By Marianne Wood

I can’t get past Easter.

Some say you should never, ever. And I agree with them more this year, thanks to a dozen or so visual artists who dared to share what God revealed to them. This year I enjoyed Easter installations at home and away.

At home, another Holy Week envisioned by artists at my church took me deeper into the tempest and the triumph of the cross. Some of the works were very raw; others serene. A young boy gave us a pictorial sermon complete with multiple scripture references. He’s a chip off the ole block of someone else we love.

During my time away, I was deeply moved by Caleb Stoltzfus’s work, whose installation at Resurrection Philadelphia resonated with me. In the photograph, I’ve captured two parts of it: The Wounded Lamb, a poignant piece made of cardboard, and Jacob’s Ladder Diptych. Unfortunately, I didn’t photograph the Town Center, a fountain displayed in the church’s central aisle strewn with flowers. 

The bulletin prompted us to reflect on the meaning of each component. The Lamb asked, “Where are my ambitions leading me?” The ladders questioned, “Where does heaven meet earth?” The Town Center urged, “Who might be affected if I embraced a spirit of abundance?” These prompts, coupled with the artwork, created a powerful experience.

My painting, God with Us, deepened my connection to Jesus’s followers as I read that their hearts burned within them as their resurrected leader “opened the Scriptures” to them. This experience, as described in Luke 24:32, mirrored my heart again as I viewed Easter artwork by others both at home and away. 

Recently, I  reviewed a growing list of bullet points under the heading “Why the Church Needs Art” that sits on my computer desktop. Here’s what I had before this Easter. The Church Needs Art…

§  Because we all long for Eden, and art can point us back.

§  Because some of us need to see what heaven looks like.

§  Because some of us can’t not (make art), and we’re part of the church, too.

§  Because part of our imago dei, the stamp of God’s image on us, is our creative imagination.

§  Because churches look better when there’s art around.

§  Because art softens hard edges.

§  Because art is therapeutic for the makers and the viewers.

§  Because art can communicate God’s requirements: justice, kindness, and humility.

§  Because art can be used to convict us of idolatry, which, according to Tim Keller, is an attempt to get redemption (the wrong way).

§  Because art can express some of the tenderest feelings at a glance, with a few notes, or with a single sentence. Take for instance, Saint Francis in Ecstasy by Caravaggio and Organ Prelude on Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Also, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints” from The Reason for God. And Nelson Mandela’s famous statement: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” 

Art in all forms benefits us greatly. This leads to my latest bullet point:

§  Because I never want to miss the transformative power of art in church.

Marianne Wood works as an editorial assistant and researcher for Bill Wright