“For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12 NIV)
The role of a church musician is often little understood, but yet is vital to the worship experience. Imagine for a moment entering a church sanctuary and hearing silence on a Sunday morning. Imagine no organ, no piano, no singing, no guitar … nothing … no music at all. The void of music would be deafening. Worshipers would feel uncomfortable worshiping without music to enrich the worship experience.
A skilled church musician works in consort with the pastor and others to carry out the mission of the church. Music presumably will enhance and support the sermon, theme, or concept to be conveyed. Sometimes there will even be a serendipitous moment when an unplanned event turns out to be seemingly perfectly choreographed. This was true on Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Ellensburg United Methodist Church.
As a former music director at the church, I asked the current pastor if my vocal ensemble could sing a spiritual, “Lift Me Up!,” by Andy Beck. The song opens with the words; “Lift me up to a higher ground, Lift me up, I am glory bound…” I had asked if my small ensemble might sing as an “appetizer” to an upcoming benefit concert to be held at the church. By no coincidence, the Old Testament reading, Gospel reading, sermon, and even closing hymn, were all compatible with the lyrics and message of “Lift Me Up!.” There was no pre-planning on my part with regard to the other elements of the worship service. Except for a brief email, I had no meeting with the pastor. It just happened. I wonder if these instances are due to divine intervention or merely divine inspiration. The entire service was uplifting. Even the pianist selected a somewhat jazzy arrangement of the familiar hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” which was played during Communion. The message of hope and goodness was evident.
“You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is a sin for them. (James 4:14,17 NIV)
Our lives on Earth are a bleep on the radar, “a mist that vanishes”. Rich, poor, kind, cruel, happy, sad, it doesn’t matter. We fade like “a mist that vanishes”. Our lives on earth shouldn’t be measured by life span, but rather on how we live the gift of life.
Following the uplifting service, I returned home and turned on the TV to see a football game. Instead, I was barraged with political ads. The visual images of the candidate’s opponent were grainy, and ominous in appearance. The candidate sponsoring the ad was smiling, pleasant, and characterized to have everyone’s best interests at heart.
In 2006 the University of Chicago Press published John Geer’s book that studied the impact of negative campaign ads. The study reviewed presidential campaign ads from 1960 through 2004. Negativity in ads increased over time. While negativity might work to garner votes, the denigrating ads are antithetical to Judeo-Christian tenants of how we are to treat each other. Are we to give up our ethical standards and sense of decency because it’s campaign time? Are we to turn a blind eye and excuse nastiness, obfuscation, lies and reality? The word, “truth”, is used 235 times in the Bible.
Do we consider truths related to our faith when we cast a ballot? Do the words of Jesus have meaning and context today relative to political candidates and political issues? Do the traits of personal character, integrity, honesty, kindness, compassion, empathy, and goodness influence how we view a candidate?
Lee R. Bates is a retired educator and life-long church musician. He has worked as choir director and organist at several Seattle area churches. Following moving to Ellensburg, he was music director at the Ellensburg United Methodist Church. He currently directs a select 13 voice ensemble, Vox Humana. Lee and his wife live in Ellensburg with their two dachshunds, Harry and Wally.
