This past week I was having lunch with a friend and our conversation turned to a subject I don't hear much about: beauty. My friend wondered out loud why it is that, generally speaking, we hear so little about this theme. He was speaking of beauty in creation and beauty in the arts. After all, he noted, our scriptures speak of the beginning of all things as a garden, a place of beauty and delight. If beauty is important to God, the simple enjoyment of it would be one of the ways in which we become more fully human and more fully alive. My friend then told me about a well known theologian who takes his students on trips to hear symphonies, to see great plays, to observe and enjoy beautiful art. Note: these are not specifically Christian symphonies, or plays or works of art. The theologian is trying to teach his students that enjoying genuine beauty, in any form, is a profoundly 'Christian' thing to do.
One of the places that I've encountered beauty this year in a surprising way is in the musical tradition known as 'the blues.' Obviously, the blues aren't new, but they're practically new to me. I'm talking Javina Magness, Eric Clapton, Little Milton, Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur and the list goes on. In fact, I heard myself say to my friend that one of the ten best things that's happened to me this year is discovering the blues. I find the lyrics earthy, the music passionate and the guitar work electrifying. It's rarely 'Christian' if by that word you mean something that talks overtly about God and the good news. In fact, most of the time it's the stuff of life: falling in love, relationship challenges, and a good bit of the hard side of life. But it is, to me at least, an expression of beauty, even in the midst of the pain that is often the song writer's experience. I find that to be, well, a beautiful thing.
I believe that the goal of the kingdom of God is the renewal of all things through Jesus Christ, and that means that beauty will, on the day of the Lord, be all and in all. If that's true, then enjoying beauty today, in any form--including the blues!!--is to anticipate that day.
7 comments:
Now this is a topic worth considering. I wish I had thought of it! After God created he declared it to be very good. The Hebrew word for good, tov also means fair or beautiful. To love creation means to perceive its beauty in the most unexpected places - like the blues. Or what about moral beauty? Our routine cares often blunt the effort -- the hungering and thirsting -- required to perceive moral beauty. We seldom have much energy beyond what we need to get ourselves through each day's activities. To be sensitive to moral beauty, then, requires an inner transformation: release from preoccupation with ourselves, spiritual energy, and a continuing consciousness of God's acceptance. Because we wrestle with these our whole lives through, being sensitive to beauty in others is a never-ending struggle. But when we are transformed in these ways, not only are we able to see beauty, we actively look for it. We develop a fascination with knowing others -- their hopes, fears, struggles, their loving, giving and selflessness. We become alert to particular instances of these, not just in books, but in people we know, whom we see every day.
Although there is no prescription for finding moral beauty, there are definite steps we can take. We can set aside our own cares and worries for a time, and focus our attention on others. We can ask about their activities, thoughts, and feelings, and listen actively to what they tell us. What we will find is that the search for moral beauty is a creative adventure, filled with pleasant surprises. When we absorb moral beauty, we cannot help but be affected. Our disposition becomes brighter, we give ourselves to others ungrudgingly, and we treasure memories of distinctive occasions. Moreover, we treat people differently when we see beauty in them. Because we esteem them, we treat them with respect and care, even with some tenderness. Observing moral beauty also has a direct effect on the people themselves. They often sense what we see in them. They notice the expressions on our faces, and pick up signals from our behavior toward them. This delight is a clear message to them that we have seen something which we value highly.
The human being is made in God’s image, a beautiful reflection of the One who made them. Why not begin to see in one another what the Creator sees? Sure we are flawed and broken but there is plenty of left over beauty. And what is it that attracts you to the blues, why are the blues beautiful? Could it be at least partially because the blues reflects the struggle for life that all of us have to face, every human being. Is there not a solidarity of the human race to be found there? This struggle is expressed not only in words but through diverse means of musicality as well as moans and sighs. I love the fact that our pastor loves the blues. I perceive in this love a glimpse of moral beauty which reminds me that being alive is not to be restricted to a narrow dimension of life. It reminds of the ancient Jewish challenge to “choose life”. Is there life before death? We need faith to believe in life before death. It is often far easier for us to trust in the conventional certainty of a life after death than in a life of participation in God's ongoing good creation before we die.
Please forgive my lengthy reply but your comments got my attention and interest.
Please disregard the spelling of plumber in the previous post and also please remember that I am just one of many of the pastor's imaginary friends.
Amen to both of you!
Mystery lunch friend, your comments have really lit a spark for me. I think I might chew on this over the weekend and write a bit more next week. Your thoughts about 'moral beauty' are, well, beautiful. One of the writers who captures this in very powerful ways for me is the late Chaim Potok, the novelist. His novels often deal, whether the phrase is ever used or not, with striving to be people of great soul, which I think is very much like what you've called 'moral beauty.' In one of his novel's, Potok describes a young man who is serving as a Jewish chaplain in the Korean conflict. Surrounded by blight, the opposite of beauty in every way, he is visited by a guest who reminds him that there must be people who remain human, even while inhumanity everywhere abounds.
I really like the way you've brought together beauty and humanity in your comments. I'd like to work some more with that.
Enough for now. Perhaps some new thoughts next week.
In your sermon this past Sunday I noticed you continued the theme of the relationship of the human being to beauty. You indicated that a human being who shares himself/herself with the world by using their gifts enhances the beauty of the world and on the contrary if gifts are not used, the world is a little less beautiful than it could have been otherwise. So in a sense we could say that the life of a human being who lives well is a work of art. It is a thing of beauty and also really an act of creativity.
Also I like your mention of courage (courage based stewardship). Is not courage an act of moral beauty - people moving forward in creative acts in spite of the harsh reality which confronts them? 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. Not a harsh command to stop sinning by a sovereign Lord but an existential reminder of the damage which can be done to the human being if fear and anxiety are allowed to have their way with us. It is an exhortation which protects rather than scolds. There is much more on my mind which could be articulated as a follow up to your sermon and the discussion of beauty but this is a good stopping place for now.
Thanks for continuing the discussion of beauty.
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? or... Do we trust God to make His strength perfect in our weakness and allow that His grace will be sufficient as we choose to trust Him? Only then can we enjoy the blessings of life - the beauty of walking with Him and following His lead, using our gifts and enjoying the gifts He gives us freely, whether natural or spiritual. It is only when we allow fear and anxiety to stop us from enjoying and using His gifts that the beauty of the abundant life He has for us is diminished.
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