illumination

Illumination

Good Morning Friends,

The Bible is filled with poems and songs and morality stories and mystery and love stories and narratives and action stories and comedy and drama and parables that engage our mind. There is power in the story for it helps us to understand who we are. We are consumed by stories in the movies and on TV and the games we play and sadly too little of the story is about Jesus. Some say we are addicted to stories…Star Wars…Harry Potter…Twilight… Avatar… have engaged people but often without purpose outside the economics of the thing.

Last night I attended the opening session of the Storytellers Creative Arts Conference in Naples. We were prompted to reconsider our consciousness and the stories of our life that pull us here and there. The conference goes on for a couple more days. The vision of ministry behind the event is of a generation of Christian artists telling the story of the Gospel through creative arts. The mission is to inspire and develop creative people, motivating them to use their gifts to reflect Christ and impact culture for Christ. The theme of this year’s event is Illumination.

Scripture: Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Genesis 1:3 (NRSV)

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2 (NRSV)

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness.

Luke 11:35 (NRSV)

Message: Do you know the first word spoken in all of creation? The word is light the Word is Jesus. We did not generate it on your own. We are the work of God’s art. We are given light so others might too experience the purpose put before us. Without illumination microscopes do not work. Lighthouses seek to function and spelunkers are in a world of darkness. Without illumination we die. If we say we’ve been enlightened, but still walk in the dark, we lie about understanding God’s Word and that is death…. Simply put, illumination in the spiritual sense is “turning on the light” of understanding. Throughout the ages, people in every culture and religion have claimed some kind of revelation or enlightenment from God. One of the ways God illuminates is through stories that activate our emotions and through the Holy Spirit are translated into feelings and then into actions that become part of who we are. Friends, the purpose of illumination always points to actions that transform. The Word has power to transform when the light is turned on. Let me make a few connections for you. Today in Hermann Rorschach’s 129 birthday. You know the inkblot analyst. The process is a projective test designed to help reveal hidden emotions and inner conflicts. The beauty of the process is that it takes an ambiguous stimuli and engages people in the creative act of developing a story out of the depths of who they are. Maybe that is why so many of the Super heroes have masks. But here is my point, our brains become more active when on stories. Our brains become more active when we tell stories. Our sensory cortex is active when I tell a story that involves the body. A really great story can activate the whole brain. With a good story we plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into a person’s brain. We are hardwired for storytelling and story listening because they link cause to effect in our mind. We want to know the connection. We want to know why visual images in our minds evoke in us a response that draws us into the experience. Illumination is the process of revealing God’s story in and through us. This is why the second law given to Moses is so relevant today.

Pray we do not make for ourselves idols to worship. Pray we worship the Creator not the things people create. Pray the illumination in our life points others to Jesus, the source of light. Pray our churches are places of illumination. Pray God opens our eyes to the possibilities. Pray the Spirit gives us wisdom and revelation concerning Jesus Christ. Pray God opens the eyes of understanding with His light so we can know God’s purposes in our lives. Pray the Holy Spirit teaches us the things we need to know so we might live. Pray we step into His Story with the light of faith in God’s love. Pray we not worship the thing created but the Creator who made it all possible. Pray we realize that we are creatures with creativity that is best shared when we reflect God’s love not project all our fears.

Blessings,

John Lawson