Living Testaments: Ayesha Bell-Hardaway| Pastor Courtney Clayton Jenkins | February 22, 2026

About this sermon

February 22, 2026 Series: Rhythm & Resistance: The Sound of Surviving Faith Title: Faith in Cleveland: Ayesha Bell - Hardaway Preacher: Pastor Courtney Clayton Jenkins From spirituals to gospel, Black music has always carried the testimony of a people who refused to be erased. These songs were never written for entertainment. They emerged as the soundtrack of survival—born in captivity, grief, hope, and holy resistance. Throughout this February sermon series, Rhythm & Resistance, we listen for how faith finds its voice under pressure, how rhythm becomes theology, and how song becomes a lifeline for people committed to remaining faithful to God on the long walk. What happens when faith is forced to live under oppressors and tormentors? Psalm 137 captures a moment of holy tension—God’s people displaced, grieving, and pressured to perform their faith for those in power. “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” is not a cry of despair, but an act of prophetic resistance. This sermon explores how song itself becomes defiance and how gospel and spirituals emerged not as entertainment, but as the soundtrack of survival. Drawing on the imagery of the caged bird, this message reminds us that the song was never meant for the captor—it was always meant to keep the soul alive.

Topics

• Leadership