Creator God (June 2019)

Dear Friends

Once a month on a Friday morning we have got into the habit – the Holy Habit – of gathering a few people together for a creative craft session. It started during Lent last year but it’s not just for church members. We paint, we knit, we sew, we make cards………. sometimes we work together on a project, like the cascade of poppies for Remembrance Sunday. It’s a good place to sit and talk, to listen and encourage each other without criticism. Anyone is welcome to come and join in, or just to see what’s going on.

So what does it mean to be creative? The dictionary suggests ‘bring into existence’; ’originate’; ‘invest in’. To many people, the word ‘creativity’ conjures up visions of fine works of art and we judge ourselves on our ability to draw and paint, leading to self-effacing comments like “I can’t draw for toffee” or “I don’t have a creative bone in my body”!

Yet we believe we are made in the image of God, who we call Creator God. This suggests a limitless breadth of imagination and inventiveness.

What about all those other forms of creativity? Writing, music and singing, cooking, needlework, gardening, science and mathematics – the list is endless - all products of human intelligence and thought. We increasingly recognise their therapeutic value – even colouring has become ‘mindful’ - and prayer and meditation are acknowledged as powers for good.   They may, like walking in the park or by the sea, involve all our senses – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – thus becoming an additional composite sense.

As we expose our senses and open our hearts to the world around us, where nothing is static and colours shift in the changing light, our responses become more focused. We can see the value of cohesive existence. We know we cannot live in isolation. We know we must become more creative in our response to the world around us.

                                                                                                           

Imagine adding ‘peace making’, ‘speaking truth to power’ and  ‘living sustainably’ to our list of creative skills? Climate change is a reality, ultimately affecting us all but starting with the poorest communities in the world, those with the least power to change their own circumstances.

So, returning to my dictionary, I find ‘Create – working together for good; the coming together of disparate parts; to create wholeness’.

Wholeness is important for us as a church seeking our way forward in mission and ministry. Working together is vital for our nation as we seek the shape of our political future. Cohesive existence is critical for the future of all living, created beings and the environment in which we live. Let us hold that in our hearts and in our dealings with each other.

Marian Gardner