Podcast Episodes

Lisa Smith 0:11
Hello, welcome to Be.Make.Do. a soul|makers podcast, where we encourage and inspire you to become who you were created to be, make what you were created to make and do what you were created to do. I'm your host, Lisa Smith, and I'm here with producer Dan ABH.

Dan ABH 0:28
Hello everyone.

Lisa Smith 0:29
And we're just really excited to begin our brand new series, the Wise-Hearted Ones. Now I have been researching and working on and thinking about and praying about this story at the end of Exodus for a really long time now. And at first glance, it actually seems really boring. But dig deeper. And it's just such a rich, amazing, almost like never before told story. And I'm just really excited to be able to dig into this with you.

Lisa Smith 1:01
So along the way, we're going to invite some conversation partners, have some interviews with artists, and theologians and creative thinkers and talk about the story of design and art, and the power of placemaking, culture making and the arts. Because here's the thing, if environments, and our culture shapes us, that's the premise, if that's true. And if God designed us and the arts this way on purpose, then I think a lot of things change, especially the way we think about the artists call. But there's several things that change first.

Lisa Smith 1:42
First, we start paying closer attention to our environments, and how we curate our lives in our world, knowing that the aesthetics matter to God, and that they can and that they are shaping us. So that changes the way we think about our environment. And then the second thing is, like I said, it starts to change the way we think about our role as art makers. So if what we create has that kind of shaping influence on people, then we have to think about our role maybe a little bit differently, maybe the possibilities for what art can do change in our mind, as well as our responsibilities as makers. And then third, I think the way we think about appreciate and approach the arts as Christians radically shifts, and that's a welcome thing as well. So I mean, all of this I know it's a lot. There's a lot we're going to pick apart and dig into. But you start to get why I'm so excited about the series, Dan?

Dan ABH 2:39
I do I do. You've been talking about it for a long time since I since I met you.

Lisa Smith 2:45
Yeah, it's a lot of people have written about Bezalel and Oholiab and this story from an artistic perspective. And there's so much to dig into and to dive into in the story. But I really want to look specifically at what's significant about this tabernacle story as a place making event as a culture shaping structure and the arts as integral to our formation as people in our day to day in everyday lives. And the wise hearted ones, all the people who are involved in creating this structure over and over again. Because I think it's funny because we don't, we don't most of the time, think about we're not really aware of how our environments and our and the culture we swim in, affects and shapes us. But it does. It happens all the time. And we're not we're not necessarily thinking about it. Like you. I mean, I know. You are somebody who loves music, you listen to music, it's probably I mean, like, Do you have a soundtrack? For your life?

Dan ABH 3:53
Oh, you know, I do.

Lisa Smith 3:56
Well, I always wanted one. I always wanted somebody to make a soundtrack, so I could just plug it in. And like as I go through my day, I have a soundtrack.

Dan ABH 4:01
I'll make you one. Well, it's funny as you talk about the environments of I mean, obviously, you know, but some people may not know I'm a drummer in a few bands, and I've been doing music for so long. I don't know why I still do it. Just joking. But when you bring up environments, I even think about like, when my bands practice, we set the lights really low, because if they're too bright, kind of takes away from like the vibe. And it's also reflective into when we play live at venues or whatnot. It's typically dark and but there's also a light show going on. So I think when we're in the studio or in the rehearsal space, we'd like to get the the lights dim, as opposed to when we're writing our tracking, which sometimes will keep the lights rights. So assisting just as simple as that.

Lisa Smith 4:53
Whatever it is you something you want to have happen. Yeah, then you're creating that structure,

Dan ABH 4:58
Especially when you're the one curating the space or you're the host. Right, right.

Lisa Smith 5:03
Yeah. So Yeah. And it's it's a part of everyday life. Like I was talking with my husband, Jay and I, we've been talking about clutter a lot in the house and how, I mean, it's something that you, you can not see you think you're not seeing it. But for us anyway, it starts to get under our skin, and it affects our moods and our creativity and that kind of stuff. Like just the way the environment is like, crackling around.

