Communion and Creativity

For the last few months I often have had a re-occurring subject on my mind. The subject is creativity, especially relating to the musical portion of our church services. As a traveling worship leader, I visit many different churches. So this is not directed at any one group, but rather a trend I see in many different churches ranging from very conservative to very charismatic. Often I see a lack of creativity in worship, which causes people to copy other people who are more famous or well known. Now I realize, to some extent being influenced by people you admire is unavoidable, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, what I observe often tends to be excessive. It strips people of their own style and personality, and causes them to abandon who they are to copy someone else.

This problem is often rooted in a lack of true communion with the Lord. Often people spend time in His presence corporately, but do not spend much personal time with Father. I like gatherings, but they are not the secret place. Most people don’t really grasp that. Often people spend a lot of time in meetings, but very little time being still before the Lord listening for His voice. One of the church’s biggest issues today is a lack of the ability to listen to God. Spending hours a week in meetings is not and will never be the same as the secret place. Gatherings are necessary but they do not replace the secret place. The same way the secret place does not replace the gathering of the saints.

            A lack of spiritual communion with the Lord often gives birth to unbelief and unbelief finds its way into our prayers, songs, speech, and even our actions. The lack of deep communion never lets any unbelief in a person’s heart be dealt with. So that mentality affects what a person says and how they think and interact with the Lord and others. Here is one example. Many people desire to see what the angels are seeing referring to seeing the Lord in his beauty. The only issue is angels at least the seraphim don’t see him at all, (See Isaiah 6:1-4). Not seeing with their eyes they cry holy, holy, holy. They do so because they see with the understanding that He is holy, which he is. However, John in the book of Revelation (Revelation 5:5-6) also saw with his understanding. I want to throw out an idea to you. I’m not preaching a doctrine but suggesting a different thought. Use your imagination for a moment. Imagine John who wrote the book of Revelation is in the throne room of heaven. As He looks at Jesus, imagine this in his mind, “you angels see a holy lion because from your point of view that’s what you see. But I remember a man with wounds. I remember laying my head on his chest at dinner. I remember him calling me beloved. I see a Lamb scared with love. I see what you can not will see.”

            John saw Jesus from a place of communion. From this place we realize we have a superior reality than angels. What I mean by that is, we often ask God for less than what we already have been given. The seraphim’s cover their eyes, while we have been given the mind of Christ. It is like God gave us a million dollars in our bank account, and we cry out, fast, and pray for a thousand. Sounds silly, but this is what it is like to ask for less than what we have already been given. You have something with Jesus angels will never have. In all their beauty, you have closeness with Jesus they can only dream about.

From that place of truth and revelation creativity flows in our music and shapes the way we think, pray, and sing. Jesus isn’t upset, but I think it breaks his heart when his children are insecure and feel the need to copy others to be accepted. You are made the way he intended you to be. He loves the way you express yourself and wants to develop a certain way of speech that true close friends have. Real friends often have a way of communicating that only they understand. Jesus wants that with us. I pray this inspires you to spend more quality alone time with Jesus. Let his word and voice show you who you are. Let creativity and life flow from Jesus to you and through you, to the world around you.

God Bless You Richly In Christ,

Aaron J LiVecchi