Moving to the beat. Tim Bascom Editor's Notes by John D. Witvliet, Guest Editor Christian corporate worship and the arts are inextricably intertwined. Worship involves language, whether the formal rhetoric of a carefully chiseled sermon or the spontaneous cries of Pentecostal prayer. Worship echoes patterns of sound and silence, from the earthy energy of an Appalachian gospel quartet to the numinous simplicity of a Palestrina motet. Worship is shaped by color, image, texture, and visual form, whether the simplicity of a Puritan meeting house or the ornate mystery of a Gothic cathedral.
Worship is embodied movement, from the processional of a choir to the lifting of hands in praise.
Often the artistic expressions that help us enact our worship arise from an encounter with a particular biblical narrative. Stained-glass windows depict one of Jesus' parables. A sermon explores a dramatic moment in Israel's history. A choral anthem, hymn, poem, chancel drama, or liturgical dance retells the story of Jesus' birth or death. Biblical narratives shape our imaginations when they are brought to life in worship.