Dan ABH 5:33
Yeah, and I'll throw another one at you like this, like digital social media news feed that really affects our environment, you're in a game where we're preparing to do something, or specifically, I've noticed it, even with myself and with my bandmates. We'll be like setting up and getting ready to go. And everyone's just scrolling on their phones. And I'm wondering to myself, does this put us in a different site? Yeah. Does this change what we're about to do? Because I don't know what social media feed you're on. But it's usually not very positive. So where does that put you as an artist? right before you're about to do something? Is this smart of us to be not paying attention to what we're about to do?

Lisa Smith 6:17
Such a great question. Yeah, I think there's so many implications for starting to be really conscious about that. Yeah. So this is what we're going to talk about, we're gonna pick all this stuff apart in the series, and just start having some conversations about where that leads, and invite you as our listeners to consider how this impacts your understanding of call. Because I really believe this story in Exodus shows that God gives artistic skill and talent for a very distinct, and for powerful purposes. purposes, which I think we're often oblivious to. Well, let's get started.

Lisa Smith 7:09
Exodus 31:6: "I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilled artisan, in order to make all that I have commanded you." In Exodus, there's this story hidden within a story, sandwiched in between Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments and the glorious images of the Israelites carrying the Ark of the Covenant through the desert is a story about art and artists, design and makers. I'm sure you're probably familiar with the story of Moses and the 10 Commandments. At least I'm sure you've seen an image somewhere of Charlton Heston and a fake beard receiving big huge stone tablets. "The light of God shines from you Moses. Do not kneel to me, Joshua." And maybe you remember the Ark of the Covenant and all that craziness from the Raiders of the Lost Ark. And probably you've heard the story of the golden calf and that great debacle that I don't think I've ever heard of a movie about what happens in between all of that. And really, it's no wonder the section of Exodus that I'm talking about is kind of like the director's cut of the film.

Lisa Smith 8:27
Most people skip over the commentary in the backstory, understandably, because it sounds something like this. "Over the tabernacle, make 11 of these curtains, each curtain should be 45 feet long and six feet wide..." But in the midst of what seems like dry details, are actual people, and lives. And in the midst of these dry lists about materials and labor is an incredible story. Here hidden in Exodus, we makers and artists find the root of our calling.

Lisa Smith 9:03
It's a story about art and artists, design and makers. This is the story of the Wise-Hearted Ones, the ones who are called by name and by heart to construct the Tabernacle. It starts as a love story. God wanted more than anything to be with his people. And his people needed him to be with them more than anything. They needed a place where they knew they could approach God and worship. And God always had a plan to give it to them. But this wasn't going to be any ordinary sanctuary or church building. This house of worship was actually designed entirely by God Himself. With a level of rich attention to detail that is unparalleled, even by the pic is designer. I mean, keep in mind, think about it. It only takes four chapters in the book Bible for God to give Moses the 10 Commandments. But it takes 11 chapters of intricate instruction to convey God's plans for the tabernacle. Now, that's some design.

Lisa Smith 10:14
So what's the deal? Why take up all this space? I think it's because it's in the details themselves, that we find a clue as to how God intended art to function with his people. He chose materials and design. So specifically, because he was creating an aesthetic structure to hold the Israelites together as God's people. The structure was far more important in the daily lives of the Israelites than what we typically experience with our worship spaces. For one thing, the Tabernacle was the physical center of their lives. It was literally located in the middle of their living spaces in the middle of their tents. It was used daily, not just for community worship, but for all kinds of gathering it was the seat of governance and judgment, it's the backdrop for all the important stuff of life. This is where disputes would be settled, and the high priest Aaron would make decisions for the tribes, history would be made and shared in the space. And most importantly, this is where the Israelites would meet with God. They'd have feasts and festivals and rituals, the priests would constantly inhabit and care for the space and for the offerings of the people.

