Don't take away my music
Photo by Ilyuza Mingazova on Unsplash
I have always enjoyed music. Some of my earliest musical memories include dancing at birthday parties to 1970s pop when I was a child, singing ‘When I needed a neighbour where you there’, and playing the drums in the band at school.
In my teenage years, music became even more important. My sister and I would listen every Sunday night to the Top 40 played on Radio 1.
I used to save my Saturday job money and go to town on the bus and buy records from ‘Our Price’. In the early 1980s I went with a friend to the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street in London. I was blown away by the size of the store and amount of vinyl they had.
Whether it was listening to or playing music in bands, I loved it – and still do! Now with digital music streaming I have discovered new artists and genres, as well as rediscovering some songs from the past. Hearing an old favourite is like jumping in a time machine and being transported back to that era.
I sometimes wonder what it would be like if there was no music. I would find it quite awful.
Music is wonderful. Art is important. Creativity is vital. I love the fact that God thinks this way too, or to put it another way, my love for art and creativity is simply a reflection of The Creator.
When God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt, He commanded them to build a Tabernacle. This was a mobile set up, where they could worship God. It was designed and built by creatives…
“See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze…”
This is the first time in the Bible when we read of the Spirit of God filling people. And what an occasion it was!
The Creator God announced that He poured ‘His’ Spirit into creative people, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skill.
Creativity is in the very heart of God, just look at the universe, the natural world and everything in it – all designed and built by God: It’s a sensory overload of sounds, tastes, smells, visuals and textures.
All this makes the world a better place and our lives are enriched. Thank you, Creator God, and thank you for creatives who follow in Your footsteps…
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader