In our summer sermon series, we invited different artists from our community to take time and be co-creators with God through art.
Each artist picked a spiritual practice to interact with. Through opening intentional windows with God in these practices, they have used their skills and talents to make beautiful things. Read about our artist reflections, and see the art here.
Art & Practice
For the spiritual practice of solitude, Rachel Lynn created the painting below, including her artistic reflection of the piece.
Solitude: ‘A Posture of Receiving’
“In the practice of Solitude; coveted but allowing the time to be Spirit filled, I heard the whisper of God’s voice telling me that solitude is allowing ourselves to have a, ‘Posture of Receiving.’ Mark 1:35 reads, ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place, and there he was praying.’
This painting was a practice of my Solitude, saying yes to joy, play and creativity with a brush in my hand – the fields, and colors represent solitude, nature, His joy, softness and creativity – the cabin in my painting represents a resting place.
We are invited to retreat into His presence, in Solitude, to allow ourselves time to pray, and receive His presence – giving Him the fear I usually feel when I pick up a brush – and asking and allowing Him to speak through my creativity, His creativity – allowed the voice of self-doubt and criticism to change and skew my paintings. In this particular painting, I got alone and quiet – postured by brush, to say Yes, to the His language of pink in the sky, as it spoke to my heart – to push back the voices of that art needs to be a certain way. God allowed me to enjoy feeling my brush against the canvas, as I playfully filled the field with light and dark grass- added the horizon of light and trees and mountains. This painting was a quiet conversation of saying yes to brush strokes, creativity, and pushing away the sounds of the world, retreating in Solitude with God and creativity.
The bright light I painted on the horizon, represents His promises, new, daily. The pink represents His joy – to allow ourselves to lean in, to say YES to His invitation of using joy and creativity in all areas of your life, and showing up in your life, His life he has breathed to you – to show His goodness – by truly painting how you feel.
Jesus often practices solitude in the Bible, in prayer, offering time and space to be in the presence of God, praying, and I like to think, ‘creating space to listen and receive.’
To open our hearts, our hands and minds, to God’s voice; to have Spirit breathed quiet time and restoration, to receive His presence, peace and love.”
We are made by a creative, creator God. We too carry this spark of creation. Learn more about what we’re doing through Art & Practice.