This reflection was written by the College’s principal, the Rev. Dr. Jesse Zink, for this week’s Wingèd Ox, a weekly news digest distributed to the college community. You will find reflections from previous weeks here.

A couple of years ago, my aunt—rather bravely—invited my father, my brother, and me to offer the musical entertainment at a wedding reception for my cousin. The three of us only managed to practice the afternoon of the reception and then for not too long. But we got up there after dinner and started playing—and it was amazing. It’s not that our musical talent was amazing—it was just good enough—but the experience of playing with others and for other people brought a kind of joy I don’t often experience. Before too long, other cousins joined us, people started dancing, and we started playing songs we hadn’t practiced just to keep the energy going.

This experience came to mind when I read an opinion article in the newspaper recently: “Change Your Life. Start a Band.” In brief, the author, argues that playing in a band is an antidote to many of the troubling trends of today. It lifts up the not-so-talented (or more charitably said, still-improving) parts of our lives when so much emphasis is placed on accomplishment and success. It encourages us to take risks and try new things when it seems we are constantly being encouraged to specialize and narrow our focus. It’s a hobby when professionalization is everywhere. It makes us creators in a world that would rather have us be consumers. Above all, it connects us to other people when so much pulls us apart and keeps us isolated. He ends the article with this quotation from a musician named Amy Rigby: “Certain people let you feel free to be a true part of yourself. Not the only part, but one facet that lies dormant until somebody else says: ‘Come on out, it’s OK.’”

These last words, and the whole article, put me in mind of St. Paul’s words to the Galatians: “For freedom, Christ has set you free.” The work of Christ brings freedom and we are then called to live into that freedom and realize what it means to live freely in our lives. The many pressures and fears that shape our lives today make this challenging. Economic pressures make any unremunerated activity difficult to justify. We are concerned about the climate and what the future holds. If we work in the church, the pressures of keeping a creaking system afloat don’t always suggest fun or freedom.

I think what touched a chord for me in this article was the idea that each of us as human beings has some deep part of us that is oriented towards creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. We want to be able to explore and act provisionally and do all this both on our own and with others. This author found all that in a band. Perhaps you are not musical but there are other ways to connect with other people in this same spirit of freedom and creativity.

The church needs this same energy right now, an energy that is oriented towards experimentation and the taking of risks, an energy that seeks out connection with people who might not seem like us but with whom we nonetheless can derive great good from connecting with, and an energy that prioritizes freedom, joy, and play when those three things seem so much under threat. The church needs this energy because the world needs that same energy and the church, rooted in the good news of Jesus, is a place that at its best can offer it. Change the world: go to church.

Faithfully yours,

Jesse Zink
Principal