walls, and lead blank lives? Nope. I’m just trying to remind people that the images aren’t the real thing. You couldn’t understand the real thing. When Jesus was talking to a leader of the Jewish community when he was in Jerusalem, he said that the leader didn’t understand the things of this world. How could Jesus tell him about the spiritual world? Rest assured, he didn’t try to paint him a picture.
I’m trying to say in a very round-about fashion that you can’t get to know the spiritual by trying to make it earthly. You have to meet the spiritual in spirit. Jesus said that, by the way. He said that God is spirit and that the only way you can really worship Him is through the Spirit. You have to pray to Him, mediate on Him, search Him out. That is, I think, why He hates idols so much. They’re an easy way out. They let you look at that trinket on your shelf, say, “Hi, God,” and move on with life without ever moving closer to Him.
Since the sign thing hasn’t been passed into law yet, I’d like to look at why she was painting what she was painting. She said that the Elementals were active, that is, they communicated with her in some way, shape, or form. Assuming for the moment that the crystals really aren’t filled with Elementals which call to her (and you can feel free to argue that assumption if you like), what I saw when I read that was a woman who was searching for a way to contact the spiritual, to contact, in one way or another, God. She was displaying one of the most basic human urges, the urge to know something, Someone, above and beyond the world we live in.
In the modern world of science, one could argue that such desires aren’t really basic at all, but are relegated to the fringes of polite society: the hippies and crystal-worshipers and Buddhists and Christians. But those who argue that have never talked to a small child. The belief in the supernatural has to be trained out of a child. You have to work hard, very hard sometimes, to truly convince a child that there is nothing more than what’s at the tips of his or her fingers. There’s something in humanity since birth that knows or wants to know about what lies beyond the bounds of modern science.
The article reminded me of the time Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Once the woman was convinced he was a prophet, she asked him where the right place to worship is. The Jews worshipped in one place, and the Samaritans worshipped in another. Jesus didn’t exactly answer her. What he said was that the Samaritans didn’t know what they were worshipping. Note that he didn’t say that they weren’t worshipping. He said they didn’t know what it was that they worshipped. That’s what I think about when I meet people like the Elemental artist. Not that she’s a wacko (as many people who fill Christian churches would say), but that she’s trying to worship God, she just doesn’t know how.
The other thing that struck me was the need to make the spiritual visible. She painted these Elementals, made a corporeal representation of an ethereal form. She made her gods into images. This is where that basic human need for the spiritual always seems to take a wrong turn. This is where we take the unknowable, give it a friendly shape, put it on the shelf, and forget about it. And this is by no means a problem specific to the non-Christians.
Walk into any Christian book store and you’ll see paintings of angels, recreations of classic Biblical scenes, even paintings of Christ. To my knowledge, Christ never commissioned a painting of himself while he was on the earth. The man looking at you from those paintings is not Christ. Those angels with their great glowing wings and flaming swords are not really what angels look like.
Am I trying to say that all Christian art is idol worship and that we should destroy it all and live in blank houses, stare at blank walls, and lead blank lives? Nope. I’m just trying to remind people that the images aren’t the real thing. You couldn’t understand the real thing. When Jesus was talking to a leader of the Jewish community when he was in Jerusalem, he said that the leader didn’t understand the things of this world. How could Jesus tell him about the spiritual world? Rest assured, he didn’t try to paint him a picture.
I’m trying to say in a very round-about fashion that you can’t get to know the spiritual by trying to make it earthly. You have to meet the spiritual in spirit. Jesus said that, by the way. He said that God is spirit and that the only way you can really worship Him is through the Spirit. You have to pray to Him, mediate on Him, search Him out. That is, I think, why He hates idols so much. They’re an easy way out. They let you look at that trinket on your shelf, say, “Hi, God,” and move on with life without ever moving closer to Him.
Comments
Sometimes I think, though I'm completely opposed to Wicca and worshipping tiny molecules, etc. That I do not know how to worship God. I mean theoretically, yes, worshipping God can be as simple as holding a crying baby to calm him, or dancing on the beach in the wind as I feel God's love in his creation. But to know, really, what form God takes and how much of him is in his creation and how much of him is in us and what it all means, how we connect together to make up the Body of Christ-- it really is all kinda confusing right now, for me.
THis was my sermon today. Keep writing, Pastor Tom.
This would all be easier if we got to check stuff off lists. Of course, the list could be one item, "be like Christ," and then I guess that list would be hard too.
MM,
Worshipping God is simple, which is why it's so hard. It's like praying. Sounds simple, you know, talking to God. But it usually isn't.
I guess what I'm saying is that as long as we know it's not as simple as it seems, and recognize that it can be a big confusing mess, and then still try to worship and pray to and live and breath Christ, then we'll be doing OK.
Man, was that one long sentence. It's a good thing I'm only pretending to be a writer.
On a different note, I'm glad you like my post but I'm really just a lowly layman trying to make sense of things. Me and my humble little blog can never replace the dynamic relationship you'll get in a real church with real people and a real pastor who knows your voice. You know all that, but conscience demands that I say it because other people might be confused.