The art of worship
Robert Shaw is without a doubt America’s greatest choral conductor of all time. He was truly gifted in his art.
Moreover, Mr. Shaw was a minister of music.
Mr. Shaw was known for crafting meaningful choral concerts that not only left the audience amazed at the quality of musical performance, but also intrigued the spiritual senses of the listeners in an effort to tap into the desire for God in their souls. He believed that art is a gift from God, by which humans can more closely relate to their Creator. To that end, he carefully intertwined his art and his ministry.
Furthermore, he subscribed to the belief that our coming together in corporate worship helps us more fully understand each other and our relationship to our God. Shaw says, “This is where art knocks on the church door.”
Let me share with you this comment made by the great Robert Shaw. I especially appreciate his reminder of both the horizontal and vertical elements of worship:
“Assume with me two things. First, that form in art is also a factor of value and meaning. That is to say, if one has exactly so much space to shape, as in painting or sculpture, or if he has so much time to inform, as with poetry or music, the achieved proportions of that time and space . . . are root, trunk, branch and leaf, seed, sap and substance of meaning.
Assume with me also that worship is an art . . . or at least similar to the arts in that it has a certain amount of corporate time in which to consider matters of worth, in which to propose and proportion beauty and truth.
It is no small wonder that formal worship should evoke the sensation of sight and sound as well as reason. And that sound need not always be fortissimo. The "Benedictus" of Bach’s B Minor Mass calls for only one flute, one cello and one tenor -- and three incredibly great human beings.
Worship must also be able to inspire and instruct us in a vertical, God-to-man sense as well as in a horizontal, man-to-others sense. To these ends a creative liturgy should be one of the greatest natural resources of the liberal church.”
Moreover, Mr. Shaw was a minister of music.
Mr. Shaw was known for crafting meaningful choral concerts that not only left the audience amazed at the quality of musical performance, but also intrigued the spiritual senses of the listeners in an effort to tap into the desire for God in their souls. He believed that art is a gift from God, by which humans can more closely relate to their Creator. To that end, he carefully intertwined his art and his ministry.
Furthermore, he subscribed to the belief that our coming together in corporate worship helps us more fully understand each other and our relationship to our God. Shaw says, “This is where art knocks on the church door.”
Let me share with you this comment made by the great Robert Shaw. I especially appreciate his reminder of both the horizontal and vertical elements of worship:
“Assume with me two things. First, that form in art is also a factor of value and meaning. That is to say, if one has exactly so much space to shape, as in painting or sculpture, or if he has so much time to inform, as with poetry or music, the achieved proportions of that time and space . . . are root, trunk, branch and leaf, seed, sap and substance of meaning.
Assume with me also that worship is an art . . . or at least similar to the arts in that it has a certain amount of corporate time in which to consider matters of worth, in which to propose and proportion beauty and truth.
It is no small wonder that formal worship should evoke the sensation of sight and sound as well as reason. And that sound need not always be fortissimo. The "Benedictus" of Bach’s B Minor Mass calls for only one flute, one cello and one tenor -- and three incredibly great human beings.
Worship must also be able to inspire and instruct us in a vertical, God-to-man sense as well as in a horizontal, man-to-others sense. To these ends a creative liturgy should be one of the greatest natural resources of the liberal church.”
posted by Eric Livingston at
3/14/2006
7 Comments:
Hey Eric, glad to hear you are back in blogland again. We just got back in from Spring Break vacation so this is the first opportunity I have had to check out your blog. Hope you continue to have wonderful experiences in the new church and community. Give Dixie and the kids big hugs from us.
Talked with Carole tonight at church. She sure does miss you guys, so do we! How about an update on the old blog? Hope all is going well for you guys!
Hey Eric, Hope you and your family are doing good! Keep up your blog when you have time. We all want to keep up with your family. I have an idea, post some pic of Jaylie, and the boys so we can see them. Just a thought...
MAK and TMK I know my blog is hurting lately. I'll try and do better.
I can't ever get blogger to upload my pics when I try. I recently bought my own url www.ericnlivingston.com but I haven't really put anything up there yet. Eventually I'll move my blog there. In the meantime I'll try to update more often.
Dixie and Jaylie are going to the ladies' retreat this weekend so it will just be the boys in the house. I'll try to post some stuff tonight.
By the way, you don't want to see what Ethan looks like right now. He fell off a bench and hit his forehead on a window sill yesterday. He's got lines imprinted on his forehead with a huge swollen bruise above the bridge of his nose and his left eye is swollen.
boys.
EL,
Great comment on Cope's blog this morning.
I was coming back from court in Raymond this morning, and I saw a Lutheran Church of I-20 with a huge sign on it's fence: "CHURCH FOR SALE." I know what they meant, but it belies all of us I think. We equate our campus and our one weekely hour with church and neglect the greater teaching.
I've been meaning to comment on your post here for a while. It's a lovely observation, and I think that art and creativity and excellent craftsmanship may be part and parcel of our creation in the image of God.
Good stuff.
Poor Little Ethan! Maybe you better not post any pictures of him until he gets all healed up. Give him a hug from me and tell him his teacher misses him!
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