Taste and See

I purchased a new book called The Spirituality of Art on Monday. It's a theme near and dear to my heart because my undergraduate degree was in Art History. A member of my student advisory committee sniffed that this was a waste of time when I knew I was going into the ministry. Why didn't I take useful stuff such as psychology? Another member pointed out that visual art and music had always been an important part of worship and spiritual expression.

The book speaks of how art in various forms connects us to the "thin places" where matter and spirit meet. It seemed to be an appropriate image as I read about it on Hallowe'en, a day the ancient Celts believed was the thinnest of places during the year. Jack O'Lanterns were originally intended to ward off the unwanted spirits of All Hallows Eve. We need art to draw us closer to God and invite us into the mystical experiences of our extremely material world.

A couple of years ago I entered the Musee D'Orsay in Paris about an hour before closing. On a cold February day I had stood in a long line, fretting that I wouldn't have enough time to savour the art work inside. I did have to hurry from room to room in this museum of Expressionist painting but it was anything but a waste of time. I could feel my spirit soaring as I drank in the works of Monet and Van Gogh and Degas and others. It was the equivalent of the best of worship I had experienced during the two previous weeks in the Taize Christian community.

The psalmist says "taste and see that the Lord is Good! (Psalm 34:8a)