Ten years ago two films were released that would have a significant impact on the movies.
One was Iron Man and the other was The Dark Knight.
I happen to enjoy both films thoroughly. I prefer one to the other, but both of them are very enjoyable movies in my view. The two films were very different in tone. One was committed to quips as well as action. The other had more pathos and was not so full of punchlines. Both considered the effects that the choices of an individual can have on a range of people around them.
Iron Man was the first piece in a puzzle that would go onto involve other characters and would come to celebrate excellence in the ensemble piece. The Dark Knight, meanwhile, was in itself an ensemble piece par excellence. It was not just about the title character, it was about the family of characters involved.
Whether it’s celebrating the Marvel Cinematic Universe developed over the ten years since, or applauding the ensemble piece of ten years ago in the Dark Knight, bot productions have something to say about enjoying the ensemble.
I watch these ensemble pieces and wonder what it would be like if communities of believers considered themselves as ensemble pieces. No, not looking to be super heroes to save the world, but rather looking to be simple servants meeting the needs that they see around them not as solo warriors looking to carry the weight themselves, but as intrinsic parts of a bigger enterprise.
To a large degree the Body of Christ is meant to be that ensemble piece par excellence. Every member functioning in conjunction with the other, all united in the same cause, putting together a production of peace.
We don’t even have to wait for ten years to get involved in that kind of life-changing piece.
(Photo by Shubhesh Aggarwal on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 