Bless the creators, O God of creation

Yesterday I was privileged to be able to lead a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Giles Waterfield at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Giles Waterfield was: an ever energetic and inspiring character with a towering knowledge that seemed to surpass any disciplinary bounds; a beloved teacher, who took a very personal interest in his students and their lives; a real pioneer in his museum studies; a kind, caring and hilarious friend; a great man of culture bridging the worlds of art history and architectural history; a talented writer and exhibition curator; a person of wit, charm, warmth and kindness.

St Martin's was filled to overflowing with Giles' family, friends, colleagues and students. As one tweet put it, it seemed as though 'every art historian alive was at St-Martin-in-the-fields to pay homage to the extraordinary, inspiring, kind Giles Waterfield.'

As well as a celebration of Giles' exceptional life, the service was, through the prayers, also a celebration of creativity and the contribution of artists more generally. The majority of the prayers used in the service were adapted from the following collection - http://artspastor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/prayers-of-artists-prayers-for-artists.html. They included:

Almighty God, you love everything you have made, so we thank you because you made us in your own image and gave us gifts in mind, body and spirit. We thank you now for Giles and what he meant to each of us. As we honour his memory in this service, make us more aware that you are the one from whom comes every perfect gift, including the gift of creativity. As we honour his memory, his creativity and his support of the creativity of others, we remember and give thanks for those who pour their souls into music loud and soft, those who put pigment to surface, carve wood and stone and marble, who work base metals into beauty, those building upwards from the earth toward heaven, those who put thought to paper by computer and by pen; the poets who delve, the playwrights who analyze and proclaim, the dreamers-up of narrative, all those who work with the light and shadows of film, actors moved by Spirit and dancers moving through space. Lord, remember your artists. Have mercy upon them and remember with compassion all those that reflect the good, the ill, the strengths and the weaknesses of the human spirit. Amen.

Teach us, Lord, to use wisely the time which You have given us and to work well without wasting a second. Teach us to profit from our past mistakes without falling into a gnawing doubt. Teach us to anticipate our projects without worry and to imagine the work without despair if it should turn out differently. Teach us to unite haste and slowness, serenity and ardour, zeal and peace. Help us at the beginning of the work when we are weakest. Help us in the middle of the work when our attention must be sustained. In all the work of our hands, bestow Your Grace so that it can speak to others and our mistakes can speak to us alone. Keep us in the hope of perfection, without which we would lose heart, yet keep us from achieving perfection, for surely we would be lost in arrogance. Let me never forget that all knowledge is in vain unless there is work. And all work is empty unless there is love. And all love is hollow unless it binds us both to others and to You. Amen.

Bless the creators, O God of creation, who by their gifts make the world a more joyful and beautiful realm. Through their labours they teach us to see more clearly the truth around us. In their inspiration they call forth wonder and awe in our own living. In their hope and vision they remind us that life is holy. Bless all who create in your image, O God of creation. Pour your Spirit upon them that their hearts may sing and their works be fulfilling. Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabriel Faure - In Paradisum.

Arts and Mission: Reluctant Partners

John Franklin, Executive Director of Imago, a national initiative in support of Christians in the arts in Canada, has written an interesting post as part of the week on Art and Mission at Transpositions.

Franklin writes that the "arts and mission are reluctant partners" because "artists are commonly uncomfortable with the idea of carrying a specific agenda in their work," not wishing to "preach through their art" while "many who do mission work are intent on being clear and direct in their message" avoiding art which is unclear, indirect and ambiguous. Additionally:

"It’s common among those of evangelical persuasion to hold to a spirituality that disengages us from the material world – a pietism focused on the inner life.  Art, by contrast, is sensual and naturally engages the material world.  Theologically we have tended to diminish the importance of the doctrine of creation and along with it the cultural mandate.  We are called to be stewards of the created order, crafters and those who engage the imagination for a wide variety of purposes.  These are callings that often get neglected in our desire to focus on redemption."

commission4mission, the arts organisation with which I am involved, has sought to be clear that commissioning contemporary art for churches is about mission. Pragmatically, we have argued that the Arts contribute to the mission of the Church by:

•    speaking eloquently of the faith;

•    providing a reason to visit a church;

•    making links between churches and local arts organisations/ initiatives; and

•    providing a focus for people to come together for a shared activity.

Our work demonstrates the value of these approaches in the way: our commissions speak of the Christian faith; our Art Trail project for the Barking Episcopal Area has encouraged visits to churches; we linked local churches with the Harlow Art Trust in planning our study day on public art; and in the community arts initiatives that we have organised and supported.

At commission4mission we have experienced real interest on the ground in this kind of engagement. Franklin also writes that:

"There are signs of change.  Renewed interest in the arts is evident in faith communities around the globe.  Arts pastors – unheard of 20 years ago – are a growing breed in the west at least.  Many Asian churches are giving serious attention to the arts by including art galleries and performance space for their communities.  In Africa, South America and the Middle East the arts are so woven into the culture it is hard to exclude them from faith communities.  Add to this the widespread movement to shed Western influences and to recover indigenous art forms for worship and it becomes clear that we are in an important transition time for arts and mission."

He says that the question he would like to pose is, “How might we engage the arts in the missional task?  It is evident, he thinks, that "the arts are an untapped resource for mission among many who operate in the world of mission work":

"The task of mission is one of communication.  Art has the power to move us, engage us, and enable us to see in a new way.  Art can open us to the truth of things in fresh ways, and it invites us to discover what we may not have known before."

In my view, artists see from fresh perspectives, make new connections, and explore questions in and through their work. For the Arts and Mission to be more than reluctant partners, the Church needs to acknowledge that to do these things is 'mission' and to affirm artists in these actions in every arena within which they practice their art, whether in the mainstream art world or within the frame of Christian mission and ministry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Johnson - Half A World Away.