EXPRESSING FAITH

Dr. Richard J. Henderson May 16, 2010

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Psalm 150
I Corinthians 12:4-13

Introduction

The writer, Frederick Buechner, says if you want to know who you are follow your feet. If you want to know who you are, just watch where you go and what you do. We act on what we believe in. We can see what we believe in by taking a look at how we live our lives.

A woman says "I'm afraid I'm not a very thoughtful person," and yet she sends cards to her friends who are having birthdays, recovering from surgery or just having a difficult time. She drops off a meal for a family, but doesn't think much of it. What she does demonstrates the kind of person she really is.

We act on what we believe even if we don't always see the connection. Our beliefs affect our moral values, what we trust in, and how we live our lives everyday. For example, to trust in God means that we don't put all our trust in ourselves, our government, our political party, or the goodness of other people. When I was in college a girl told me once, "You believe in God; I believe in the Republican Party." Most people wouldn't say it that blatantly, but...

When we trust and serve God it affects every part of our lives - the little, everyday decisions we make and the huge, difficult, potentially life-changing choices. Our faith impacts how we respond to our family, our neighbors and people in crisis on the other side of the globe. Faith permeates every nook and cranny or our lives.

I

So, we are expressing our faith all the time, even when we don't realize it. Our conversation says a lot about what we believe - not just the kind of language we use, but how we approach topics. Sometimes we overtly talk about our faith, talking about what we believe or what we feel God is doing in our lives.

We also express our faith through the gifts we have been given: the tenor who sings in the choir, the accountant who does the books for a non-profit mission in the city, the writer who creates a meaningful novel or short story, the violinist who plays for worship, the body builder who goes around speaking at youth groups. He demonstrates his strength for the kids by tearing a phone book in half and then he sits down to tell the kids of the real strength that guides his life.

Paul reminds us that we all have been given gifts from God to use for the common good. We express our faith as we offer those gifts for other people.

II

Our church's Festival of Faith and the Arts provides an opportunity for artists of several media to reflect their faith through the gifts they been given. We have displays of watercolors, sculpture, acrylics, quilts, photography, handcrafted items, and art made from recycled materials. Yesterday we had a concert that was part of the festival and included instrumental and vocal music.

When we envisioned this festival we wanted to provide a place for artists to be able to present their expressions of faith in art. Not everything here is "religious art." It doesn't need to be about a religious theme in order to be an expression of faith. When we were contacting artists we had one person respond that she only did paintings of landscapes. "That's not very religious," she said. But in an important way it is. I hope you have read some of the artist's comments about the relationship between the art that they have created and what they believe. Some tell of how their art reminds them of God's faithfulness. Others speak of their gratitude for the beauty God blesses us with every day. It has been inspiring to a lot of us.

We could do a whole sermon on God's gift of music: the tones and harmony and melody. Can you even imagine creation without music? Artists with musical ability bless us all the time through their expressions of faith in that medium. And it isn't just religious music that speaks to our souls.

III

Today we are especially fortunate to be able to worship within this installation by Kayb Carpenter. This is an expression of faith in a majestic art form. I am particularly pleased that we are able to hold our worship service and celebrate the Lord's Supper within this masterful work of art. This is not a piece of art that you stand and look at from a distance; it surrounds and encompasses us. Today we are able to worship within it.

The whole installation is an artistic and symbolic representation of the word communicated to us through the Bible. Its theme covers the entire Bible. You will find representations from Genesis and creation, the prophets, the gospels, Paul's letters, and Revelation.

Maybe the first thing you notice when you walk in the room is that it's filled with words. They surround us. And they are in Greek, Hebrew, and English. Pages are sewn in long banners above us.

The centerpiece of this installation is the robe at the front of the worship area. The robe is the garment of salvation. It represents the grace, forgiveness, redemption, and hope of Christ in our lives.

The robe is referred to in Revelation when it talks about those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Ironically, the robes are purified, made white, by being washed in the deep scarlet of Christ's sacrificial blood.

The symbol of the robe is also found in Isaiah 61:10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." The robe, the wedding garment, is the clothing of salvation. Before us is a linen kimono. Interwoven with the fabric are symbols and words about forgiveness.

This symbol of the cleansing power of Christ stands at the front and in the center of the whole installation. Although there are dozens of symbols all through this work of art, they all emanate from the main object which represents what Christ has done in our world and in our lives.

We are privileged to have the artist, Kayb Carpenter, with us this morning. I hope you will take the time to look in greater detail at what she has created. Also take the opportunity to talk with her about the meaning of what she has put together. It truly is an amazing piece of art.

Conclusion

With the Festival of Faith and the Arts we wanted to allow people of faith to express their belief through the skills God has given them. There is a way that art communicates that is different from what we say or read in words. It is another way of expressing what is important to us.

Words help us in understanding and clarifying our beliefs. In a different way music can communicate with us about our faith, even if it is music without words. The visual arts can also express our belief in another powerful way.

Each medium communicates in its own way. As Kayb has said, "Images can speak and give understanding that words never will." We are glad to be telling about our faith in so many different ways this weekend.

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2010