-by Rev. Nick Phillips
Celtic Colours is in full swing this week, and what a week it is! Here we are in mid-October and our communities are abuzz with all kinds of activities as people wander through our island taking in all the scenes and happenings we offer.
I know Celtic Colours is heralded as a huge community economic driver which extends our tourist season by weeks, if not months, but it is more than that. Celtic Colours is a celebration of Cape Breton and Celtic art and culture. Which is plenty obvious to anyone who takes in a concert or a community event.
I love living in Cape Breton. I love the music. I love the countryside. I love all of it. I do not even mind the winters. And since moving to Inverness County from CBRM two years ago, I am discovering a deeper love for additional forms of art, largely thanks to the wonderful folks at the Inverness County Centre of the Arts and the various exhibitions on display throughout the year. If you have not been to a display at ICCA, I would encourage you to check them out. I admit, I do not always “get” what the artist is expressing, but I appreciate the hours and hours they put into their craft.
Various forms of art have existed since the dawn of the human race as our ancestors sought ways to express what they were feeling. Expressions which led to music, paintings, sculptures, photography, and many other mediums. In the church, art has also played a great part of our history as we seek ways to express our appreciation of God’s divine presence in our lives. Walk into pretty much any Catholic church and you will see beautiful artwork on display all through the sanctuary. I admit, as a protestant, we are missing out on some of these delightful and extravagant works.
Throughout history, humankind has wrestled with what it means to know God. And in this struggle people have developed incredible artwork. The Book of Psalms is full of poetry and songs capturing a snapshot of the lives of those who wrote them. You can also consider our hymn books as an extension of this same idea; they are full of people who wrote songs to express their understanding of and relationship with God.
When God gave Moses instructions to build the tabernacle, a tent worthy of the Lord, he acknowledged the work of the artisans of the community, “God has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver – by any sort of workman or skilled designer.”
We all have skills and talents which enable us to do God’s work in this world. For some of us, this work is to create beautiful and various forms of art to inspire others. We may not all be Michelangelos or da Vincis, but there is a sense of awe when we see a piece of art which speaks to us in some way. And sometimes the art hits us with a sense of God’s presence, which is a truly special moment.
On Saturday, St. Matthew’s United Church in Inverness hosted a beautiful Celtic Colours concert with a variety of very talented artists. Sure, there was no reference to God, or even to church in any meaningful way, but the God-given talents of those on the stage were not only seen, but experienced in great abundance by the full house in attendance. At the end of the concert, a gentleman from Toronto attending his first Celtic Colours, shook my hand and said, “I have to come back.” Given the look on his face, I feel confident he’ll be a regular visitor during Cape Breton Octobers.
I hope you take time to appreciate the various forms of art on display all week in the halls of our communities. Celtic Colours is more than just a celebration of our culture, it is a celebration of the gifts God has given us in music, art, language, and culture for all to share.