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Connecting with God through Music and Art
At St. John’s, where hearts unite,
Art and music weave a tapestry of light.
With vibrant hues and sacred sound,
In every stroke and note, God’s grace is found.
From stained glass shining in the sun’s embrace,
To hymns that lift our spirits in this holy space,
Creativity flows, a divine language shared,
In worship, we gather, our souls laid bare.
Through rhythm and color, we seek the divine,
In every creation, His love we enshrine.
Art and music, a bridge to the heart,
In the dance of our faith, we each play a part.
Expressing Love
Creative expressions are powerful ways to demonstrate love and excitement. Many believe that the drive to create and appreciate beauty is a universal impulse.
Reflecting God’s Nature
These forms of expression can mirror God’s creative essence and offer healing to those in need.
Drawing People Closer to God
Such mediums can draw individuals nearer to the divine, crafting a spiritual ambiance that transports them to another realm.
Sharing the Gospel
Through creativity, people can engage with the gospel on a deeper level than words alone can convey.
Using God’s Gifts
These expressions allow us to utilize the gifts bestowed upon us by God, worshiping and glorifying Him in meaningful ways.
Music is a powerful means of expressing love for God and fostering community because it transcends skill levels, formats, and personal backgrounds. Individuals of all ages and from various walks of life can share their creative gifts, coming together to honor Him in unity.
Musical Worship
As Psalms 100:2 states, “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Connecting with God through music can take many forms, whether participating in a choir, playing a hymn on an instrument, or singing favorite praise songs in your home or community.
The Bible highlights how much musical worship delights the Lord. The very term “psalm” refers to a sacred hymn or poem, emphasizing the importance of creative arts in honoring the Most High. In James 5:13, we are reminded, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
You might consider:
Joining the St. John’s Choir
Consider becoming a part of the St. John’s choir. You don’t need to be an exceptional singer; what truly matters is a willing heart and a desire for fellowship within our church community.
Learning to Play Hymns
If you play an instrument, think about learning your favorite hymns to share during our gatherings. We love it when people bring their musical talents!
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” —Colossians 3:16
Art serves as a beautiful way to express devotion to God and strengthen community bonds, as it goes beyond technical expertise, diverse styles, and individual experiences. People from all walks of life, regardless of age or background, can contribute their creativity, uniting in celebration of His glory.
Artistic Worship
As Exodus 35:35 reminds us, “He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, and embroiderers,” highlighting the divine inspiration behind artistic endeavors. Engaging with God through art can take many forms, whether painting a mural that reflects His beauty, creating sculptures that inspire awe, or crafting handmade items for worship spaces.
The Bible reflects the joy that artistic worship brings to the Lord. The act of creation itself is a reflection of God’s nature, as seen in Genesis 1:27, where we are created in His image. In Colossians 3:23, we are encouraged, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” This verse underscores how every artistic effort can be an offering to God, inviting us to glorify Him through our creativity.
David Nicholls was born and raised in London, England, and has been taking photographs since his teenage years. His principal interest was in documenting historic buildings, with little attempt at making artistic statements. With the arrival of digital cameras, however, a multitude of processing techniques became possible without the need for inconvenient darkroom facilities, and so his work has, he likes to think, become more varied and creative.
He is a member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, and in November 2023 achieved the distinction of Licentiate (LRPS) of that body.
Terry Murray is a practicing artist with a studio in Cornwall NY. Over the past 14 years he has explored the intersection of nature and human nature through paint, wood assemblage, and digital creations. Terry is also a Board member of the Maya Gold Foundation.
“In his long and productive life, David Baldwin has blended both avenues of opportunity and profession as he continues to be vibrant both as a master trumpeter and a gifted and skilled calligrapher.
At the University of Minnesota, School of Music in Minneapolis, Dr. David Baldwin held the post of Professor of Trumpet for 45 years. During that time, he was an active soloist with orchestras and composed, arranged, and recorded 12 CDs, four of which were of his original compositions. He holds MM, MMA, and DMA, degrees from Yale University and a BM from Baldwin-Wallace College.
After retiring, he moved to Cornwall, and while he still plays his trumpet every day, his focus is calligraphy –short pieces and volumes, mostly using black ink, but some works with decorative embellishments in many colors.
“I was originally inspired by my grandfather’s superb handwriting. He took great pains to make it look beautiful.” As a child, he and his parents visited his Uncle Chalmers King who was a professional calligrapher in Minneapolis. By tenth grade he had a new Speedball book in his possession. This book gave instructions in lettering. He found lettering to be “amazing fun! And I was hooked and started my lifelong journey in the letter arts.” When he started graduate school at Yale University, he found a calligraphy course his first semester. He learned from John McCrillis, the head of the Yale Press. Over the years, he has continued to hone his skills.
Calligraphy, like music, is very precise, but again like music, is an art that offers ways for individuals to demonstrate uniqueness in style, subject, color, and paper in bringing new life to ancient scripts as well as making the ordinary magnificent in the modern world of computerization.” -Hudson Valley Times
Myra Strand, MA, CA, provides training, education, and technical assistance to Criminal Justice Professionals.
Myra began working with people who live with trauma in 1995. She has experience working with youth who have complex trauma and/or serious mental illness, people with developmental disabilities, youth in competing war zones, offenders, with death notification, and with victims of all crime types. Myra places a special emphasis on holistic health as it relates to organizational trauma.
It is through this work that Myra discovered art as way to connect to God and hear her soul after working with so much pain and suffering.
She learned that through the creation and consumption of art, she could find a way to share her healing, her grief, and her hope. While Myra is not a professional artist, she uses art in a way that might be useful to others.
