God is an Artist

James Johnson once wrote that "God is an artist, not a mathematician." These words hit me like a ton of bricks. In this age of post-Enlightenment we tend to break everything down to its most basic components for analysis. This includes the Bible and the symbols of our Faith.

To enjoy and understand a beautiful painting one does not seek to determine the chemical makeup of the paint, but rather stand back and look at the entire picture. We need to treat the things of God in the same fashion. Rather than break down the actual composition of the Bread and Wine of the Sacrament we need to step back and look at the big picture. Rather than break down word by word a text of Scripture we need to step back and listen to what the entire text is saying to us.

We have made Christianity a scientific endeavor rather than a matter of faith.

God is an Artist, the Artist, and we need to enjoy His handiwork. I'm tired of arguing over which denomination is right and which is wrong. We need to step back and see the Church as a whole. The Communion of Saints is made up of many parts and when these parts are viewed as a whole throughout the course of history and into the future we see a thing of mystery and beauty.

If you want to look through a microscope and see the cells of the flower be my guest, but you are going to miss the beauty of the flower. To enjoy a flower one has to use all of the senses. Our Faith is a beautiful flower. We should worship God with all of our senses and this requires us to experience the art the Artist has given us. When we do this we will truly be moved in our souls and we will truly believe.