Lisa Smith 11:38
You can imagine how being in such a space, day after day, even just passing by it, knowing that it was there, influenced the form and the rhythm of their daily lives. And that aesthetic structure shaped their imaginations, about the nature and the character of God, and the nature and the character of God's love for His people. So see, these lists are an outline of the drama and pageantry and ritual and beauty with which God would woo his people, keep them close, allow them to feel his presence. While the law was the governing structure for God's people, the Tabernacle was the aesthetic structure that would hold them together as God's people. Up on that mountain, Moses received more than two stone tablets, he got blueprints. So why, why is this act of construction, so important? I recently had a conversation with Jennifer Allen Craft, who's associate professor of theology and humanities at Point University in West Point, Georgia, where she teaches courses in systematic theology, philosophy and the arts. And she's the author of the book Placemaking and the Arts: Cultivating the Christian Life, a wonderful book, which I have used for a lot of my research. And we got a chance to talk about this story, and some of its implications. So let's take a listen.

Jennifer Allen Craft 13:18
A third of the book of Exodus is about the building of the tabernacle. And now that there's a lot of textual space. When you look at other things in Scripture that receive so little textual space, you know, Jesus, baptism gets like a couple of verses, you know, things that seem like pretty important. And so yeah, I think even just the, the textual space that it gives us, clues us into the fact that this is a pretty significant part of Israel's history and identity and the the tabernacle narrative. You know, we're introduced to Bezalel and Oholiab, as these artists who have received special divine calling and inspiration, right, so that notion of God particularly calls these people to do this task. And so, and that calling is really important, because the calling and the command of God throughout that narrative is the key to understanding what's good about it. Because we're introduced to the artists Bezalel and Ohobliab, we're told, you know, all the gifts, all the things that they're called to do a chapter later after that introduction is the golden calf narrative. Yeah, where we get this, you know, designation to not have any other idols, no graven images, right. And so there certainly seems to be this conflict. Within the text itself, we're later introduced to the artist again, so there's kind of a double introduction. But one of the key differences between those narratives because there's a lot of textual similarity between the way in which the artists are introduced and the types of things that are produced and use to produce artwork and that and in the golden calf narrative, in both accounts, people bring their gold and their jewelry to sort of melt down and make something like people are sort of engaging in the task in very similar ways. But the golden calf was not called by God.

Jennifer Allen Craft 15:10
It's this kind of misplaced attempt to see God's presence and to understand God's presence. And so I think the calling and inspiration part is really key to understanding the way that artistry is functioning in the tabernacle. And I mean, the tabernacle is a really particular place and Israel's history, right? It is the place where God's presence is going to dwell, that's different from other places. And so whatever we can draw out about artistic inspiration, and calling and artistic, you know, how God is thinking about artistry has to be understood within that context to that this is a special case, but I think some some general things can be drawn out of it. Within the case of the tabernacle, they're going they're building it on a, on a repeated basis.

Jennifer Allen Craft 15:58
Right, so the tabernacle, I talked about the fact that the tabernacle is this kind of this event like place that is constantly made and remade over and over again. So as they move, it's made in the same way every time. So it's a, it's the same place every time, but it's moving within the landscape and in the environment. And it involves the placemaking of the people every single time they have to rebuild it, they have to put everything to where it should. And artists are really central to that to create the visual environment. But the artistic activity there is understood in relation to the worship, right, so to the Worshipful activity of the people and the artists themselves are sort of priestly in that way. And that brings us back in a lot of ways to the Genesis narrative and the fact that, you know, Adam is kind of the first poet and placemaker and gardener that we see in Scripture. And the garden narrative is a tabernacle temple narrative, right.

