Art, Faith, and Adventist Mission: An Interview with Jonathan Walter
“Art can express the beauty, mystery, truth, and love of God in unique ways that resonate with searching, broken people and draw their hearts closer to Him.”
Worship as a Creative, Transformative Encounter: An Interview with Jillian Lawrence
“May we never shy away from the bold fragrance of devotion that arises when worship meets artistry—because in that meeting place, we catch a clearer glimpse of the God who formed us to create and to love Him in every color, sound, and language.”
Art, Faith, and Pastoral Ministry: A Conversation with Whitni Carlson from New Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church
“The only response that feels sane when we encounter the story of the gospel or the way God wants to recreate His Kingdom here is to create for ourselves, however imperfectly.”
Embodying a Fuller Story
Whether your congregation will have multiple gatherings or a single gathering, here are some ways we can embody a fuller story of Jesus’ dying and rising in our worship practices.
A Song of Despair and Praise: Diverse Songbooks as a Space for Honest Engagement with God
“The story in and of Psalm 22 is a powerful testimony to the importance of using a variety of music (and arts in general) to hold space for different human experiences in their relationship with the divine—the pretty and the ugly, the hopeful and the desperate, the song of praise and the song of despair. All to God, and (note!) all to the congregation!”
Worship in the Desert
“Is it possible to escape the disenchanted and detached world of modernity without wandering after illusions in the desert? Can we find our way home to a place of divine dwelling? What images might orient the people of God in the shifting sands of contemporary culture? And how might these images inform Christian worship, whose task is to shape our imaginations toward God and His world?”
Practice Looking Up
“On a practical level, the Sabbath offers us the chance to recalibrate our attention—shifting it from the noise of daily life to the things that matter most. This shift doesn’t happen automatically; it requires intentional practices that help us learn to focus.”
