What Is the Artist s Perspective? Architecture

Transcription

1 Series Theme: Discover (Week 5 of 5) Title: Bible and the Arts This series format will be different from the previous versions due to the nature of the content. Also, depending on the Sunday preacher, the weekly curriculum will be adapted to apply to each sermon. Please watch the sermon on or the PAC app first. You will find a recommended reading list so you can take your personal studies further at the end of this study. Pastor Joel also provided his list of ten forms of art in the same list. For this sermon, he addresses only the first four. What Is the Artist s Perspective? An artist looks for and seeks to express beauty, wonder, and the depth of the human experience through the interplay of order and chaos, tension and resolution, form and function utilizing and exploring sight, sound, touch, and or smell, and especially the full internal emotional range. Whether in a depiction of or commentary on human society, artists use their craft and their craftsmanship to dialogue with or provoke dialogue with, everything that defines us and separates us as humans - such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, race, age, language, time, space, poverty, politics, and all manner of illness. Pastor Joel Koenigsberg Architecture The Bible contains incredible visuals of the design for the temple of the Lord. The details may seem foreign to modern readers as the measurements are different, but it is fascinating to read that God himself inspired and dictated the plans and dimensions of the temporary tent-dwelling that he gave to Moses and the people of Israel to use while they were traveling on their exodus. This can be found in Exodus Later, King David, inspired by God, made the plans, wrote them down, assembled the supplies, and then commissioned his son Solomon to build a wood and stone version of the same thing. The dimensions and the details for it are in 1 Kings 6 and it s incredible. 1 Kings 6:7 (ESV) When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. The care of the craftsmen in the preparation was extraordinary because they knew this significance of this project. For this reason, the temple was beautiful, and God s glory came and filled the temple at the temple dedication so much so that the musicians could not play and the priests could see to do their work and the whole assembly just fell on the faces to worship God. 1

2 But the significance of architecture in the Bible goes deeper because in the same way that the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem became a central identifying symbol of their identity as God s nation, when they rebelled against God repetitively and God brought the nation of Babylon to overtake the people of Israel and burn the temple, its destruction was one of the primary visual reminders that caused the people of God to weep and remember their rebellion. The book Nehemiah is an example of this struggle. The New Testament also references the temple of the Lord. Matthew 12:6 (ESV) I tell you something greater than the temple is here. John 2:19 (ESV) Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Jesus has just cleared out the temple of money changers and animals and those with him asked with what authority he had done these things. It is clear to us now that he s referring to his own resurrection, but at the time, the significance of the temple would have been completely shocking. And Jesus knows this and is trying to use the temple, to help them understand his significance for them. 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God s temple and that God s Spirit dwells in you? The significance of architecture is paramount in the Scripture there exists an incredible arc among these five different authors. It starts with the creative detail in the fabric tabernacle and the form and dimensions of which carries throughout the future iterations of the physical temple. It has scale and beauty and incredible heartache. And then Jesus takes this established icon and uses it to help the Jewish people understand his significance and his power. And finally, it is a symbol of the new eternal promise that God has with us. Fragrances The sense of smell is powerful. Many of our memories have scents that are associated with them. Think of your favorite home cooked meal growing up. In the same manner, God gave Moses a specific recipe for the aroma that would exist inside the Tent of Meeting. Exodus 30:22-25, (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweetsmelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. The Lord said to Moses, Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and 2

3 put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. Fragrance clearly matter to the Lord since there are exact recipes that God gave Moses. Moses received a recipe from the Lord, and right there it says something about God s artistry and what an aroma that must have been. This is a special recipe representing the uniqueness and holiness of God. Now just like in the architecture example, we re going to see how this progresses through the Scripture. Psalm 133:1-2 (ESV) Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! The psalmist takes this precious moment of this holy oil running down over Aaron and his beard and robes. Aaron was the first priest of Israel, Moses s brother, and pouring this oil was the instruction for anointing and consecrating a priest. It happened many times and was a revered moment/symbol for the people. The psalmist writes the opening line in three verse psalm that when you and I dwell in unity, there is a precious aroma to the way we treat one another. The way we really dwell together, more than just the way we are at church. It is an aroma that matters, and the psalmist is reminding his readers how beautiful it is when we dwell in unity. But there is more in the Bible about fragrance. Revelation 5:8 (ESV) And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. The aroma of heaven is the prayers of the saints! Your prayer and my prayer are to heaven the sweet and precious aroma that is filling the air. Jesus is not just interceding for us at the right hand of the Father, he is also seated on a seat of mercy being worshipped by elders and angels and the perfume of his presence is the prayers of those who love him. What a powerful image. Music It was not until 1025 that music notation came into being by a monk. Music notation does not exist in the Bible. But we read about different instruments throughout Psalms and musical direction such as the word selah. God gave us music, voices, the ability to express ourselves musically and melodically. One of the most repeated phrases throughout Scripture is Sing to the Lord a new song! Singing is personal and our understanding of God s love for us continues to deepen and grow. The songs we sing as a church are truer, more updated expressions of our emerging theologies and discovery of our relationship with a God that never changes, but 3