Jennifer Allen Craft 16:58
So I mean, it is the first base where God dwells with humans. And so we might then think about those two, two texts together, in terms of our responsible calling, to make to name to put together to make places in a way that is fitting for divine and human relationship, and also a relationship with one another. So the tabernacle space is where they're going to meet God, but it's also what they're doing together as a community. So so the artistic practice, then, is a really central part of the way in which they're forming community with, not only with God, but with one another. And so I think that is a really central part of understanding the tabernacle narrative. And the artists and the tabernacle narrative in particular, that they're not just making something, you know, pretty to, you know, and then they go on their merry way that they're proud of their artistic practice is actually in the business of forming community for the people and making a place for God to, to dwell with them. And so it's, it's a central human task that they're doing.

Lisa Smith 18:17
I think when you place artmaking in particular, but I think the all Christian activity within that context, then, for me, it gets really clear what I'm supposed to be doing all the time, anywhere, everywhere. Is this making this space for God to inhabit, and acting and behaving as if I were in the kingdom.

Jennifer Allen Craft 18:42
And it's this act of hospitality right of inviting in your, they're inviting in the Divine Presence. And God wants that to be a particular way, right. Like he has his called them to make it with particular accoutrements, particular ways of, of making things, particular ratios that are used. And you know, they have to sort of bend to that. There's also there are other artisans mentioned. I mean, so there's Bezalel and Oholiab, who receive the special divine calling, but there are other artists as well.

Jennifer Allen Craft 19:17
And they're, I sort of like to think about them as like, so they're participating in that wider task. And they're, in some ways, being kind of, like, mentored by Bezalel and Oholiab, who have received this special divine calling, but they're working in the context of that kind of community to, to inhabit the place themselves and to understand themselves, but also to allow and to invite God to inhabit there with them, right to make a place there with them. You know, if we sort of read that text, then later in light of Jesus, you know, Jesus himself is identified with the temple over and over again. He tabernacles with us, right so that same word, there is used in the Greek word God, you know, the word tabernacles among us. And so, you know, in light of that of Jesus as the sort of divine Placemaker, who comes and lives and dwells and, you know, engages with the world, and a variety of prophetic and loving and creative ways, you know, if we as Christians are called to be Christ, like, then you know that sort of another layer that we might think about in terms of our artistic activity.

Lisa Smith 20:41
I really appreciate Jennifer taking the time to talk with me about the tabernacle and bezel and a holy AB. Okay, so some things for us to pull out from these discussions that we've had so far in this episode. First, the aesthetics matter to God designed beauty and environment are always part of God's plan, and it's tied into his relationship with us. Second, God provides not only a governing structure for our lives, but also an aesthetic one. And third, God uses design beauty art, to elicit a sense of his presence with us, and to draw us closer to Him. Now, as I mentioned, at the very beginning, I think this has significant implications on the call of the artist. So when we were talking with Jennifer, she brought up this important aspect of call, right that what made the creation of the tabernacle different was the call by God to make it and because of the nature of what they were called to create, that it was a place for God to inhabit, the artists were then serving in a priestly or prophetic way. And we're going to come back to that in more depth. But how is this priestly or prophetic this this act this creation?

Lisa Smith 22:02
Well, as Jennifer said, the tabernacle is at the center of everything. It's designed as a constant call back to the invitation of Genesis. All the imagery in the creation of the tabernacle, points to the story of Genesis. It's a prophetic call back to being the people of God. So, Marty Solomon has an excellent podcast series, teaching through the Bible as a complete and cohesive narrative. It's really, really amazing. It's called BEMA, B, E, M, A, highly recommend it, check it out. But Marty Solomon says, "The Tabernacle is a constant reminder, to call you back to the love of God, the forgiveness of God, the acceptance of God, and the rest, that trusting the story provides you." Now that is a priestly and prophetic thing. Okay, so we could think of this all as a one time, experience, a one time art project. But here's another little cool connection that Marty Solomon makes. He talks about how when the tabernacle is inaugurated, it's this beautiful, creative project. And when it's complete, fire comes out, and the people fall down and worship God with joy. The fire is the presence of God filling this mobile tabernacle.

