an excerpt from: What I Call the TWO-SPHERES CHASSIS

An excerpt from: What I Call the TWO-SPHERES CHASSIS

As it relates to an individual, there seems to be two spheres of worship possibly happening in the creative process when a person creates a work (a poem, song, painting, film, dance, etc…). The first sphere represents the communion between that person’s soul and God (or another object or idea or self if God is not the end of his thoughts). And the second sphere represents all those who are receivers of the expression of communion that is happening in the first sphere. The second sphere is where others begin their own first sphere communion with God (or something else) by way of benefiting from what is being born in the first person.

The reason I use this chassis is because it helps me stay focused on the care of my own heart’s worship, my sphere one. What is my heart running after in art? Is it worshiping God or man or art? When I am receiving from God, it is no labor to let Him spill over (sphere two) so that others could benefit from our communion (my sphere one). But when I am concentrating first on the second sphere and not my own sphere’s worship, I find that the labor is harder and not nearly as fruitful or satisfying for either them or me. It is God who does the effectual work. I should let Him. I don’t mean to imply that I never think about sphere two. A sphere one relationship with God demands that I do (Matt 5:16). Sphere one is often not complete until it expresses outwardly into sphere two. But the way I should approach the encouragement of sphere two worship is through sphere one worship.

...I think of Jesus and Simon and the woman in Luke 7:36-49. The woman learned that Jesus was at Simon’s house. She brought an alabaster vial of perfume and kept wiping Jesus’ feet with her tears and anointing them with the perfume. Simon’s thoughts, however, were not in the direction of Jesus’ thoughts. Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:44-47).

The sphere one worship happens between the woman and Jesus. Jesus is seen by the woman to be beautiful, to be holy, to be worthy of praise. She praises him with tears and perfume, selflessly using her hair as a rag, and finds favor with Jesus.

Since others are around the woman and Jesus, there are others spheres of worship happening, or not happening, at the same time. As Simon sees this act of worship from the woman, he does not recognize it as beautiful. He says to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). The woman was leading in worship, but no one was following.

Notice that the woman was seeking communion with Jesus, and not even seeking the praises of Simon and the other men, (which she didn’t receive). Jesus warns us that if we worship so that “…we may be honored by men; truly I say to you, [you] have [your] reward in full” (Matt. 6:2b). It seems that the woman’s motives were acceptable in Jesus’ eyes. Jesus knows the heart; He knows what is authentic worship and what is act to build up self. That which points to God as the end pleases God and that which points to man as the end, does not please God. God will not give His glory to another (Isa. 42:8).

How many times a day do we react first with judgment as did Simon because we are not walking in communion with God to see as He sees? We look at the outward appearance and recall the history and think of our circles of friends we are standing with and what they might be thinking (fearing man) as we take in someone’s artistic expression of genuine worship, and we end up missing the whole beauty because we don’t know how to see the way God sees. Simon could have joined in the worship and wept with her who wept, giving glory to God that a sinner has come home, but Simon didn’t know this God who came to seek and save the lost. He didn’t know God’s ways, and so he missed the blessing while he stared it down with judgment. Simon’s eyes were set on the sphere two relationships around his table rather than the sphere one relationship with Jesus Himself. Simon missed the joy the woman knew! We should learn from Simon’s mistake to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry or judgmental, particularly when God-worship happens in a way different from our preference or from that which we are accustomed to. We might just learn something about God!...

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excerpt from The Affections of the Heart in Art - a wrestling for the full pleasures in art Jason Harms