Recently at Westwinds, we all participated in a corporate worship interactive designed around a found object compilation art piece.
We asked all our people to dig into their pockets and purses and pull out the stuff that doesn't belong. The "how did this get in here" stuff. The stuff that is occupying space. The junk. The things we forgot to throw away. The things we have a hard time throwing away. We threw all of our found objects into a couple of bins and one of our artists, Sheryl Amburgey, used the discarded objects to make a piece of art.
The idea with this interactive is that we are all found objects. God finds us hiding behind the combs with the broken teeth, the cigarettes, and the keys and asks "what are you doing down here?" He takes seemingly insignificant things and he brings them together and makes something beautiful. The church is a found art collective. We are the pocket fuzz and crud-in-the-bottom-of-the-purse-people.
We don't climb out of the purse or pockets on our own. God seeks us out. He is a constant pursuer. He gathers us together with other forgotten, used, discarded, and broken objects and he puts us together on a canvas to be a testament to His grace and a workmanship created for good works. He calls us beautiful. He calls us his beautiful bride now and forever.
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." --Ephesians 2:10 NLV
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” --Revelation 21:1-5
These beautiful pieces of art will find their way into our lobby gallery. I looked at them long and hard today and chuckled to myself thinking about the items that represent the people at Westwinds--old movie tickets, unwanted keys, half-empty birth control pill containers, a broken tip of a fishing rod, a ripped up business card, left-over Halloween candy, Nicorette nicotine gum packages . . .
I prayed over the paintings and asked questions:
- "Who did they go to the movies with? A boyfriend? A girlfriend? A new love interest?"
- "Did someone stop taking birth control? Are they having a baby? Is it a surprise?"
- "Why a fishing rod? Did it ruin their camping trip with their kids?"
- "Were they mad at the person who gave them the business card? Is it their own?"
- "Are they trying to stop smoking? Did they give up trying? Were they successful?"
- "Are they giving up candy? Trying to get healthy? Drowning their sorrows in sugar?"
- "Did the keys belong to something or someone they no longer care about?"
I celebrate and pray for the people of Westwinds. We are a found art collective of epic proportions. We are freaks and weirdos and broken trophies of God's grace.
