Take care the beauty you take hold of
It was a surprising gift to meet pastor and poet, Barry Whatley this past fall at United Adoration’s 10th anniversary celebration in Fort Wayne, IN. Barry is a fellow, life-long learner and has a sensitivity to the things of life and spirit I am drawn to. Our conversations took shape around observations related to poetry, music, and the need for beauty in the church and the world. Barry shared his thoughts on Von Balthasar’s work related to aesthetics - in particular, the “3 sisters”; his personification of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Balthasar’s work is massive in its scope - the type of research in which I am only able to uncover a few nuggets of gold (but these are worth the effort of digging). One morsel is Balthasar’s warning of neglecting beauty. He says, “We can be sure that whoever sneers at her (beauty) name, as if she were the ornament of a bourgeois past, whether he admits it or not, can no longer pray and soon will no longer be able to love.” He goes on to argue that the “3 sisters” must remain together because God reveals himself in them and that beauty has been under attack throughout much of history but especially since the Reformation.
Here are some scattered thoughts which I will continue to wrestle with…
It is easier for Christians to see the value in truth (logic) and goodness (ethics) but what about beauty? Isn’t beauty just an “ornament” or a sensuous indulgence that we can take or leave? We can more easily understand that God has revealed himself as truth (Jesus says - I am the way, the truth, and the life…) and that he is good and does good to his creation, but has he revealed himself in beauty?
A few scripture passages related to God and beauty:
You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures. (Psalm 16:11)
[The Hebrew word for pleasures is נָעִים, nāʿîm. It can be translated pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable, beautiful (physical), singing, sweetly sounding, musical] So many looking for beauty in this world or to live for pleasure. All pleasure, sweetness, beauty and delight are in God’s right hand.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. (Psalm 96:9)
[Hebrew word for splendor translated as הֲדָרָה - hăḏārâ; glory, holy adornment (of public worship), decoration:—beauty, honor]. Worship the Lord in the beauty (or according to the beauty) of his holiness.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (Psalm 29:2) [Beauty is defined by the holiness of God. God’s holiness is the aesthetic lens by which we navigate the culture of our world.]
I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)
From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God appears in radiance. (Psalm 50:2)
What happens if we value truth and goodness over beauty? If truth dominates art or worship it becomes too preachy/pretentious - Elder brother. If goodness dominates - it is too utilitarian or pragmatic. The corrective which much of our culture practices is to elevate beauty. If beauty dominates, it becomes a sensuous idol, a licentious pursuit.
John Calvin has a beautiful way of speaking about creation as the invisible God putting on the clothes He wears to go outside so that we can see what He is like. I wonder if the beauty of creation and of art is a way for us to see and experience God.
“Beauty can pierce the heart, wounding us with the transcendent glory of God.” Gregory Wolfe
The world is full of stimuli - the artificial and trivial will stimulate our senses but leave us empty and numb. The transcendent and beautiful will nourish and fill us - and through the Holy Spirit, can heal.
Consider the beauty you behold - It is informing your mind and forming your heart. Take care the beauty you take hold of.
