Can there be boldness and beauty?
On a frigid December Saturday, my wife and I walk the crowded streets of Colonial Williamsburg, stopping from house to house to admire the wreaths. Complex arrangements of all-natural material, they are evergreen rings of amazing artistry. In past years, we’ve tried to imitate their use of common fruit on our own front door wreaths.
Today, as we walk around, I’m astonished and captivated by the variety of elements folded into the designs. These have much more that fruit!
Some weave in grasses and dried flowers. Others have shells and seed pods. Still others display physical objects, occasionally related to the place of business the wreath adorns.
Still others, like this “rats nest” wreath below, display a sense of humor – depending on how you feel about rats, I suppose.
Such artistic expressions have me wondering about what our decorations say about ourselves. These wreaths celebrate nature’s variety while imposing an order and syncopation not present in the chaos of the wild. They speak of our desire to channel, to augment, to arrange nature. To tame the untamed.
Do they mention the God who spoke nature into being? Not directly. But they point to him. For man’s first task was to join with God to help maintain order and develop the beauty of the garden. All our designs are a residual outworking of the longing ignited by that first invitation.
Perhaps it’s why thousands come to see ornate wreaths on simple houses.
After the sun sets, we head back. As we reach the edge of the historic district, we find that not one, but two street preachers have arrived, a few blocks apart. Their amplified voices are both unavoidable and unwelcome in the quiet, happy crowd.
We pass the first. I find his presence jarring. He seems to read my mind in the dark as he says, “People claiming to be Christians come up to me – three so far tonight – and tell me what I’m doing is not appropriate. I ask them the same thing: when do you think preaching the Word of God in public is appropriate? Because his Word must be proclaimed!”
It’s a fair question. I’m not sure what my answer would be. Paul, after all, asked the Ephesians:
Pray for me, that the power to speak may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Eph. 6:19
But boldness in this verse doesn’t mean “loud.” Or necessarily “in public spaces.” It means to speak freely, with frankness, without holding back. And I suppose this street preacher was doing that.
But how I wish he had brought some winsomeness. Or narrative. Or sensitivity. Show the gospel in the Christmas story. Don’t just harangue with theological facts. Words don’t have to be cudgels. They can be like sublime wreaths that draw us in for a closer look.
And provoke a longing to know the God behind the beauty.
Father, Creator, Lord: help us to proclaim your Word in all we do. At times, you call us to speak directly (even loudly in public) and at others, to draw others in through gentleness and beauty. Help us in all these ways to make you known.
Reader: How would you have answered the street preacher’s question? When is it appropriate to proclaim loudly in public? And where do you fall on my artificial spectrum (beauty to boldness) in your own proclaiming of faith?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me at: bvanpatter@ailbe.org. Is there someone you think would like this post? Please use the buttons above to share it. And if you haven’t subscribed and would like to, here’s the link.
