One of the great challenges we face in studying Scripture is the way we are forced to move from the cosmic to the personal, back to the cosmic, and then back to the personal. We are always trying to focus on the massive seismic implications of Christ in the universe as we drop into the life and ethics and affections of our lives in Christ. But for that to happen we must again see ourselves within the cosmic context.

The Bible keeps us zooming and panning, not getting lost in the cosmic in the neglect of the personal, and not getting preoccupied with felt needs of life so we lose the cosmic perspective. Which means for us Christians, understanding our proper context as Christians means keeping our hand on the lens.

This is why my eye is drawn to the video work of urban filmmaker Rob Whitworth. He does with urban landscapes what theology (at its best) seeks to accomplish, using stunning time-lapse photography to merge the grand with the personal. Here’s two short films that do it well:

Dubai Flow Motion (2015)

This is Shanghai (2014)