How often do you think about creation? Have you ever thought about what it says about you when you’re creating something? From crazy concoctions in the kitchen to painting a canvas, you are living out the image that you bear in God and bringing Him glory in the process.
I have experienced first hand how lighting, theater and creative storytelling can be both an act of worship as well as a wonderful tool for kids ministry. A key to sharing eternal concepts in a kid-friendly form is to present material as visually and hands-on as possible. Kids are concrete thinkers. The more that a child can see, touch and hear the easier it is for them to grasp on to difficult ideas. One great way to teach children about who God is is by making use of their own creativity and curiosity.
Here are three concepts that the Bible teaches us about and how we can worship through creativity:
1. God is the Great Creator
“In the beginning God created . . .” (Gen 1:1 HCSB) This poetic introduction of the Bible teaches us a great deal about who God is and who we are as His creation. God, out of nothing, created all that there is. God is the greatest artist and story teller – EVER! Think about the beauty of waves rolling across the ocean, the magnificent light shows of a sunrise, or the intricate detail of a sunflower pedal. Each detail, every beautiful thing in the world was created by our great God.
2. Art communicates
Art has a way of communicating feelings and emotions that cannot be verbalized. Paul tells us in Romans 1:19-20 that, “since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.” Think about this amazing truth – what we can know about God is already made known to us through His creation! Through the work of Christ, we can know God, truly and intimately, here and now. When we spend our time studying science, creating art, understanding how the universe works, we have an opportunity to learn little by little about the God who created each of those things. Through His creation, God reveals His “eternal attributes”, that is, His personality, His characteristics, His greatness, and His power. Every work of art, each scribble on a page, and every theatrical production that is staged is in some way telling the story of God and the gospel.
3. We create because we are made in His image
Genesis tells us that man is made in the image of God. Why can we create? Why can we invent cool contraptions, take spaceships to the moon and solve problems? We can do all of these things because we are distinctively made in the image of the great Creator. From the time we are born, we are naturally drawn to creativity, scribbling on a page, dancing to music and a million other ways that speak to the nature of our Creator. While not everyone of us will be the next Picasso or Vincent Van Gogh, every one of us has been given a gift to create and to imagine which can be used to share the greatest story ever told. As we create, we reflect in a tangible way how God restores in us that which is broken, dirty and sinful, making something new and beautiful in the process.
Kids are born with a natural sense of wonder of the world. Their curiosity is a natural and easy starting point for teaching them to see the glory of God around them. The intricate detail of a theatrical set, the colors used to evoke emotions during a worship service, or a visit to the local park can easily be used as a spring board into the creativity, attention to detail, and imagination of our great God.