Notes from Jeremy Begbie’s Address at Asbury College, Nov 12th 2009

Keying off a piece of music written in the 1930’s, that was trying to capture the “music of the future enjoyed in the present.” Dr. Begbie explored the nature and central role of hope in our faith and how that informs our lives and artmaking.

We often hope from the present for a better future, but the New Testament employs what Dr. Begbie called a “Reverse Imagination” where our real future hope is to play out in our present, not hoping for the future but hoping from the future.

Looking at Revelation chapter 21 and the city of God, the New Jerusalem, he outlined five features of our subversive hope.

1. Enriching Difference

The diversity of the New Jerusalem that will be home to all nations, or peoples, demonstrates that differences and distinctions among people groups are ok, but we are not to make those distinctions into values or hierarchies of cultures.

 Throughout his lecture he used music pieces as ways to demonstrate how these concepts can inform our art making.  For diversity he used a piece demonstrating polyrhythm and the richness, musically, built upon it.

2. Insane Inversion

The first shall be last, the humble exalted and the Lamb on the Throne, all are clear examples of how God will reverse our cultural norms and expectations.  It was a reminder of the great counter cultural nature of our faith. 

Power is radically redefined based upon our hope from the future.

He noted how Nietzsche is the Church’s best critic, for he saw clearly the cross shaped offense and how “ridiculous” it was, we can learn from him because he often got the implications of our counter culture faith better than we as the church have.

3. Piercing Exposure

Our hope is not sentimental, but reveals the root and depth of evil.  The Lamb who was slain will be central in the New Jerusalem, not covering up the ugliness of sin, but it’s cost to God ever before us.

Our condition is unveiled and God’s response is greater than we can imagine, canceling the sentimentality of our own day. 

He noted how we can’t skip over the Cross as though the Resurrection is just a happy ending, the Cross is central to our faith, the reversal of the Resurrection doesn’t diminish the ugliness of the Cross and our sinfulness in a sentimental way.

4. Divine Excess

The fullness of our Future Hope, its full expression is excessive, “subverting our closed equilibrium.” There is an abundance demonstrated in the extreme fruitfulness of the Tree of Life, its fruits and even its leaves that are for the healing of the nations. 

There is novelty, not trite, but over and above what it “necessary.”

“Art can say more than can be told.”

5. Nominal Order

Dr. Begbie called the “non-order,” the Jazz Factor, it is the unpredictable.  The improvisation, playing between the space between order and non order, not order and chaos. 

Untidiness is not a mark of chaos or disorder, just irregularities.

This is seen in the new creation, and can come forth in art making. 

I was encouraged especially by the idea of piercing exposure as my own artmaking has recently focused on the unsentimental truth about our own mortality.  I have been exploring ideas in the art of dying to try to place before myself the “unpretty” truth that death comes for us all and we may ignore it but we are better served by facing it and preparing it.  I have wrestled theologically on focusing on the bad news when I know the rest of the story and our great hope, but I found comfort in the idea that our hope is open faced and wide eyed and takes full account of the bad news first before the good news can break through.

My notes are of course incomplete and don’t do Dr. Begbie’s lecture justice, please don’t consider them as a word for word transcript, they are just the topics discussed and the notes I made.  I do certainly recommend hearing him speak if you are given the chance, he masterful blend of musicianship, theology and public speaking are insightful and encouraging beyond what I have reviewed here. 

Looking forward to getting him speak at the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship’s Calvin Symposium on Worship, January 28-30, 2010 in Grand Rapids MI.

Through our recent road trip and a DVD I borrowed, I  found out about a three men that have inspired me to continue attempting to make art and find a place of service and blessing to others in it.

Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain, in Niland CA, Horace Burgess’ tree house in Crossville, TN and H. Harrison Mayes’ roadsigns everywhere, are striking examples to me of how faith informs our lives, including making art.  From what I have read, all three were motivated by their faith and devotion and never tried to make more out of their actions than they did their faith.  No business, no catchy marketing, just living as they felt led.  No explanation and no fanfare.

Some can see it as odd or ecentric, misguided or benign, but I have been blessed justing knowing these men have it in their hearts to obey God and try with their lives to see others come to know that love and salvation offered to us through His Son.

Stirred in my own attempts and blessed by these works, I just wanted to share them with you.

Also check out Austin White’s site.  They were gracious and open to me using his photo.  And they personally have met Leonard and confirmed he is just an amazing person.

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains

The Simon & Garfunkel song, “The Boxer” always reminds me of a good friend of mine.  In every verse there is memory of him or his story.  We were together in Sept ‘01, watching the first live broadcast of SNL after the 9/11 attacks when Paul Simon sang this song after Giuliani’s opening monologue.  It seemed fitting then of the resolve during troubled times for NYC and as I reflect on my dear friend and his past and recent struggles in this troubled economy I find myself seeing him as that unwavering, hard headed boxer, being pushed by cold winds and struck by heavy blows and still standing and still remaining.

I doubt he feels heroic.  Most likely he only feels tragically “trapped.” All he can do is stand and take it, what else is there?  And certainly part of that is true.  Often in life we feel like we are fighters, not winners really, just fighters.  We are just too thick to quit, so we fight.  Life pushes us into a corner and the only way out it seems is to keep at it, but our arms get heavy, our vision weak and there is nothing to do but just take it until you get that second wind, until you find that strength or until you hear the bell sound.

And I get that, and realize the frustration of just reminding yourself of platitudes, but the biggest part of me, the truest part of me has to remember we aren’t called fighters or even winners, but MORE than winners, by a God who took on the blackest, darkest hour and heard the count to ten and in an incredible reversal, to which there is no earthly parallel, He rose and conquered our worst enemies, our very fears and made a way for His grace to reach us where we even oppose ourselves.

There is no denial of our pain; of our trials, of our suffering, though we are often reluctant to call it that knowing as we do the harder life of others in this world.  But we do suffer and we do lose heart after we receive blow after blow.  And there comes a time when we all want to quit or do quit.  Or we can hang on in stubbornness and not know what else to do.

And I am not suggesting my friend has failed to remember the promises of our great Savior or that he is deficient in crying out to God, I just have felt the need to be there for him and acknowledge that he is not crazy, he is not whining, and his complaint is just and to also encourage him, to “put heart into” him, to “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble” that he not lose heart. 

This piece was made for him, just trying to show in a tangible way the prayers and thoughts that have been with him.

There is no solution presented in it, just a heartfelt acknowledgement of suffering and stubbornness and of the wounds we carry with us.