Art Part 2

Art is one of the most universal ways we encounter meaning. It has the power to stop us in our tracks, stir emotions we can’t quite name and point us toward something beyond ourselves. Whether it’s the brushstrokes of a painting, the rhythm of dance, the harmonies of music or the breathtaking lines of architecture, art calls us to pay attention. It reminds us that beauty is not merely ornamental but essential. It shapes how we see, feel and even believe.

In a city that never stops moving, there are still places that invite you to pause and look up. Walking into Trinity Church NYC or St. Thomas Church is like stepping into a story told not with words but with beauty. The soaring ceilings, pointed arches and slender columns pull your gaze upward as though the walls themselves are whispering, “Look up. There’s more than this.” In those heights, the air shifts. Before the sermon is ever spoken, the space already has. You don’t have to believe in God to feel something sacred.

In these cathedrals, light is a language. Sunlight filters through stained glass, splashing color across stone, weaving stories of saints and Scripture. It invites you not only to see but to receive. Every hue and shape is intentional. The architecture doesn’t merely impress. It gently imposes stillness, offering a quiet invitation to lean into the divine.

And then there is sound. The hush you feel when you first enter is like a flower waiting to bloom, opening into song from organ and choir. The long nave and vaulted ceilings are tuned to carry music. Almost as if alive, the sound folds around you, lingers in your bones and reminds you that beauty doesn’t just touch your ears or eyes. It inhabits you.

But this wasn’t always the story with music at St. Thomas. In the early days, they struggled to build a choir. To address the issue, their solution wasn’t to lower the bar for participation but to raise it. They turned their choir into a world-renowned training ground, believing the ministry of music should measure up to the awe-inspiring environment in which it was offered. The space itself seemed to demand excellence, and they responded with worship that was worthy.

Excellence in worship doesn’t come from performance for its own sake; it flows from a longing to offer God our very best. The story of St. Thomas reminds us that beauty has the power to form us, and when we raise the bar in worship and art, we are raising the bar in how we live. Every note sung, every beam of light through stained glass, every act of service and love can become an offering when we approach life with this same heart. Worship is not only what fills the air in a cathedral; it is the way we live as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God as Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

At Trinity and St. Thomas, architecture is not decoration. The music is not manipulation. They are formation. They lift your gaze and tune your heart, not by force, but by invitation, to adore a God who is both near and transcendent, a God who is worthy of grandeur and who desires our best. This should be true in our lives too. Let His beauty stir us to MAKE ROOM for deeper, more meaningful worship through art, work and a life that reflects our infinitely creative God. In every note, every act, every moment offered with intention, we are drawn into His glory. After all, He is the treasure. He is the prize.

Reflection
When was the last time beauty stopped you in your tracks whether through music, light, nature or art?
Did it point you beyond yourself, even if only for a moment? Take a breath today and ask: What is this beauty inviting me to remember about God?

Maybe it’s His nearness. Maybe it’s His transcendence. Maybe it’s simply His kindness to weave wonder into the world around us. Whatever it is, don’t rush past it. Look up, listen in, receive the invitation and then, let your life, your work, your creativity and your love be an offering that reflects the awe and beauty of the God who made it all.