Stephen Thomas

Whose Light do we shine?

Prior to working at C3 College or the School of Creative Arts as it was known in the days I began teaching there, I didn’t know much about the Holy Spirit’s role in the creative journey. I had been working and teaching in the world and doing things mostly in my own strength. Occasionally I would be surprised by a creative outcome and wonder ‘how did I do that?’

Once working in the college and under the influence and guidance of people like Jeff Crabtree, Josh Bedoukian and Ps Phil I soon realised the importance of always taking the Holy Spirit into the creative journey with me.

As students, when we unlearn bad habits when we divest our bodies from that muscle memory, we really begin to see the full potential of what God sees in us, in our talents. However, when away from an environment such as College it is easy to fall back into those habits out of insecurity. The world doesn’t always encourage you in the same way a bible college will. Ours is to edify, encourage, build you up. It isn’t about competition or breaking people’s spirits. Ours is to use our talents in our calling which is to serve God in whichever area He has called us.

Out in the world, we can forget about whose light it is we are shining. We can get lost in the search for approval and rely only on serving our own light as a manner of survival. Recently I was in America, and I had been invited to speak to the Creative team of the church through former students, Heather Hertzendorfer and Ben Hodgson. In my preparation, I rediscovered something and found a deeper connection in the Creative partnership: Bezelel. I had always known about Bezelel and he has been a hero of mine. Not just because he was quite possibly the first creative to do something directly for God and in partnership with the Holy Spirit but because his story taught me about the light and whose light we reflect when we are creating. Bezelel means ‘in God’s shadow’. If I am creating in God’s shadow then it is only His light that shines, only His glory that shows. Not mine, never mine, because it is not about me, never was. It is about God’s greatness, His glory, His light.

When John the Baptist was preparing the way for the coming Messiah, people looked to him and came to him for baptism and became his disciples. After Jesus was baptised by John, John became less so that Jesus could become more. John was a harbinger of light. When the light arrived, John stepped into the shadow. It was never a competition, John knew his role, his serving of God in the preparing of the way for God’s Son. When I was in college and doing Church productions etc; I was aware of the ease and the flow in which things happened, I was told that this was the anointing, this was God’s grace on the work. I learnt to cultivate this but then I was always thinking: one day this will leave me and flow to someone else. When that day happened, I knew it was time to leave. However, I am now in another C3 Church carrying on His work and serving in the Creative area and teaching others. God continues to use me, and I am happy about that. There is no such thing as retirement in God’s Kingdom and I am glad of that.

But back to Bezelel. Through him, I realised that we should always be in God’s shadow. This doesn’t mean that we adopt a false modesty of deflection. No, it is genuine servitude that we ‘get to do this’ (Pam Borrow). We, like Bezelel, have been called to tell His story in such a way that will inspire others and of course spread His glory, shine His light.

In the church we must always be aware, not just that God is moving but where is He moving because we must move with him and remain always in God’s shadow so that only His light shines, only His story is told. That is one of the most important things I have learnt as a creative in my time in the church and at college.

I pray that these words are an encouragement to you and that you continue in your journey with only one focus: to serve God.

Stephen Thomas