This last week, the opportunity presented itself to reflect on the history of music I learned about while on sabbatical. You see, as much as my time in the South was focused on Civil Rights and the African American experience, you can’t learn about those things without learning about the art that was created out of these experiences and the deep impact that art had on our country and the world. As I was reflecting about my time in the Mississippi Delta and all that I learned about blues, Delta Blues in particular, I was reminded of how important art is to the human experience. In an article I was recently reading, it pointed out that jazz music is an invitation to awe and that music (and art in general) helps us move out of our heads and back into our hearts and bodies. In the busyness of Lent and Easter, I had forgotten to seek out wonder and awe. I was living too much in my head, organizing schedules and planning worship services and coordinating volunteers and trying to fit in walks and sleep to keep me healthy and worrying about a variety of things and, and, and…

Have you ever found yourself there? Too much in your head and not enough in your body, present in the moment, taking in all that God has provide with awe and wonder? My favorite technique to combat the swirling and twirling that goes on in my head is to breathe deeply. This should surprise no one at this point. If I am not asking you to “say more”, then I am encouraging you to breathe deeply. Recently I was reminded of the 54321 practice that those who live with anxiety or experience panic attacks will use to get them back into their bodies and what is real, rather than what is spinning in their heads. If you want to learn more and participate in an experiment and art project with me and others at First, listen to my sermon from April 14 or 17.

Sometimes though, breathing is not enough. Its a good quick fix, but something is needed more long term that gives my brain and heart some space. That is where art comes in, which could be painting or baking or gardening or sewing or anything else that get me into a more creative space. Research has shown that something happens in our brains when we are creative, something crucial, that allows our brain to begin to ponder the bigger questions or problems in helpful ways. It is like the brain gets distracted by the relaxed nature of being creative long enough to stop going so fast that it can actually think. Is it any wonder why then, art was such a key ingredient to the hope and strength African Americans had and needed as they endured slavery and all that followed?

I’m so deeply grateful for all the artists I have learned about. I am thankful for their perseverance and their witness to how we can all be more fully human, living lives of joy and hope, wonder and awe, even in times that are dark. How our strength comes from not only within us but also by those we are in relationship, in community, with.

As we seek to build community here at First, we will also engage in a variety of events centered around art, this summer. We will continue our Summer Art Series on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, doing simple and fun art projects together between worship services. In addition, we will have one larger, more involved art project event each month. In June, we will be painting Celtic mandalas, in July we hope to be learning about spoon carving and in August we hope to be at All Glazed Up in downtown La Crosse for an art class. The July and August events are still being arranged, so stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Art is a beautiful way to relax, to have fun and to experience God in a new way. I hope that you make time this summer to learn about a new form of creative expression or to learn about the history behind your favorite kind of music or art form, I am sure you will be surprised when you do and that wonder will find its way into your soul.