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The Bible begins: “In the beginning, God created….” Later in Genesis 1:27, we see: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Based on these two verses, we know:
- God created
- What God created was good, in God’s opinion
- We were created in God’s image
This suggests that we also have the ability to create, and what we create has the possibility of being good.
Look at Adam. He created names for all the birds of the air and beasts of the field. Together, Adam and Eve created children.
When God created, he separated; he also gathered things together. He organized and put structure into his creation.
All the curiosity and learning take us on a journey to Christian maturity. But that’s not all. We’re not meant to merely consume. As Christians, we have Spiritual gifts. These gifts allow us to create, and we’re meant to create in order to glorify God and fulfill the mission of the Church.
The Dutch graphic Artist, M.C. Escher used the gift of art that the Holy Spirit gave him; creating print after print. The art he left behind was a visual manifestation of his life’s work.
Escher was a man made in the image of God. He found nature to be beautiful and fascinating. He was also a man who loved order. In 1965 in Hilversum, Netherlands, Escher states: “I try in my prints to testify that we live in a beautiful and orderly world, and not in a formless chaos, as it sometimes seems.”2
His print Verbum, seen in a previous blog post is a good example of beauty and order. One of Escher’s lesser known prints, made in 150, is Circle Limit with Butterflies (shown at the top of this post). It shows an orderly progression of butterflies. The butterflies are small at the center of the circle, but as they progress to the edge, they get larger. Woven into the butterflies are sets of eight overlapping circles. There is structure and beauty here!
This is structure and beauty in Escher’s life work, in his creations. There is order and structure. He used his gifts, and he contributed to our culture. Ultimately, though, his contributions were to glorify God.
In Jesus’ earthly ministry, he also created. Some examples are parables, object lessons, and memorable sayings.
We’re meant to morph into mature Christians, creating our own works for the Kingdom of God.
Here are some things that help me morph:
- I try to understand what my spiritual gifts are.
- I try to develop my spiritual gifts.
- I use my gifts to serve the church body.
- I use my gifts to proclaim Christ through art
Sources
- Circle Limit with Butterflies, M. C. Escher. Retrieved from wikiart.org on January 16, 2016.
- Escher, M.C. 1989, Escher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite, Page 21. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers.