The Wednesday night before Christmas, I participated in a service at our church that brought together multiple generations through art and the gospel. Four artists (elementary student, middle school student, me, and a retired person) were asked to create paintings that were our interpretation of Luke 2. They placed our work on stage, and interviewed each of us one at a time. They asked what in the text stood out to us, inspired us, or challenged us & how we represented that within our work. They also asked what stylistic choices we made within our work that helped convey the heart of our art. It was affirming, to me, as a believer & an artist to be a part of this service. The fact that we as artists were given a platform to serve the Lord with our gifts/talents & share the gospel through our work is not something I take for granted. This is not happening in a lot of churches...beyond doing crafts with kids or painting sets for VBS. We ,as believers, need to find the gifts/talents of our people and allow them to use those diverse, amazing, and unique skill sets to build up the body of believers...share God's love, and glorify the Lord. Bakers, automotive, organizers, hair dressers, gardners....can all be done for the glory of the Lord. It's time to view "ministry" as a way of life and not a narrow prescribed job description/role within the church. I loved every work & the words each artist shared. It truly was a blessing.
