If writing and thinking were the same thing, I would have written several books in the last week. The responses to the last post have, to say the least, prompted some wonderful reflection for me. I'm going to refer back to some of those comments in this post, and I'd like to continue the conversation under the theme "Beauty and Community." What I'm thinking of here is the ways in which beauty can come to expression in the communal life of congregations as well as other kinds of communities.
In the responses to the last post, Joe the Plumber (I have this odd sense that that is not his real name...) commented about the role of fear as a factor that limits human creativity and beauty. He wrote "...and could it not also be said that the fear you talk about is a deformity of the original intention for the human being and is a direct attack on the outflow of potential beauty from a human life. That is perhaps why the Bible exhorts the human being so often to not be afraid." To this, Eunice added, "I would like to add that it is not having anxiety or fear that is the problem. They are God given emotions. The problem is what do we do with them? Do we allow them to stop us from enjoying the abundant life God wants us to have?"
Suppose that we were to broaden these thoughts just a bit and think about the role of fear in community life. More and more, as I observe groups of people, it seems to me that it is not just individual human beings whose beauty is limited by fear, but groups. That is to say, whole groups--families, churches, businesses, villages--become anxious, and as they do, their capacity to express beauty is limited. I think of the hideous Biblical example of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. If you recall the story, Sarah became terribly jealous because her handmaid Hagar had a child and she did not. In a fit of rage, she compelled her husband Abraham to drive Hagar and the child Ishmael out to a distant land. In this awful story, the anxiety and fear of Sarah is passed along to Abraham, who passes it along in abusive ways to Hagar and Ishmael. One person's fear is every one's problems. As I think of this story, I can't help but wonder what gifts were lost to the community. What gifts might Hagar and Ishamael have brought had they not been made homeless by the fear that inhabited the family? What creativity was lost to Sarah because she succumbed to fear? What beauty was lost to Abraham because he owned his wife's anxieties? As I look at that story, I can't help but feel that anxiety took root in the whole family, and the beauty of the whole was lost, at least for a time.
I believe that when communities become anxious, so that fear/anxiety makes its home in the community as a whole, the creativity and beauty of the entire community diminishes. That's another way of saying that the community itself loses something of its humanity, its reflection of the image of God. Think, for example, of terribly anxious times in the history of the church. In those darkest moments, the church has been more interested in being right than in expressing beauty. We've murdered our Joan of Arc's, rather than listening appreciatively and thoughtfully to them. The gifts of our artists have been silenced, beauty has been replaced by whatever works, whatever proves that we're right, whatever heps us to get our mission, understood very narrowly, accomplished. One place where I believe I see this today is in church architecture. When the church becomes fearful (driven by finances?), vision for communal beauty is lost, the buildings of churches become purely functional matters. We build space that 'works,' space that is very functional, but it is ugly space.
I'm wandering now, to be sure, but I'd hope to continue the discussion. What might a communal commitment to beauty look like? What is required of me, as a member of a community of faith, to 'be not afraid' so that I might remain thoughtful and creative and contribute beauty to the whole? How might decisions be influenced if beauty is as important to us as functionality or orthodoxy? What sort of gifts might emerge if we value beauty as much as we value efficiency? I think these are important questions. Thanks for evoking them in me.
9 comments:
I can't speak for the whole community, I can only speak for myself. I earlier said that it is not wrong to have fear or anxiety, it's what we do with it that makes the difference. My own sense is that we are warned so often in God's Word not to be afraid and to be anxious for nothing because God knows we are human and therefore frail beings with hearts that are prone to wander. He also knows that we have an enemy who goes about like a roaring Lion looking to see whom he may devour. The enemy loves to feed our anger and our fear because both are excellent ways of keeping us from doing God's will and enjoying the abundant life He has for us...the "more" that we want in our walk with Him. God even warns us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...we just don't think about it enough.
For me, overcoming my fears means having a real sense of God's will and that takes prayer and listening to that still small voice that speaks to my spirit. It means being alert to the signs God sends my way. I, from experience, know that He knows exactly how to bring me to that knowledge, what will work for bringing understanding to me, because He knows me better than I know myself. I trust Him to do it.
Once I have a sense of His direction then it becomes a matter of two things...my love for Him and the faith I have in Him. Jesus said that if we love Him we will do what He commands. For me, that means that if I love Him I will follow His lead and do what I believe He's leading me to do.
It also means choosing to trust Him to provide for whatever I need in order to accomplish what He's called me to do. The things He calls me to do are usually way outside my comfort zone. Why wouldn't they be?!? If I could do them without Him, He would not be lifted up and glorified...in my heart and mind or in the hearts and minds of those that know me and know my weaknesses.
In essence, for me, overcoming fear means having a sense of what it is that He's calling me to do, having a love for Him that makes pleasing Him more important than anything or anyone else, and choosing to trust Him to provide.
His Word says to "be anxious for nothing." When I focus on my fears and the difficulties that will always be there in my life instead of on Who God is, what His promises are, what He has already done in my life...in other words, on Him...I will let fear and anxiety prevent me from enjoying the beauty of a wonderful relationship with Him that only grows as I experience His provision when I walk in obedience to His leadings. Life can't get more beatiful than that in my eyes.
I don't have it down pat and I definitely don't have it all together. I am learning with each new step of faith I choose to take as He challenges me to grow in Him.
I think you are on to something significant here. I would like to toss out a brief story. I leave out the name of the story teller because I prefer that the ideas themselves be considered. The account goes as follows:
Some years ago I was lecturing in a certain Christian school. Just across the ravine from the school there was what they called a “hippie community.” On the far side of the ravine one saw trees and some farms. Here I was told, they had pagan grape stomps. Being interested, I made my way across the ravine and met one of the leading men in this “Bohemian” community.
