On Day 1 of our journey we understood that the beauty of creativity in the Cross is in reality a complete negation of everything that we might conceive of as “beauty” in this world! If, for us, beauty is primarily a matter of aesthetic attraction and form, then the Cross exemplifies deformation, dehumanisation, and the denial of any kind of desire.

But this does not mean that the beauty of God is compromised in any way. Rather, the beauty of the Cross is unprecedented given its divine captive. Which God would allow himself to be brutalised and dishonoured in what might have been one of the worst possible ways of punishment imaginable? This God. Jesus.

The amazing thing is that God sees beauty in the very things that we tend to see no beauty. In Matthew 26, when the woman with the alabaster jar of very expensive perfume broke it and anointed Jesus with it, Jesus with prophetic vision called that “beautiful.” It was beautiful because Jesus saw that as a preparation for his death and burial. Any work that implicitly points to the explicit beauty of the Cross and the person of Christ is beautiful. It is a participation in the beautification of God. The onlookers thought that the expensive perfume could have been used for a thousand other “useful” things such as feeding the poor! In contrast to their poor vision, Jesus perceives beauty in the extravagance of this woman. Such “meaningless” extravagance is now memorialised for eternity. We are still talking about it today.

The question is, am I able to see beauty in people and situations where there is no beauty in the eyes of the world? Or, perhaps more significantly, does Jesus consider the creative work that I do as extravagantly beautiful?

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

Breakthrough Creativity is predicated on the uncompromised and unfettered beauty of the Cross. May the Lord grant us the prophetic vision to behold and partake in such beauty each day of our lives until we meet him face to face.

prayer

Dear lord Jesus, open my eyes to see you. open my heart to know you. bless my hands and feet and body with extravagant obedience.

the joy that you had when you went to the cross was a joy that you had from before the foundations of the world. it is a joy that you have now in accomplishing for all time and all places and for all peoples what you came to do — the gift of a new life, forgiveness of sins, and a blessed eternal communion with all those who love you and do your will. this is beautiful. you who knew no sin became sin that we, undeserving as we are, might become the righteousness of God. for this i am grateful. Thank you. in jesus’ name. amen.

• 

•