Beautiful Harmony
C. Hayden 6-05-17

I love music.  I really “loooooove” music!! I love the old hymns for their intricate arrangements and deep doctrinal word-smithing.  I love contemporary songs for their simplicity, ease of directing worship to this culture and their ability to connect worshippers to God on an ever-increasingly emotional, heart-felt level.   I love playing worship music and have led congregational singing from my guitar.  I have recently taken up learning to play songs on the piano.  Someday I hope to be able to lead worship from the piano as well.  There is something about the guitar and piano, that when played well, can bring people into a new place of love, peace, and joy.  That is why worship music is so vital in bringing us into the very presence of God.  We can be down and depressed, but let us begin to worship God to one of our favorite hymns or songs and we can find ourselves transported into the very throne room of God’s grace.
One thing about playing the piano is that if you do not have a basic understanding of music structure, one can easily get off into sounds that are unpleasant and un-worshipful!  There are rules and patterns to music.  There are also rules and patterns to the piano’s keyboard that, if you follow them, can make beautiful harmonies come forth.  If you do not, it just does not sound right.  Music has patterns and intervals that harmonize and compliment each other.  Chord progressions, thirds, fifths, octave intervals, scales and alternative scales lend themselves to diverse yet unified harmonic patterns that are able to inspire.  But the notes must work together to provide wonderful music to inspire; lone notes do not (at least not for long).
The Body of Christ is similar.  If we recognize our need to work together, and act on this knowledge, we can produce fruit (or music) that is beautiful and glorious to all who choose to partake.  But if we are only concerned with our own desires and preferences, we begin to play sour notes that do not harmonize when played together.  1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12-14 says, “4 There are diversities of gifts (notes and tones), but the same Spirit (piano). 5 There are differences of ministries (chords and keys), but the same Lord (instrument). 6 And there are diversities of activities (music), but it is the same God (Music Director) who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:… 12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.”  Together, we can make beautiful music for the Lord…apart, we sound like an out of tune piano!

Be blessed even more!!

Pastor Chris