The leader was told that he had been the first person to come across the ravine and be shown the area. The story continues:
Having shown me all this, he looked across to the Christian school and said to me, “Look at that; isn’t that ugly?” And it was! I could not deny it. It was an ugly building, without even trees around it.
It was then that I realized what a poor situation this was. When I stood on Christian ground and look at the Bohemian people’s place, it was beautiful. They had even gone to the trouble of running their electric cables under the level of the trees so that they couldn’t be seen. Then I stood on pagan ground and looked at the Christian community and saw ugliness.
The story speaks of a building but also has a much broader application for the Christian community. I will let that brief story stand for now and will have more to follow up with later.
You both are much deeper thinkers than I am (I think I know who you are, Joe with the Plunger). I may be thinking in a different vein but I believe that fear, when allowed to take control, causes us to walk by our feelings instead of faith. It makes us centered on "self" instead of God. Yet that's only part of the story.
You jogged it, so here goes. In my memory, I remember seeing clips that demonstrated, to my mind, that the "hippie community" wasn't fearful of what others thought nor were they afraid of failure or what the future would bring. I don't agree with all the ideas they were reported to hold but they were shown to have a way of focusing on loving others, including nature, that put "self" on the back burner. They weren't worried, anxious or fearful about where their provisions would come from. They worked with what they had to provide for each other and tried to make themselves and the things in their environment pretty...flowers in their hair and some of their old, run-down vehicles were brightly colored in an effort to make them beautiful. They lived simply, loved easily, and worked with what they could find.
God's Word says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18a
I wonder, could fear/anxiety become a driving force that keeps us from loving God, others and even God's creation more than our "selves?" Could fear/anxiety become part of a barrier that keeps God from loving others through us or a wall that keeps us from trusting God to provide for us - when He has promised He will? In that way, could fear/anxiety become an obstruction block to the "beauty" of God shining through us to the world around us?
Like I said, you both are deeper thinkers than I am.
Eunice,
Actually I had switched gears on you (my apologies). My story was intended to refer back to what Steve was saying about beauty and community. I wanted to provide a living example of what he was talking about. He said: “What sort of gifts might emerge if we value beauty as much as we value efficiency?” The story was intended to show that our theology is always visible in the external world to the watching world. The life of the individual Christian and the church should manifest something of the creative character of God. If we would simply start at the opening drama of the biblical narrative – that being creation we would discover that God is an artist and cares about beauty. Think about all the beauty in the world that is a manifestation of his handiwork. We are made in his image – should we not reflect this love of beauty and creativity into the very fabric of our existence. That’s it for now I have a leaky faucet to take care of.
I would like when I have time to follow up with an alternative perspective on fear and anxiety. Thanks for your thoughtful response regarding the hippies. I have to leave your assessment of the hippie culture to Pastor Steve who may have been one in earlier years or at least he probably knew one or knew a person who knew one.
Hey Plumber Boy, thank you for your apology but it wasn't necessary and you're right - I believe God is an artist and does enjoy beauty, too. I look forward to your alternative perspective on fear and anxiety...since I deal with anxiety almost daily. As for the 'hippie' culture, my words were merely expressing the picture that was presented to outsiders and the media doesn't always present an accurate picture. You might be right about Pastor Steve...but somehow I can't picture that he ever was a hippie...yet, as you said, he might have known one. Hope your leaky faucet is fixed now.
A funny caveat: I was working in my office one day last week, in the midst of our conversation about beauty, and my wife walked into the office. It just so happened that that particular day I had been doing some long distance planning, and in the process I had turned my office upside down: I had large pages of butcher paper laying out across the desk and chairs, other pages taped up on the walls, filing cabinets were hangning open and the place looked like a hurricane had blown through. As Dawn looked it over, I could see that she was trying to find a gracious way of telling me that my office was a disaster area. Not knowing what we had been blogging about, she quipped, "There's not a lot of beauty in this office."
To set the record straight: My office is back to looking like an office and, inspired somewhat by our conversations, I've even taken some steps to 'beautify' it (by my standards, of course).
"By your Standards" - A bit of Bohemian beauty I suspect!
I am a latecomer in this conversation, if it is still a conversation. But here are some thoughts. Your comments about beauty remind me of the fact that meaning of the word "beauty" has changed over time. Modern use of the word general refers to the superficial sensory experience; visual, auditory etc. In ancient time beauty related to a deeper concept. It meant a moral, ethical, practical or righteousness. Something was beautiful if it was righteour, if it functioned the way it was designed to fucntion. A beautiful fence is one that works well. A beautiful person is one that functions with integrity as God had designed and intended people to be. In this sense beauty in a community is one that functions smoothly with the moral elements intended by God and required for smooth functioning. I believe the "hippie community" is often beautiful in this respect. Thought traditionally believed to have different theology, I don't see why a Christian community can't look like the hippie community in respect of the love and respect for others and nature.
In regards to the more traditional use of beauty; aesthetic, art etc. We need to encouraged these gifts as much as any other spiritual gift. In our daily language and behavior when need to regard them as gifts without fear of those who think more restrictively, but love them and teach them. (As an aside, Steve, this goal is not really helped when it is implied that is would be inappropriate to dance during a fun song, as happened after Margaret's solo a few weeks ago.):)
Michelle,
Great comments about beauty. I had not checked the blog for a while and was sorry I had not seen your comments sooner. Thanks for your thoughtful input! I hope this is a conversation that will continue to emerge in a variety of settings.
All the Best
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