When we think of wholeness, words such as well-being, health, restoration, and new birth race through the mind. As the body of Christ, the church struggles to reclaim wholeness in the face of dualism. The same dualism that threatens to separate the body and spirit threatens to separate the church from one of its most sacred forms of expression — art. I encourage church leaders to consider the artistic expressions found in the African American church as a model for all congregations. Here, I believe, we'll find a righteous path to wholeness in worship, mind, body, and spirit.

Within the African American tradition, religious art takes on a variety of forms. The stained glass windows in my church are a marvelous example. Painted in rich earth tones, they depict the historic journey of African Americans, beginning with the slave trade, crossing the Middle Passage, arriving in America, planting the church (with John Wesley), struggling through the civil rights movement, and progressing up to the present. When light beams through these windows, God's majesty radiates for all to see.

Sitting in the sanctuary pondering the artist's rendition of Martin Luther King Jr.'s determination and resilience, the resounding words of the prophet Amos echo throughout my being. I sense those prophetic words: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24). This imagery re-awakens within the soul the promises of God's grace and mercy and restores healing to the weary. In essence, the windows remind us that the prophet's call to justice lives throughout eternity. This art reminds church leaders that God calls us into prophetic ministry.

However, one must explore the music to reach the core of artistic expression in this tradition. In Come Sunday: The Liturgy of Zion, noted African American scholar William B. McClain assures us that "the music of the black religious tradition has said that just being alive is good and worth celebrating, singing, and shouting about." And McClain is right. Music is an artistic expression that enlivens our sense of spirituality. When we, as individuals living in a community of faith, free ourselves to accept the full expression of the Holy Spirit, we are not only infused with that Spirit for our own healing and wholeness, but we demonstrate God's grace and mystery for others.

As a worship leader and one who practices spiritual direction, I believe that God's presence in our lives is sometimes not as visible as we would like. This doesn't mean that God has forsaken us, but that we are unable to feel and hear God's subtle movement in our lives. We may feel as if we're in the valley of dry bones and "our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost" (Ezek. 37:11, NRSV), but the vibrancy of music breathes into us new life and heals our brokenness.

Last Christmas Eve my church held a jazz gospel concert. As a reminder of the new life we gain through Christ's birth, we listened to jazzy renditions of Christmas carols. This innovative Christmas celebration integrated the fullness and richness of African American musical expression into sacred worship space. It enabled the church to reach believers and non-believers alike, inviting their participation in Christ's birth for personal transformation and committed discipleship.

Christians need music that "speaks to the troubles, pains, fears, joys, and sorrows" of this world. Sacred jazz music can be a "balm of Gilead" during troubled times. Certainly Duke Ellington understood that jazz expressed the full range of religious affections. Listen to his second sacred concert or to any rendition of "Come Sunday" and hear the hope and joy expressed in this music.

We must also consider the art of sacred dance. In recent years we have witnessed an explosion of sacred dance in the church. Finely choreographed dance, when set to sacred music, expresses God's grace. As witnesses to the fluid movement of human bodies dancing, we grow in the tradition of David.

Upon David's defeat of Goliath, "the women came out of all towns of Israel, singing and dancing" (1 Sam. 18:6, NRSV). The same spirit of God that was upon those women still prevails in our churches and empowers us to overcome the enemies of our wholeness. Today, when women (and men) dance in the African American church, they engage in an exquisite form of praise ministry that heals souls by bringing the people of God closer to the One who created us.

While I have touched upon some art forms found within the context of African American culture, I believe that the entire church can embrace each expression. We are one in Christ Jesus, and all that we have comes from God. We must be mindful that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, these forms of painting, song, dance, and other arts belong to us all. Through the unified body of Christ we realize the fullness and wholeness of God's created order.

Only in Christ do we find our center. That center speaks with creative voices, creative movements, and creative affirmations of Christ's redemptive love.

Rev. F. Lloyd Chester serves as assistant pastor at three local churches in the Dallas, Texas, area. Recently, he was appointed Chaplain at Methodist Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.