The Story Behind the Soundtrack Series

Change is the only constant in life.

It’s a cliché all of us have likely come to recognize as true.  Yet the amount of change in the world seems to be growing, and the pace at which things are changing seems to be getting faster and faster.  We live in a world of 24/7 news cycles, constantly shifting vocabulary, and emergent crises that all seem to demand our immediate reaction.  Followers of Jesus often feel torn in the face of this continuous and strengthening cultural storm.  Out of love for Jesus and His people, we are called to compassion.  We need to be IN the world, and thus familiar with what’s going on to be prepared to love others and meet emergent needs.  At the same time, living with un-boundaried compassion could allow the storm to overwhelm us.  Far from living “the abundant life,” we could be reduced to life as a frenetic and endless series of harried reactions.  And so, as we look around us and seek to discern where Jesus is, where He’s going, and how we can follow Him it is natural to wonder, “how then do we LIVE as followers of Jesus in our world today?” 

There is a source of inspiration we can look to, to find answers to this question: the Bible. 

Christians claim to ALWAYS look to the Bible for answers to our spiritual questions.  But in this case, I am not advocating consulting the Bible as a strip-mine for theological truths or next step practical guidance for how to confront various issues or situations we face.  Rather, I am encouraging us to consider the BIG STORY of God’s people that runs throughout the entirety of the Scriptures to gain not answers necessarily, but fresh imagination for what it might look like to live as God’s people in our world today.

Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright argues that the Bible is the product of God’s mission.  As God revealed Himself and moved amongst His people—from the ancient Hebrews, to the nation of Israel, to the disciples of Jesus, to the New Testament church—His people engaged their surrounding culture and the wider world.  This missional interaction prompted by the movement of God, provided the occasions from which the Scriptures were written: historical accounts of God’s work amongst His people, laws recording how God’s people would be distinct from the other nations of the world, insights for how to engage with others outside the people of God, so as to win them over and bring them into the fold too. 

What’s more, from Genesis to Revelation, at every step of the Scriptural story, God’s people were NOT seated at the reigns of empire, power, and privilege.  With the possible exception of the short burst of time when Israel lived as a united kingdom under their own control (which, given their existence next to other much larger and stronger nations could have ONLY been possible due to God’s miraculous sovereign protection), the people of God have ALWAYS been a persecuted people.  Always the underdogs.  Always the disenfranchised.  Always the people hanging onto existence by a thread.  Yet always, in many different times and cultures, such a people not only persistently survived, they continued to carry out the practical, everyday work of God’s mission, testifying before the various empires of the world that there was a different way to live than simply accumulating more money, power, and glory for yourself.  There was a God at work in the world, a God who would one day be revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, who is bringing a new Kingdom into being.  A God who will one day, when He’s done with His work, make ALL THINGS NEW.

UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks used the phrase “A Creative Minority” to describe the ways the Jewish community has not only survived, but worked to fulfil the mission of God in the various times and places they have found themselves, contributing to the flourishing of the world through redemptive participation.  “To become a creative minority,” Sacks writes, “is not easy, because it involves strong links with the outside world while staying true to your faith, seeking not merely to keep the sacred flame burning, but also to transform the larger society of which you are a part.  This is a demanding and risk-laden choice.”

This tension of living as a Creative Minority—one that remains spiritually faithful, while at the same time being culturally fruitful—is the same tension the people of God and the followers of Jesus faced on every page of the Bible, and it’s the same tension we face as followers of Jesus today. 

And so, during the season of Ordinary time, starting in June after Pentecost and continuing until Advent in late November—we will journey through the Big Story of the whole Bible, looking at the artwork, poems, and songs God’s people produced in the various moments of their missional engagement with the wider world.  These creative expressions were born from God’s people wrestling with God’s presence and call in the face of surroundings that felt disorienting and sometimes threatening.  This artwork was a lifeline.  It told the story of who they had been and helped them stay focused on who God had called them to BE.  By studying these texts, we will likewise not only learn much about who the people of God and followers of Jesus have been throughout history, but we believe prayerfully that God will give us fresh insight through the Holy Spirit to discern who He is calling us to BE and thus how He is calling us to LIVE in our lives and in our world today.

Also, during this series we will release monthly “Maker Features,” videos interviews, Charles Dudley and others from our church have shared with local makers—business owners, creatives, designers and more—sharing their story about how they see their craft redemptively participating in their community.  We hope these videos might give you inspiration for how God might be calling you to live as a creative minority in your vocation and relationships (not to mention, we hope they introduce you to some cool people doing some cool stuff in our city!)

So Mission Cincinnati, let’s adventure together over the coming months, listening to the SOUNDTRACK, the poems, artwork, and music of God’s Creative Minority, as they sought to be faithful to Him and fruitful in their culture in many times and places over thousands of years.