From a very young age, I developed a profound appreciation for the arts, especially music. As I matured, I began to recognize how God inspires artists to use their creativity to glorify him and declare biblical truths. However, while creative artists are vessels of God’s gifts to the world, they face inherent challenges. For instance, when Michelangelo was planning his masterpiece for the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he knew he would eventually need to represent Almighty God. How does one adequately capture the divine? How can a mere painted image do justice to the infinite essence and majesty of God? The truth is, no finite representation can encompass the fullness of the divine. God’s Word is so rich in meaning that any expression of its truths is inherently limited. This is why Rembrandt painted numerous “portraits” of Jesus—each one revealing another facet of how he perceived and felt about Jesus.
Artists thus offer deeply personal expressions of their faith, experience, and vision. Their works speak not only about the subjects they represent and communicate truths to viewers or listeners, but they also reveal the artists’ own struggles, questions, gratitude, joy, and convictions. While we may or may not connect with an artist’s work—depending on our tastes and sympathies with the artist’s point of view—art is fundamentally a subjective experience.
For example, years ago, a friend gifted me a sketch of the Crucifixion. Being African American, he depicted Jesus with African American features. Was this an attempt to portray an accurate historical depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion? In one sense, no, as Jesus was a Semitic, Palestinian Jew and not of African descent. However, in another sense, it was profoundly accurate. My friend was expressing a personal identification with his crucified Lord, aligning with Galatians 2:20 (NKJV): “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
A remarkable example of this is found in the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. This grand Roman Catholic church is built over the ruins that Christians have claimed since the first century AD to be the site of Mother Mary’s home when the Angel Gabriel announced she would bear the Messiah. The church is adorned with numerous sculptures of Mother Mary, created by artists from around the world. It is fascinating to see the diverse ways these artists envisioned Mary—radiant in some depictions, sorrowful in others, and compassionate in still others. Each representation is meaningful and can inspire sermons based on scriptural support for each perspective. However, these depictions inevitably reflect something deeply personal about the artists themselves.
For those of us who do not have the gift of creating art, the challenge is to look deeply into our own souls to understand what we believe about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as biblical truth and characters. How would we express our
deeply held beliefs, our questions and struggles, and the hope and joy we find in the Gospel message? With which artists or works do we resonate? Which expressions align with what we would want to convey? Whether through visual arts, music,
dance, theatre, poetry, or other forms of creative writing, God has blessed us with talented individuals who enhance our lives by communicating the deepest longings, hopes, and faith of our souls.
For me, music has always been my art of choice, and I cherish a familiar phrase that has appeared on coffee cups, framed prints, and other media: “Bach gave us God’s Word; Mozart gave us God’s laughter; Beethoven gave us God’s fire; God gave us Music, that we might pray without words.”
by Pastor Steven Grant
