Sleeping Beauty part 1

This weekend, I am speaking on the Theology of Art and Beauty. I thought I would share a few thoughts in bit-sized chunks for you.

Outside of the creation account in Genesis, Exodus 24-28 is one of the earliest colorfully vivid and visually descriptive passages we have that refer to the connection between God and the aesthetics of worship—the place of art and beauty in the congregational worship setting—and the visual display of a physical earthly reflection of a heavenly reality.

It’s one of my favorite passages.

It is easily overlooked and browsed because it is long and some believe . . . tedious.

Or, it can be drank in with an understanding that perhaps, just perhaps, there is more to art and the place of art in worship than meets the eye.

God could have shown himself to Moses, Aaron and the Elders in any number of ways. Is there a reason He used such visual imagery? Fire. Smoke. Earthquakes. Thunder. Lightning. Clouds. Pavement like sapphire.

Perhaps it is the response of Moses, Aaron, and all the elders that should cause us to ask more questions about why God chose to use such a dramatic visual display of Himself.

“They saw God; and they ate and drank.” These leaders saw a visual representation of the God of Israel and were moved to share food and drink together in somewhat of a pre-Christian communion-like fashion. Their response is celebratory.

Or, maybe it suffices to say . . . they responded.

And they weren’t even all the way up the mountain.

Moses got to see more.

Read on . . .