Posted by Holly Ordway in Christian Life | 1 Comment
Worship Him in the Beauty of Holiness: Church Art, Architecture, and Worship
God is present when we gather together to praise and worship Him, regardless of whether it’s in a spectacular cathedral or someone’s living room, a bare multipurpose room in a community recreation center or a beautiful church. Yet when we gather together for study, fellowship, and worship, is functionality the only thing that’s important? Does it matter that my church is beautiful, or simply that it can seat enough people to hear the Word of God?
In one sense – no. God can and does reach out to meet us wherever we are, and I can testify to having profound experiences of Him in my life in the most unlikely places.
But in another sense, yes, the environment does matter. When we are intentionally coming together to worship Him, I think it honors Him that we reflect His glory in our sacred spaces. As there is nothing more beautiful than Him, nor more holy, I think that we are called to “worship Him in the splendor of holiness,” (Ps 96): to reflect, as much as we can in our fallen world, some glimmering of His beauty. Beauty becomes a way to show gratitude for the gifts our Maker has given us, and to show love for our Savior.
Beauty should matter to us because it matters to God. His creation is heart-stoppingly beautiful. Consider just one sunset over the Pacific: soft shades of rose and pink blending out into the darkening blue of the sky. A flock of birds wheeling overhead, elegantly describing arcs and circles around each other. A scent of flowers, subtle and complex, drifting from the neighbor’s garden. The sky gradually turning a velvety black. All this beauty in just a tiny slice of God’s creation, as seen on just one evening from my backyard… and there is a whole world of it, new every day.
Some of God’s creation is beautiful in its simplicity; some of it is stunning in its magnificent complexity. All of our own art, architecture, and design pales beside the splendor of the smallest bit of God’s own handiwork. And yet, the very beauty of the world around us calls us to use our own God-given creative impulses and abilities to put more beauty into the world and to honor Him by incorporating that beauty in our worship and praise of Him. I believe that’s why we are moved by the beauty of Christian art, architecture, liturgy, literature, and music; and why beauty matters in our worship as well as in our daily lives.
It is possible to get too caught up in making worship beautiful, and fall into the trap of beauty for beauty’s sake. In this fallen world, we can go wrong in anything, including our attitudes toward “religious” things. Whether it is lovely, colorful vestments, flowers on the altar, a nicely designed bulletin, or the perfect choice of worship songs, none of these things is important for itself, and in none of them can we ever earn God’s approval or blessing. His love is freely given, His grace a free gift that we can never merit but only accept with gratitude.
I think intentionality makes all the difference. Is the art, the architecture, the décor all designed intentionally to orient the mind and heart toward God? Is it there to be pretty for its own sake, or is it made beautiful with deliberate intention to honor God by reflecting the beauty of His perfect holiness? We can ask: what symbolic meaning does this carry – and does everyone know the symbolism, so that when they see it, they immediately make the connection? What does this particular art, or decoration, or music point toward? Does it draw our attention to Word and Sacrament, or does it draw attention only to itself?
One of the wonderful things about the richness of holiness is that it can manifest itself in so many different ways, yet all honoring Christ. Even in my own church, I can see that: our main church has stained-glass windows, candlesticks and candelabra, crucifixes, wall hangings, and an altar decorated with mosaic designs. In contrast, our chapel is very simple, with an undecorated wooden altar, plain glass windows, and just two candlesticks. Yet the chapel is just as beautiful as the church, in a different way – because its plainness is not the absence of decoration, but a mindful and lovely simplicity.
In what ways does beauty appear in your own worship?
Related posts:
As an Orthodox Christian, I see beauty all around me when I enter the sanctuary to worship God. We are intended to encounter God with all our senses, and toward that end we have icons, beautiful chanting, and incense. With icons positioned all around the sanctuary we have windows into heaven.
In my personal worship, I also use icons. I have several in my bedroom and one in my living room. Usually Orthodox Christians have icon corners, but I am still creating mine. But even without the icons around me, I can still feel the presence of God when I read my small prayer book at work or when I sit in a room without an icon and read Scripture.