An Expanding Field of Vision

Eagle vision! I can still hear one of my most influential musicianship teachers insisting that we approach the score from a broad and generous perspective, not succumbing to "chicken vision," the anxious and frenzied stance that we often bring to particularly challenging, rhythmic, virtuosic passages. Of course, the preparation lies in the details, but the music lies in the breadth and depth of the composition.

We've all experienced this in our music making, but what about in our daily lives and our spiritual development? If we're honest, we all get mired in the weeds. We often cling to the trees while missing the forest. What's more, the big picture is often more complicated than we'd prefer. Ambiguity is difficult. The grey area is always more fraught with complications, and it always requires more grace, patience, and generosity of spirit. And yet, this is the place toward which we are called.

In a daily mediation (January 16, 2023) from the Center for Action and Contemplation, contemplative Richard Rohr remarks:

I'm convinced that Jesus' metaphor and image for what we would simply call the big picture is the reign of God, or the kingdom of God.

In Prophets Then, Prophets Now, Rohr and activist Joan Chittister describe the field of vision that the Hebrew prophets - and modern-day prophets - bring to the fore: the prophet speaks "truthfully and in the largest context." If the call of Ash Wednesday is recognition of our mortality, then perhaps the journey of Lent is one in which we reorient ourselves in a larger frame, repenting of our "chicken vision" approach to our lives.

We are called to a broadening, ever-expanding posture, and in ways large and small, the arts provide a conduit for such progress. In this month of March, Women's History Month, we widen our often male-dominated musical lens as we prioritize female composers and musicians. On March 5, we'll hear music for flute composed by two female composers; on March 19, we host the Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams in concert at 4:00 PM as they present a large-scale composition composed by Rosephanye Powell; and on March 26, we welcome the WinstonSalem Girls Chorus to worship!

The Brahms Requiem project reminded us last month of the power of art to expand our field of vision, to reorient us inside of something much larger than ourselves. As we journey toward Easter, an expansive event of cosmic proportions, may we find ourselves seeking eagle vision, searching for our place in the kingdom of God, soaring in God's spirit.

Jonathan Emmons Director of Music Ministries