Epiphany: Creativity

God created. What he created is so awesome that it actually speaks to us and reveals God’s existence. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God,” says the psalmist (Psalm 19:1). Millions of stars in the sky, the roaring ocean, birds flying in perfect formation above our heads, even the lone dandelion in the middle of a green lawn all reveal something about God to those who take a moment to look and listen.

We, too, are creative because we are made in God’s image. Creative expression has always been a way for God’s people to share what they know about him. Words, written by Christians through the centuries and shared with others, have helped to fuel imaginations and bring a deeper understanding of who God is.

In the 1400s, when women were routinely treated as second-class citizens, Christine de Pizan used her poetry to explore the unique traits of women as created by God. Her writings brought light to an important societal issue: the status of women, which was less than God would have it be. Christine’s writing influenced her generation.

Many of the familiar hymns of the church were written by women who wanted to express their faith through words and music. When Charlotte Elliott realized that she could come to God without having to fix a few things about herself first, she wrote “Just As I Am,” a hymn that a hundred years later became a much-beloved altar call song at evangelistic meetings.

The immense power of love that conquers evil is a central theme of Madeleine L’Engle’s, A Wrinkle in Time. This twentieth-century adolescent novel has been teaching youth and adults alike about the power of love for more than fifty years and continues to be at the top of YA reading lists—ensuring that its message will be spread for generations to come.

On January 6, many Christians celebrate the magi’s visit to the Christ child, often with an explosion of creativity—skits and songs in Holland, practical jokes in England, music and creative cookery in many other traditions. So if you have a poem, song, story, dance, or tweet inside you, offer it up to the Lord. The Creator of your creativity will love it.

God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27