Radical Creation
I have had an amazing artistic life transforming experience! I watched the movie Moulin Rouge last night. That movie captured everything that goes on in my head. It's what my world looks like - for all of you who were wondering, watch the movie! It's someone's unchecked imagination. Someone wrote what they were thinking - not what they thought they should be thinking. Too often, Christians temper their raw, crazy radical emotions. We try to make sense of everything, and make sure that all of our actions have reason and purpose.
People, wake up! Be free! Imagine, dance, sing, and be artistically naked! Our amazing all powerful mighty God did not restrain Himself when he created this world! What must it have been like when He spoke the universe into being? There was nothing, then God imagined a world - His world - and it was. He must have been full of life and joy as he let his thoughts run wild. Did he laugh hysterically when He stood back and surveyed all His hands had created? Did he run around in His creation, enjoying the feel of the wind and the grass under his bare feet? Did Jesus and the Holy Spirit look at Father God with a measure of concern as He went about in a frenzy, totally ecstatic to be living in His dream world? I like to think they joined Him in his childlike amazement at all that was now possible. It must have been with giddy excitement, flushed cheeks, and crazy hair that He turned to His Son and Spirit and said, "We've got to share this! This is way too good to keep to ourselves!" I think He even surprised Himself when He created humans. It wasn't just good - it was very good. He must have been on the brink of insanity as He gave His precious child a tour of the universe. So excited to show him everything that had been created for him to enjoy.
How can I take such artistic license with our creator? Is this blasphemy? I think not. Why not? Because we were created in His image! How do you feel when you have accomplished something great? What does your heart feel when you stare at nature - the stars, a mountain, the view from a mountain, the ocean? Does it not leap in your chest? What did you experience as you gazed at your child for the very first time? God has created us to share in His creation! Christ died so that we might have abundant life! The Lord has shared with us what makes Him extatic! The ultimate artist has blessed us with artistic gifts and talents. What a shame it will be to get to Heaven and realize that we boxed ourselves into our mundane thoughts without exploring what God has for us. What would this world be like if God had not allowed Himself to just imagine and dream?
So often, we turn ourselves away from dark, sometimes horrific art. In reading the Old Testament, I believe that the dark is here for us as well. The dark makes us who we are. Don't run from it - embrace it. When God brings darkness into your life, explore that too.
Judges 19:22-29
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don't do such a disgraceful thing."
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"
That, my friends, is dark.
God did not leave it out of His holy word - why?
Do not blind yourselves to the reality of life, and do not shelter your children so much that they are ignorant of the world.
It is God only and not other Christians that we need to be comparing ourselves to. It is the Bible only and not any self help Christian book that we need to measure our lives by. Seek godly counsel, be accountable to each other, but at the end of the day, it is God only that you must answer to.
People, wake up! Be free! Imagine, dance, sing, and be artistically naked! Our amazing all powerful mighty God did not restrain Himself when he created this world! What must it have been like when He spoke the universe into being? There was nothing, then God imagined a world - His world - and it was. He must have been full of life and joy as he let his thoughts run wild. Did he laugh hysterically when He stood back and surveyed all His hands had created? Did he run around in His creation, enjoying the feel of the wind and the grass under his bare feet? Did Jesus and the Holy Spirit look at Father God with a measure of concern as He went about in a frenzy, totally ecstatic to be living in His dream world? I like to think they joined Him in his childlike amazement at all that was now possible. It must have been with giddy excitement, flushed cheeks, and crazy hair that He turned to His Son and Spirit and said, "We've got to share this! This is way too good to keep to ourselves!" I think He even surprised Himself when He created humans. It wasn't just good - it was very good. He must have been on the brink of insanity as He gave His precious child a tour of the universe. So excited to show him everything that had been created for him to enjoy.
How can I take such artistic license with our creator? Is this blasphemy? I think not. Why not? Because we were created in His image! How do you feel when you have accomplished something great? What does your heart feel when you stare at nature - the stars, a mountain, the view from a mountain, the ocean? Does it not leap in your chest? What did you experience as you gazed at your child for the very first time? God has created us to share in His creation! Christ died so that we might have abundant life! The Lord has shared with us what makes Him extatic! The ultimate artist has blessed us with artistic gifts and talents. What a shame it will be to get to Heaven and realize that we boxed ourselves into our mundane thoughts without exploring what God has for us. What would this world be like if God had not allowed Himself to just imagine and dream?
So often, we turn ourselves away from dark, sometimes horrific art. In reading the Old Testament, I believe that the dark is here for us as well. The dark makes us who we are. Don't run from it - embrace it. When God brings darkness into your life, explore that too.
Judges 19:22-29
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."
23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this man, don't do such a disgraceful thing."
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"
That, my friends, is dark.
God did not leave it out of His holy word - why?
Do not blind yourselves to the reality of life, and do not shelter your children so much that they are ignorant of the world.
It is God only and not other Christians that we need to be comparing ourselves to. It is the Bible only and not any self help Christian book that we need to measure our lives by. Seek godly counsel, be accountable to each other, but at the end of the day, it is God only that you must answer to.
posted by Jen | 10:42 AM
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