4 continuously reveals himself. There will need to be new songs. It keeps things fresh in here. Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (ESV) Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. This is the beginning of the Song of Moses. He writes this song and teaches it to the people of Israel when he knows he is dying and he gives Israel a song to remember the law and the instructions of the Lord. The whole song is about don t forget and don t walk away from God. Ok. Now Revelation 15:3 (ESV) And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! The angels and those who are in heaven are singing the song of Moses. Somehow there is a connection between what is sung on earth and what is sung in heaven. Now these lyrics are not here word for word the ones from Deuteronomy 32, but they are a direct mirror and it says here they sing the song of Moses. Revelation 15 is a vision of John the disciple, written at the end of the first century, and this vision is about the future of the end of the church era and the judgement sequence and the beginning of the future heavenly reality. In this future reality which we don t really know is in the same experience of time as we do in our temporary human bodies, they are singing a song that Moses, the servant of God wrote that started with Give ear, o heavens. Poetry Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a together as a small group. It is the famous love passage. This poem that Paul either wrote himself or inserted into his letter is transcendent but practical. But there is more to the poem. In music and in art, there are principles of repetition and reinvention. In music, it is the principle of threes. You can use a musical figure once, twice is nice, but the third time it should change, or it dangers on the side of boring. 4

5 Take for example Barber of Seville by Rossini. In the same way, Paul utilizes pairs and triplets. Refer to the sermon video for Pastor Joel s teaching on this. 1. Love is patient and kind Love does not envy or boast It is not arrogant or rude 2. It does not insist on its own way It is not irritable or resentful It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth 3. Love bears all things Believes all things Hopes all things Endures all things 4. Love never ends Pastor s Note In 1 John 4, twice the Word tells us that God is love. If you substitute the word love every time you read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 with God, there is a clearer picture of who God truly is. It s beautiful, simple, elegant, melodic, and inspirational. It s a grounding verse for families and has the potential to re-orient marriages and rescue families and generations of families. I mean it s not just a nice little poem here. This kind of poetry changes lives. Discussion Questions (Optional) 1. In what ways do you connect with God through art? (See the last page for Pastor Joel s list) 2. Why is the arts so important in the Bible? What does it say about God? 3. There are many developmental benefits for children who partake in the arts such as motor skills, language development, decision making, inventiveness, cultural awareness, and improved academic performance. How can you foster interest in the arts for your children? Have you seen its benefits if you ve been doing so already? 4. What are ways that you can connect with your work colleagues regarding the arts? 5

6 Reading List (Posted on our Facebook page) The blue texts contain active URL links 1. Poetry that is simultaneously transcendent and practical and utilizes the pattern of threes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. 2. Music is found in the bible as lyrics only but is clearly represented. Here s a link to the history of music notation. One example of music in the Bible is Psalm 150, and another is the song of Moses that is written Deuteronomy 32 and also found in Revelation 15: Fragrances like the anointing oil found in Exodus 30: or the incense in vs used in the tent of meeting as a deeply significant and reminiscent aromatic. This fragrance is then is referenced in Psalm 133 and developed into reminder for unity among believers and then in Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3 as the prayers of the saints. 4. Architecture and design can be found as early as the fabric tabernacle in Exodus 25, 26, 27, 28, which is then realized in Solomon s temple in 1 Kings 6, destroyed by Babylon in 2 Kings 24:10-16 and restored in Nehemiah. The temple metaphor is then superseded by Jesus himself in Matthew 12:6 and deconstructed in Jesus death and resurrections in John 2:19, to be then replaced in Ephesians 2:21-22 with dwelling in the hearts of men as a seal of the new covenant as referenced in Isaiah 57:15, 1 Peter 2:5-6, and Hebrews 8: The 4 gospels as overlaid simultaneous stories of the life of Jesus from 4 different viewpoints similar to multiple viewpoint style films or books. Consider this article about the power of perspectives in the Gospels or this short overview of the gospel authors. 6. Short story as a literary genre are found in examples such as Ruth, Esther, Jonah. 7. Romance as found in Song of Solomon or Jacob s long romance of Leah and Rachel in Gen Emotional depth and grief, common in art forms, are also found throughout the Bible from Lamentations, Job, King David s loss of his sons in both 2 Samuel 12:15-23 and 2 Samuel Jesus own anguish in Gethsemane is recorded in Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-50, and Luke 22: Social Commentary through art, akin to the work of Bob Dylan, Francisco Goya, or Maya Angelou, just to name a few, is also very common in the Bible. Read about the revolutionary Biblical treatment of slaves and the question of if the Bible actually condones slavery. Read about the original context of the Biblical instructions about sexual ethics and a short perspective on sexuality in the culture of the new testament church letters. There was also social commentary on the repulsive behavior as found in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:20-19:29, and commentary on social discrimination in James 2:1-9 and Leviticus 19:18. More information here. 10. Dance, as the one of the most exuberant forms of joy, is commonly apart of worship and celebration in Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 6:14, Psalm 30:11, Jeremiah 31:4, and Luke 15:25. 6