Beloved, tonight we will have a special kind of service. I have asked Randy to enlist as many people as possible to bring some special music. Call it a concert of praise or a singspiration service, I anticipate a worship gathering this evening made more meaningful as several of our faith family present special gifts and messages in song to the ear of the King in the hearing of His people.
This is not intended to be a talent showcase but a venue for folks to express their love to Jesus in a personal yet public way. Both are valuable – personal and public. My experience has been that music has a way of helping me open my heart to God’s mercies and majesty. So, when I make music to Him I worship Him in a very personal way. Moreover, when I make music to Him, because it is intended to bring Him glory, it should be witnessed by other people who may also consider His glory and praise Him.
I love to sing. I enjoy playing piano and guitar. Many and precious to me are the reverent times I spend with an instrument privately singing praise and petitions to an audience of One. When I can steal away for an hour or so simply to sit at the piano or take up my guitar and sing, my spirit is refreshed and my heart, relieved of the barnacles of this world, begins to believe again in His love, to hope and dream again.
Strangely, however, these private solo concerts are only a shadow of a deeper longing I have to praise my Redeemer. You see, I have enjoyed some rather lofty heights musically. I have experienced the thrill of joining my voice with large, well-trained choirs, with warm, folksy quartets, and with polished bands equally devoted to excellence in musicianship and in worship. Mine has been the pleasure to perform with other musicians high-brow classical music (a la Bach and Handel), southern Gospel (a la Rambo and Gaither), and more contemporary worship music (a la Moen, Redman, and original compositions), all “to the praise of His glorious grace” (Ephesians 1).
I have discovered something mysteriously satisfying in these group musical ventures – the unexpected fulfillment harmony with other voices and instruments provides. Something of a showman at heart and by experience, I rarely back away from opportunities to go solo. But were I given my druthers, I would heartily opt for the deep sense of satisfaction and completeness of sound and spirit making music with an ensemble gives me. The only provision I would require is that we not be satisfied simply making noise together but that we strive to make music that would thrill Father together.
I have heard it said, “A thousand voices tuned to the same instrument are automatically in tune with each other.” As a music lover and devotee of Christ, this statement resonates with me. That seems to me to be a worthy aim for you and me as we endeavor to do life together in and through Jesus Christ. The New Testament word is fellowship, from the rich term koinōnia. In the Bible, koinōnia describes the living communion of the saints – a close, three-sided relationship (God-you-me) characterized by “a readiness to share, a sense of equality among the participants, and a unity among the members.”
Sadly, the beautiful brawn of that word has been lost to us. When we hear the word “fellowship”, we may think of church dinners to which everyone brings a covered dish to share. Or, the more cynical among us – those who have been hurt over the years by toxic church-ianity – may imagine a clique who smile a lot and do their best to impress other people with their spirituality. Our unchurched neighbors may attach a similarly low view to the word. Weary of what they regard as feel-good religion and bothered by what they presume to be our charade of solidarity, they may think our fellowship is little more than an escape by which we Christians enclose ourselves in stagnant little huddles designed to affirm one another more than transform each other. Unfortunately, they probably have some grounds for their poor understanding of Christian fellowship. Of course, they may also be frightened by the powerful impact and considerable claims an authentic biblical fellowship portend for those who dare to live the real thing.
Beloved, we are meant to be “voices tuned to the same instrument,” Jesus Christ. We are each designed to produce harmonies rich and appealing that draw attention to our Melody. Our fellowship is a splendid symphony intended to manifest the truth about God and to draw people to Him. Let’s continue to learn to make beautiful music together and say like Bach: “Soli Deo gloria!” (To God alone be glory)!
To the ends of the earth until the end of time!
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