I recently attended a church
service in Oxford, Alabama. As I entered the sanctuary, I
could hear the praise going forth. Every one was singing
as the music played. I tried my best to sing along, but I
believe what I was doing could best be described as a joyful
noise. As I listened to the musicians play the various
instruments and the people in the congregation sing, these
thoughts came to me. On stage they were playing different
instruments. In the congregation, there were people of
various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Just as the
musicians were able to play their respective instruments
together to make a beautiful music, we were able to sing
together. The lyrics to the songs were projected on the
screen by an overhead projector. We were able to read them
and sing along. As we lifted our hands and voice in
praise, I thought to myself, "This is as it should
be." I was reminded of the scripture that states,
"How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity." Although the key to the togetherness was
worship, the music played an important part.
The symbolic meaning
of the instrument did not escape me. I saw a parallel
between that and the people of the congregation. Just like
the people, each instrument has its own origin. The Congo
drums for example are from the Congo region of Africa.
Latin American workers went to work in the Congo in the early
1900's and brought the drums back across the ocean. the
guitar, which was first called a gittern, was brought back by
Arabs when they invaded Spain in 711 AD. From gitterns the
Spaniards developed the guitar and they took it with them when
they colonized America. Bartolommeno Cristofori, an
Italian, invented the piano. From those humble beginnings
to a stage in Oxford. The instruments joined in harmony to
make some wonderful music.
There's a lesson to
be gained from those instruments. If we would only serve
our purpose, I believe that we would find that each of us has an
important role to play in the symphony of life. I am
reminded of the lyrics to an old song, "Ebony and ivory,
live together in perfect harmony. Side by side on my piano
keyboard. Oh, Lord why can't we?"
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