13 June

Dear friends,

On Sunday, we will continue exploring the work of the Holy Spirit in our Pentecost series. More specifically, we will focus on the Spirit and creativity.

As I was preparing, I was struck once again by how full of beauty the pages of the Bible are. In our readings from Exodus, for example, we see a season of high-level artisanship during the construction of the tabernacle. Everything is measured, planned, detailed, and thoughtful. From the stones to the cloth to the colours, everything has meaning. This is not unique to the Exodus accounts. When Noah built the ark, God gave him detailed instructions for its construction. When Solomon built the temple, God was involved as co-constructor and, certainly, chief architect. God is extraordinarily attentive to detail when involved in the creative process, not least when God selects the clay with which to form the human person. What is more, the precious metals and stones used to build and beautify the tabernacle, the ark, and the temple are tangible products of God’s creation, now being used by these craftspeople to continue the beautifying project. Through our art, music, construction, writing, and so on—through using raw materials responsibly and respectfully—we contribute to God’s creative work.

And don’t worry: Sunday’s sermon is not meant only for the “true artists” among us. In fact, we might discover that all our lives are, in essence, contributing to God’s beautifying project—whether we can draw the Mona Lisa from memory or feel embarrassed by our toddler-like stick drawings. A key question will therefore be: how can we (re)discover our creative selves, our artisan souls?

Marius Louw