Thought for Today
Exodus 28:2 You shall make sacred vestments for the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron
Proverbs 3:21 My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.
1 Peter 3:3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; 4 rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight.
As I drank my first cup of coffee this morning, sitting in my chair in our family room, I noticed all of the decorations in that room. I began to think about the various non-functional adornments around our home. There are numerous items I dismissively refer to as ‘dust-collectors.’ There are pictures and paintings on the walls of most rooms. Images of places and things I have never seen, probably never will see and even some of places I’m not sure I want to visit or see. Various pieces of furniture, couches and chairs, are covered with pillows that are not intended to improve the comfort of those sitting there, but only to please the eyes of those who gaze upon the furniture. Why?
As I read those verses above, I was reminded of the very elaborate instructions in Exodus describing the vestments to be worn by the priests. I have always thought of those vestments as spiritual haz-mat suits, protective armament against the awesome power of our Creator God. Yet, when you read the descriptions, you will notice that the construction of those vestments includes precious metals and adornments. Why?
I must admit that my first thought this morning as I considered our family room and the rest of the house is that the true author of the Epistle of 1 Peter must not have been the apostle Peter. Scripture informs us that the apostle Peter was married, “8:14 When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.” I cannot imagine a married man telling his wife not to have her hair done or to wear jewelry. Thank goodness men are above all of that (he wrote with hands having a ring on each ring finger and wearing a decorative watch on his wrist).
Why do we decorate? Why do we try to enhance the visual appeal of ourselves and of our surroundings? In fact, why do we have an aesthetic sense at all? Why do we have a sense of beauty? We know that in flora and fauna, decoration and aesthetics are linked to propagation of the species. Interestingly, it is not always the female that is adorned. Often the male evinces adornment. As I sit in our sunroom working on my computer, I often see male turkeys in the field behind our house fanning out their tail feathers and strutting to attract and impress the females.
For God’s children, decoration and adornment must be more than mere techniques to ensure the propagation of the species. Otherwise, how could we explain all of the myriads of different art forms? Music does have charms to soothe the savage beast. Music can set a desired mood and create ambiance. However, music also serves many other purposes. One has only to read the Psalms or to look into any hymn book to know that music enhances worship and inspires.
We believe that God created Creation. Everything which is was created by God. Art, music aesthetics and every emotion of thought are all part of God’s Creation. We also believe “2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Not everything written falls under the rubric of scripture. We recognize the beauty of scripture, the usefulness of the inspired word of God. But, there are also many other examples of the beauty of the written word. Why did God create beauty?
As a Christian, I find the answer in scripture. I believe God created humanity with a sense of the aesthetic, with an appreciation for and desire for beauty because of those words from the Gospel of John, “3:16 For God so loved the world . . . “ Our love of beauty, our sense of the aesthetic, our love of decoration and enhancement are all reflections of the love of our Creator God.
This week we commemorate the ultimate expression of God’s love in the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection of God’s Son. There is a special beauty in the Empty Tomb; a tomb unadorned by any decorations; a tomb truly empty.
Stay safe, thank God “for the beauty of earth,” trust God,
Pastor Ray