Sagrada Familia is one of the most awe-inspiring manmade structures on earth. More than 140 years in the making, Barcelona’s towering cathedral attracts faithful pilgrims and curious tourists from around the world. Driven by the vision of architect Antoni Gaudí, Sagrada Familia is stunningly beautiful. To create such beauty in a world that is filled with despair is an illustration of what Scripture refers to as “hope.”
Given the demands of ministry, it is easy to become fixated on what is broken and to lose our focus on the beauty that God intended in creation. But human beings still long for beauty. Whether it’s natural beauty, like the Grand Canyon, or human masterpieces, like Romare Bearden’s artwork and Toni Morrison’s novels, we are drawn to beauty. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” an exhibition currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases the fashion aesthetic among Black men from the 18th century to today. It emphasizes the way in which clothing created space for beauty when nothing else did.
For Christians, beauty goes beyond the material. A worship service that heals the human spirit and glorifies God is beautiful. A substance abuse ministry restores the beauty of humanity through freedom from addiction. In her book “Agents of Flourishing,” Amy L. Sherman reminds us that to cultivate beauty is to faithfully use our God-given imagination, express divine love and point toward the truth of God’s redemptive purpose for the world. So let’s not become so constrained by the pursuit of maximum productivity that we fail to cultivate and embrace the gift of beauty.
Resources
A church and health center collaborate to provide care for people with substance use disorder
The trust built by a church in Galveston, Texas, is translating into better access to treatment at a free clinic staffed by health care providers and housed in former Sunday school classrooms.
By Lindsay Peyton
My church is a beautiful waste of money
By the metrics of business management and capitalism, the work of churches and pastors is redundant.
By Melissa Florer-Bixler
What is a beautiful church building for?
What my bad sermons made bland, our sanctuary made sweet.
By Zen Hess
The Bible Beautiful brings together creativity, beauty and faith
Two young Los Angeles artists talk about Alabaster, the company they founded to create books of the Bible that blend Christian faith with elegant design.
Q&A with Bryan Ye-Chung and Brian Chung
Does beauty matter for moral stances?
Beauty isn’t just ornamentation or sentimentality; it provides the life-giving force of warm, appealing graciousness, says a writer.
By Jessica Brown
Before you go
We often don’t know what to do with the idea of beauty. The concept is often represented in such a superficial way that it’s difficult to take seriously. However, from God’s perspective, beauty is serious business. Beauty is an essential part of God’s creative order. Even David yearned to “behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4b NRSVUE). That’s why the church needs to embrace the virtue of beauty — beautiful communities where people earn enough to afford adequate housing and healthcare; beautiful partnerships that leverage our collective strengths to do good; and beautiful faith that offers hope in a cynical world. I invite you to take a moment and reflect. Where do you see God’s beauty in or around your church? What can you do to cultivate beauty?
You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!
Prince R. Rivers
Editor, Alban at Duke Divinity