"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". Romans 12:2
Have you ever thought of this verse in terms of creativity?
The renewing of our mind is all about our thinking - the challenge to think differently. The amazing thing is that we are transformed by this thinking. This transformation is meant to be a glorious metamorphosis of the same ilk as Jesus in His transfiguration. As I think through this I am concerned that we decide that because this is the work of the Holy Spirit we leave it to Him to change us and forget that we have responsiblity over our minds and our thinking. This is our spiritual act of worship. Remember our bodies comprise of soul, flesh and mind.
I am sure there are lots of ways to look at this verse and possibly deep theological truths I haven't thought through at this stage. I would like to consider the patterns of the world and more specifically the patterns of the church and the challenge to think differently. In the same way that this verse indicates that the patterns of the world are ungoldy I wonder are the patterns we create in the church just as ungoldy? Does the church look any different to the world? We have patterns of prayer, worship (in song), worship leading, band dynamics and line-up, communicating God's word, house group format, leadership training, kids work, fashion, going for coffee in specific establishments, profile of worship leaders and pastors .......etc.
Does the church reflect a group of people who think differently and are transformed by the renewing of their minds?
"Creative people are always looking for new ways of doing things" J.Parks
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift". A.Einstein
"The things we fear most in organisations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity". M.J.Wheatley
Hear my heart in this - I love the church but can we see this glorious transformation of our minds in turn transforming the 'church'? Are we courageous enough to think in a new way that will usher in renewal? Are we forgetting the gift? Are we just fearful and so would rather be safe in patterns and structures that are familiar to us and don't challenge our thinking?
12 comments:
i think your touching upon a very big transition that the church needs to make but is terrified to do... we have lost our sense of creativity and mission. i want to refind it! keep posting
Thanks for reading and posting. Send me your e-mail address so I can keep you posted when I am posting and about worship gigs/training. Also, I'd love to hear where you guys are at with church etc.
Being around creative people is inspiring. It makes me wonder just how creative the disciples got being around Jesus. did the gospel writers miss this out?
I've been thinking about the question posed in Pete's comment. I guess the synoptic or canonical gospels don't necessarily illustrate the creativity of the disciples but more importantly they do paint a picture of Jesus as someone who's life and ministry were radical. He always saw the world differently and uncovered impossible possibilites. He broke moulds of conformity and encouraged the disciples (us) to do the same. He encouraged the disciples to break away from the old, rusted ways of doing things and find new expressions and approaches. He had creative vision that allowed him to see people in a way that no one else could.
Just touching on your verse Claire, i love that one. I was reading that passage the other day too and was instantly struck by the preceding verse 'offer your bodies as living sacrifices...'.
I used to go to a Presbyterian church and have an incredible soft spot for it, but it recently struck me as ironic that (some of) the hymns many hold onto as 'traditional' were, in their time, amazing rousing, awe-inspiring songs that spoke of sacrifice and suffering and glory. Where did this get lost and replaced with tradition?
I think for me the renewing of my mind comes when I dont cast everything aside, but instead i offer up all i know and hold onto and when its been through the refining fire, i can take the good of whats left and move on, interpreting what i knew/know in contextual expression and then moving forward in relevant creativity.
Linking this into Pete's comment - yes, we dont find a lot of evidence of creativity, but Jesus did constantly challenge the disciples thinking - Peter (!) walking on water being once such example. The action itself isnt creative, but the thinking behind it is out of the box, unlimited by human pre-condition and perception. (the 1st century Matrix?)
This is a really "big" passage when it comes to unpacking all the angles of possibility contained in it! I have literally spend months at a time thinking about it. The message translation really does it for me here;
"1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
I know that when it comes to trying to be creative, I always look around me for inspiration, whether it be music, film, art or whatever. What the second verse of that passage tells me is that God is into NEW and CREATED things i.e. stuff that constantly refreshes and revives. I know that I often tend to RECREATE what is already out there, particularly when it comes to leading worship.
I believe that the concept of RECREATING is one that we see in the church again and again, and I guess you could say that this pulls the church into the same category of the world's patterns. I have so often heard church leaders saying "we need to catch up with what is out there...". I would love to see the Church setting the pace for what is in the world, through active creativity in every strand of it's activity, whether it be congregational, local action, social activity, outreach, whatever...!
...I could go on for hours...!
i think the church did lead the world on creativity. how else could the message, the Gospel, be spread across the globe. Paul and his followers walked on the water spoke out in faith but somewhere along it looks like we lost it. We sank! Maybe we need to find that fresh vision for mission and new songs to sing that lead us into Gods presence to fire us up to share the message we, me, so passionately proclaim in song!
I agree totally with you guys - im a fan of not just being relevant to culture, but at the forefront of new dynamic changes and movements. How do we make sure we are constantly revolutionary in creativity though? So much has been 'done before'...
Thank you for all your comments. A couple of thoughts: stay close to the Father & grow in freedom - sometimes we care to much about what other people think or we lack confidence in what God has already put in us. This is only one suggestion as to why we aren't always at the forefront of a creative movement.
Hmm. I would agree with the initial assertion that the 'patterns of the church' are as 'ungodly' as the 'patterns of the world'. Who is at the forefront of responding to the needs of those who are poorest? Have you heard any local church leader atempt to address the issue that 1/3 of children in Belfast live in poverty? (the highest levels of poverty in what is officially termed the united kingdom). Who ardently campaign for human rights? Who are leading the way in environmental responsibility? I find it hard to see much evidence of this in the evangelical western protestant church. This is where creative thinking is most urgently needed.
I think dave might be being abit hard on the Church. i wonder why we need to wait for the church leaders to expose child poverty or environmental issues. I think there are alot of Gods people(probably not enough though) in positions of influence withinn society who can and do speak up for the opressed, maybe not to the extent of great historical figures like Wilberforce but nevertheless are proactive on the social action scene. I suppose it comes down to what we mean by Church.......... now there's a whole different debate!!
psalm 105 says:
'translate His wonders into music!'
this my new mission statement. I think that where creativity is absent from the worship arena then the Spirit may also be absent. if God is with us, really amongst us, then wildly new and creative music and expressions of worship will come forth.
we are trying to find a weekend to come over before the summer.... will keep you posted....
dg
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