Our uncreated God is the great Creator of the universe, forming the shining stars and the depths of the seas. It is through the Divine breath that humanity sprung to life, and the One who works with the skill of the potter formed everything that is. We are made in the image of our creating God, following the first commandment to be fruitful and multiply, shaping the physical world with extraordinary vision, and bringing to life the presence of Love within our hearts and the heart of the world.
God is referred to as Architect and Author, the first Artist, and the one whose breathtaking sense of color no painter can exceed.
"I’m not a very creative person," is a phrase I often hear. However, this is not true. Born out of creativity, we are creative by nature. Give a child a crayon and paper. The walls, floors and furniture become a canvass. Listen to boys and girls as they take their favorite stuffed animal and talk to them as if they were "real." They create stories and relationships, making amazing connections between the tangible and spiritual world.
As we move toward adulthood, our willingness to take risks and to be playful gives way to the desire to be acceptable. After all, no one wants to make a fool of themselves, in spite of Jesus’ injunction to be like a child, and St. Paul’s admonition to be a fool for Christ. The fear of embarrassment is great, and so we hide one of God’s most wonderful treasures: creativity.
Our Rhode Island Episcopal churches face challenges that will only be met by creative thinkers. Not all ideas are equal in their practicality, but every idea can enlighten others to add to the pool of ideas out of which extraordinary insights and actions emerge. Group creativity bears fruit when everyone enjoys sharing thoughts without "owning" them. Ideas become offerings, placed in the corporate mind, out of which something comes to birth that is more than any one person’s contribution. Creative people can take two or more seemingly unconnected ideas or things, put them together and voila, a new creation!
At a time when money may be in short supply, let us cultivate the bank of ideas that are essential resources for our future.
Faith and creativity are the gifts we bring to the challenges we face. Not sure you have enough? Remember, our creativity comes from the Divine Creator, whose Word is born animates our hearts, and whose light enlightens all our endeavors.