Lisa Smith 23:32
But then again, later, when the Israelites settle in Jerusalem, the same kind of creative project is employed to create the temple, which is the permanent structure where God would dwell in their midst. And again, it has the same elaborate artistry, there are artists involved, and the same fire and people bowing down with joy to worship at the tangible presence of God. But that's not all. Then again, in Acts when the Holy Spirit is released on Jesus's disciples, the tongues of fire come out of the temple and separate and land on the people, the church. And it's expected that the same thing would happen. People would be overwhelmed by the joy of an encounter with a God who is tabernacle sing with them, when they encounter us, the church as the new temple or the new tabernacle. Again, Marty Solomon says, in the first Genesis narrative, God creates a space and says, you fill it. And then in the second narrative, the tabernacle narrative, he says, you create a space and I will fill it. So, within that context, all Christian activity gets really clear. Like I said, when we were talking with Jennifer, it gets really clear for me what I'm supposed to be doing all the time.

Lisa Smith 25:00
Anywhere, everywhere, is this making space for God to inhabit. Going further one more time with Marty Solomon, he says, "If we are that temple, then we are a mobile reminder of Genesis 1, we are meant to be a call back to the story, that story that invites people to the goodness of God that invites them to trust the story, and giving them an experience that would invite them to fall on their face and worship God because He is so good, and his love endures forever."

Lisa Smith 25:38
So then let's just put a fine point on it. As artists, specifically, let's draw the line from the work of placemaking, that the wise hearted ones were called to, and artists of faith in all generations. So creating a space is broader than just building a physical space. It's an act of hospitality and inviting in of the Divine Presence, like Jennifer said earlier. When Christ tabernacles with us, it is a placemaking event. So then creating spaces is not limited to just a physical place where you are. But it includes everything that contributes to the cultural ethos which we inhabit. All the art and music and performance and story and images and poems and environments, but also ideas and games and films, all of it.

Lisa Smith 26:33
So in the Exodus story, God determines the subject matter of material, but he does still require skilled artisans to accomplish the work. The aesthetic execution, and decisions around execution are left up to the artisans. They are called to create a space for God to fill. And as we see in Acts we are still called to create spaces for God to fill. Now this understanding should result I think, in a creative call that spills out beyond any agenda on my part, as an art maker or as a Christian. Even the agenda for what God will do to help people or evangelize or spread a message or whatever that might be. Like Marty Solomon said, God asks us to create a space that He will fill for his purposes.

Lisa Smith 27:35
It's God's business to make the impact, but it is ours to make. Then with this humility, I find so much freedom to just tell the stories, write the music, paint the pictures, perform, create, and just make with an intention, and prayerful approach that anything I'm creating is space for God to fill. So this is the question for you. What spaces will you create? And how does it affect the way you create if you're working with the intention of creating a space for God to fill?

Lisa Smith 28:20
Just as a side note, if you've never sat down and looked at Exodus 25 to 30, I invite you to do it. First of all, it's going to make this series much richer for you if you know what I'm talking about. And second of all, I think that you will find so much encouragement and incredible inspiration for your calling as an artist and I bet you're gonna pull out even more great insights.

Lisa Smith 28:43
Thank you so much to Jennifer Allen Craft for talking with us. You can get her book Placemaking and the Arts: Cultivating the Christian Life on Amazon. We'll also put links to her website in the show notes. And be sure to check out the BEMA podcast with Marty Solomon. It's really wonderful. And stay tuned for our next episode with Deborah Sokolove, artist, poet, liturgist, and former director of the Luce Center for Theology and the Arts at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. It's going to be such a great follow up to this teaching because she's actually I think, gonna start painting a picture of what this could look like.

Deborah Sokolove 29:20
"The church doesn't have to be a hierarchical structure. Church can distribute its leadership and distribute the artmaking and distribute the joy."

Lisa Smith 29:33
Be sure to join us on this journey as we continue to discover the original call of the artist and reconsider your creative gifting in light of the Wise Hearted ones.

Dan ABH 29:44
Thanks for listening to Be.Make.Do. a soul|makers podcast. All resources and links can be found in our show notes.