The Wonders of Art

God undoubtedly is the most marvelous artist one could ever imagine. Every day I am awed at the shapes, the colors, the sizes of everything around us--big and small. I watch the sunrises and the sunsets here in West Texas out away from the city--it is always different--always stunning.

My wonderful wife showed me a chapter in a little book by Archibald Rutledge entitled Life's Extras. The following four paragraphs captivated my thoughts:

"As I went up the old gullied mountain road toward the home of the first, I noticed in the wild glen, down which a white stream gurgled and spurted, incessant, vehement, and joyous, that the rhododendrons were in blossom. There may be a more beautiful flower, but I have not seen it--taking it all in all, and considering the wildwood setting in which it invariably grows. To look at this wonderous flower and not to feel that God exquisitely designed it, and did not merely as a vagrant artist but with precision and nobility of purpose is to me incredible. Ere long I reached the canin, and one of the man's sisters greeted me and talked with me. Over the humble mantel I saw a crude little photograph of him in his uniform; and beside it, in a small bottle that functioned as a vase, I saw a sprig of rhododendron blossom. I looked at the picture; then I said something casual about the flower.

'I don't know why,' my hostess said, 'but to have it there helps me. It 'minds me of God.'

I have always loved the eloquence of simple people. What they say, coming from the heart, often goes straight to the heart. "It 'minds me of God." I never see a rhododendon without remembering that. And are not all of life's extras reminders of the love and the yearning compassion of God?

I mentioned sunsets and sunrises as extras. Almost the whole complex and wonderful matter of color in the world seems as extra. The color of the sky might have been a dingy gray, or a prainful yellor, or a plum-colored purple. But is is sapphire; and my philosophy makes me believe that such a color for the sky is by no means the result of mere chance. Granted that it is the result of the operation of certain laws, forces, and conditions; yet behind it all, back of the realized dream, is the mighty intelligence of the Creator, the vast amplitude of the dreamer's comprehension. And let us not forget that the two colors at which we can gaze longest are blue and green. There is about them a coolness, a serenity, a spirit of fragrant peace. And as the blud prevails in the sky, the green does upon earth." [End of quotes]

The story of creation in Genesis 2:7 says that "the Lord God FORMED man from the dust of the ground, and BREATHED into his nostrils the breath of life." The verb "form" is the word used throughout the Bible for the work of a potter. Like a potter, God takes wet clay and shapes human beings into God's own image--and THEN, God adds to all this by "BREATHING" into this piece of clay a living being. What a work of art--What a marvelous miracle!!!

But to top all that, God has gifted human beings to received and use art. Evelyn and I have been so blessed to see great art made by human beings. We marveled at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome with all its tremendous paintings. We thrilled at viewing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris--but all around this painting were many other great paintings. In a sense, I wish I had been able to spend my life studying and understanding and developing artistic works.

I have spent my life studying and preaching and teaching "words." And I think words are very important. But song and art and other media even exceed words.

A wonderful example is the life and work of Jack and Jill Maxwell. They are committed Christian people at the Highland Church of Christ, and teach art at Abilene Christian University. For eighteen years, Mike Cope has preached at Highland. But over these years, frequently Jack and Jill have painting behind Mike as they preached. There are pictures of a shepherd, Jonah, runners, and on and on. Every time we have such a gospel message, all of us appreciate and remember the "words" of Mike [Mike is a very gifted preacher and communicator], but we will NEVER FORGET the artistic words of Jack and Jill Maxwell. Our little children go to the front after the service is over, and rally around these wonderful works.

During the Medieval Ages, written Bibles and other kinds of books were not available extensively to the public. Thoughtful Christian people realized the importance of handing down the stories of the Bible through art--in stained glass windows and through other means. We have traveled in Europe and have seen many ancient cathedrals which have these artistic descriptions. How wonderful it is to experience art!!!

Every year, Evelyn and I attend to approximately three or four national and regional conferences in biblical studies. One section wisely deals with art in the Bible. A few years ago, I saw and heard a presentation on the story of David and Goliath throughout the centuries in art. What a revelation that is so easy to miss in scripture. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Through over fifty years, I have been so blessed to have had many students who have developed their work in art. Recently, I think of Brazos Condra in pottery [now with his wife at Highland], Alexsandra Vucic in interior design [now in Serbia, her home country, who has marvelous works]. Then, in our ACU faculty and at Highland, I think of Dan McGregor and Robert Green and Kenny and Polly Jones--and so many others.

We need to have preachers--good preachers, preachers of integrity. We also needs artists--and we need to teach and train our preachers to learn and understand and appreciate and use Christian people in art. I wish we would have some classes at ACU in "Bible and Art" with two profs: a Bible teacher and an art teacher. That is just me.

What do YOU think? Are YOU an artist? What do you think about God's artistry? Do YOU appreciate and encourage and support our artists?

John Willis