Visual Wonder to Deliver a Message

Marian Bantjes: Intricate beauty by design

I was watching this video from TED.com the other day because of Marian's fascinating artwork. I am a visual person and I love art so this video caught my attention. If you are interested, the video breaks down how she creates her fabulously intricate designs, including some made from sugar that are just out of this world.

Anyway, about 2/3 of the way through the video, she is talking about the importance of visual representation of ideas, and she says, this is one thing that religion has gotten right -- their use of "visual wonder to deliver a message." I would have to agree. And it's not necessarily the most elaborate or expensive that sets the stage for faith. On a mission trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, I wandered into a house worship service. In this house, they had a table up front covered in a table cloth. There was an open bible in the center and on each side of it were two sparkly metalic sprays -- a little tacky anywhere else, but this was a poor, Mayan village about 100 miles inland from Cancun. It was not nearly as elaborate as Marian's creations, but it did create wonder (and take the place of candles).

With our ready access to the visual through media and technology, I wonder where visual wonder will lead us? Already we can use intriguing backgrounds to add to the message of our music. We can create diagrams and videos to better communicate the message of our sermons. We have access through technology to much of the world's most famous artwork. What are the possibilities with visual wonder in delivering the gospel message?

Two pages from Marian's new book.