Considering the church as an edifice is a modern construct.
According to the Bible, we who believe Jesus form the church—His body.
Fallible humans, not any brick and mortar building.
And yet, these places where believing people gather embody the mystery of His mission.
Without a physical structure in which to congregate, there'd be no cohesive working of the Great Commission to spread the gospel.
Within the confines of walls, prayers are fervently lifted up, the Bible's depths explored, and communion with God is conducted with reverence. I love painting these sacred sanctuaries whenever I find them dotting the landscape.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? Psalm 77:13
God's way is found in the sanctuary. His presence imparts truths about the essentials of life. It's there we learn to pray, live with integrity, and run the race of life without compromise. The rigorously contested task of passing biblical faith on to those coming after us is an integral part of the mission.
We've failed miserably at many of these objectives! Dishonest leadership, compromise and hypocrisy, leave many distrusting any form of organized religion. Pews of older sanctuaries are now barely filled and some have even been repurposed for other activities. God's patience is remarkable, always reserving a remnant who've remained morally pure and aflame with His fire.
Wherever I see a charming old church, I'm filled with curiosity about its history and nostalgia for what once was. Is it still strong in faith? Who held on through tough times becoming heroes of faith? What hymns floated up to the rafters in praise? Who exchanged marital vows at that altar? Who honored those sacred promises, despite trials, to raise godly offspring for the next generation...?
With God's help, the embers of faith within me will not die out, but be fanned into flame so that others also believe! Art is the precious, solitary activity of creatively keeping that fire going. Less interested in a precise rendering of these structures, the sense of all they represent is what motivates my desire for visual expression.
God remains unchanged. We, on the other hand, easily grow apathetic and distracted. Nurturing the memory of His faithfulness is left entirely up to us—encouraged, not forced. "Remember" is an oft repeated command in the Bible to obey or disregard.
The power of Christianity is that, unlike other faiths, it's firmly embedded in history. God's exceptional promises of an amazing future are definitively anchored in time. The excitement of watching their divine unfolding makes up for any disappointments caused by fickle human leadership.
Shadows may fall, long and deep, but the essential structure remains visible through dappled light.
The flitting nature of light is an apt metaphor for faith, which may appear to strengthen or wane in any period of history. And yet, because of His grace, the edifice is somehow never dimmed to oblivion. How thankful I am for the continuity of faith from generation to generation!
"I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds." Psalms 77: 11-12
Art can serve as a visual trigger for memory, gifting confidence in the timelessness of faith, rich in history, going way back to Genesis with " In the beginning, God......"
Line, color, texture and shadow can remind you that you're not alone in faith. Countless others believed before you and many will after you. We have their witness, making faith in an unfailing God less lonely in hostile seasons.
Now it's up to us to be witnesses in this generation to creatively testify that He is truly worth relying upon. He has sustained our faith and will continue to do so until His purposes on earth are fulfilled.
"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Philippians 1:6
What a powerful tool art can be for this unique purpose of expressing rich biblical truth through the viewable world around us! Wouldn't you agree?
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