For Glory and For Beauty

On the God-given capacity and necessity to create

Photo by Abby Chung

This Sunday wraps up an intensive five weeks of working on my first fiction manuscript for school. Though I should have around 26,000 words (first draft and roughly edited) by the end of this course, I’ve only cracked the surface. Still, it’s been an incredible learning experience. Biggest takeaway: I have a lot of growth ahead of me. The next step in the program is to start a nonfiction manuscript, then I will circle back around to the fiction work for my capstone. 11 weeks of coursework to earn my BA, and trust me, I’m counting!

I’ve also restarted the seasonal work I do and between school, work, family, and church, I haven’t had time for anything else. Except, of course, to sit with the Lord each morning, because let’s be honest, without that, this ship is running aground. Which brings me to today’s subject. Without two seconds to think about getting a post out this week, I thought I’d have to put it off. But as so often happens, God’s word inspired me, and I’d like to share a nugget of loveliness from my quiet time.

I’m currently working through the Book of Exodus. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this portion of Scripture, but I’m always amazed by the detailed instructions the Lord gives on how to construct the Tabernacle and the various accompaniments for worship and sacrifice. This morning, I made it to the section where God gives Moses exhaustive details for making the priest's garments. I noticed something in this passage I haven’t before, or if I have, it’s slipped my 50s-something mind. Both prior to the intricate directives for garments and after (bookended if you will), the Lord says that it’s all to be done “for glory and for beauty.”

While I’m sure there are myriad theological implications to this statement, what stood out to me was that God goes on to say that He will fill those called to the task with “a spirit of skill.” And so equipped would those artisans be, that in God’s estimation, they would create something glorious and beautiful. Sure, God gave the instructions, but nonetheless, a mere mortal would carry out God’s impulse and bring into tangibility His vision.

Isn’t that stunning? I find it so, but then I’ve always been captivated by man’s capacity to create. Architectural design, a stunning work of art on a canvas, a dancer’s grand jeté across the stage. A jazz improvisation or an actor skilled in drawing out the human experience. And of course, my first creative love as a child, the written word. There is nothing quite as gratifying as a well-turned phrase. These were always, and remain, my fascinations, and I suppose were a major impetus to my love of all things city, where culture and art thrive.

When I first came to Christ, I felt guilty that I didn’t relish in nature more. As mentioned in previous posts, I was saved in New York City, but I returned to my hometown in Idaho shortly after. Churches in this neck of the woods (no pun intended) are filled with creation-loving souls, many of whom were drawn to Idaho because of its natural beauty. And while I do admire the artistry of our earthen home (I’m not a complete heathen), it is God’s image made manifest in man that still holds my rapt attention. When I see what God has given people the capacity to do, make, and perform…it evokes worship.

I recognize this form of worship is more complicated than glorifying God through the marvel of His natural world. Because, even if the world is marred, it was not active in the making of its fall. It was subjected to it…through man’s sinfulness. Creation was simply an innocent bystander, and thus our enjoyment of it is not convoluted by any inherent rebellion on its part. Not so with man’s creativity.

As Christians, we know that man is, at his core, broken and wicked. And we recognize that everything we touch, whether we have bent our knees to Jesus or not, is not quite as it should be. This makes relishing the God-given gift of creativity a little harder. Perhaps a performer on the stage or the artist behind the stunning work on the gallery wall lives a life we would not esteem as holy. Perhaps man uses his creative gift in a way that denies or even blasphemes the God we worship. And even creatives who acknowledge Christ as Savior have works tainted by their fallen nature. There is, in all of this, the temptation to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

But I realized many years ago, through Scripture and an acceptance of how the Lord wired me, that my love of creative expression was just as valid as reveling in God’s natural world. We are, after all, made in His image, and our capacity to create, even when muddied by sin, is wondrous. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, the ability to paint a masterpiece or orchestrate a symphony should invoke awe of God.

We may be prone to elevate persons of creative genius, but artists, musicians, and the like only pour out what was already poured in. By the Creator. The fact that people are mistaken in the origination of the gift should not stop us who know better from worshipping the true Giver of creativity. That’s like saying we should stop worshipping God when we behold the beauty of mountains and oceans because there are those who make creation their god.

And then there’s the fact that God gave instructions for the priest’s garments, not just for glory but for beauty. He could have simply called for utilitarian clothing, why such excess and ornamentation? I propose it’s because beauty matters to God. Isn’t beauty why we worship Him when we see creation? If beauty so abundantly adorns the natural world, why are Christians tempted to diminish the importance of man’s contribution to the world when it’s simply for the sake of beautifying it? Art, dance, music, poetry, and prose add to the beauty of our lives. From my perspective, these ornamentations are not neutral, but necessary. God made us to create…for glory and for beauty. As image bearers, part of glorifying Him is making the world lovely through our creative impulse. Beauty feeds our souls because God made us to enjoy Him, and things good, true, and beautiful are manifestations of His glory.

I hope you find some space these next few weeks to enjoy the glory of God through the beauty of human creativity. And while I don’t have the bandwidth to partake in much in this season, hopefully, I’ll find a touch of His beauty as I strive to put words into my own writing.

Until next time, friends.