Stay Tuned

For me, one of the most exciting moments in an orchestral concert is hearing the principal oboist play “concert A” for the winds and strings to tune. I can hear it right now in my memory. I can recall the sensation of placing my French horn to my lips and playing my tuning note with the rest of the winds. This moment signaled for us and the audience that the concert was about to begin. We awaited the conductor’s downbeat. We anticipated the swell of first sounds.

As I recall this nostalgic moment in my own musical experience, it causes me to ask, “What would it be like to tune to God’s ‘concert A’? How might I listen for the sounds of God’s heart resonating and reverberating in my own heart and our world, so that I can align with them?

On this Shout-out Thursday, we want to share with you the life and work of someone we believe is in-tune with God and seeking to resolve a great source of dissonance in our world: Leah Gunning Francis. Dr. Francis is Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Faculty, and Associate Professor of Christian Education and Practical Theology at Christian Theological Seminary. In addition, she is the author of Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community.

She describes our book, When Faith Becomes Sight, as a call to discern God’s presence and activity in our lives and world through “staying tuned.” Dr. Francis’ life and work is about staying tuned, awakening to God’s heart for racial reconciliation and the healing of communities.

Today, we want to thank Leah for her very gracious endorsement and join her in sounding the “concert A” of God’s heart that seeks equality of all people. This Advent we remember that the Prince of Peace has come to establish harmony among those created in God’s image. That includes all people of every tribe and nation.