Jo Bower's Blog

Ephesians 2:20-22

²⁰ Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Acts 2:1.  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.                                          

            This first scripture reflects the idea of God bringing together elements to make something holy. And then goes another step of people being built together in which God dwells. It reminds me of what happens when individuals give their abilities all at the same time to move from being individual singers/musicians to building a choir/orchestra/band.

No matter what kind of group we are building, when we participate in a music group, there is this thing called counting. I have mentioned this pesky thing before. Meter, feeling, counting, rhythm, are all things we call it to avoid talking about the hated metronome.

In case there is someone left who hasn’t encountered the metronome, the mechanism is set to a prescribed speed and never, never, never, never, never, never…. wavers. Those tick-tocks are the fuel for musical nightmares.

 However, sometime in most musical careers the steadiness of the metronome is useful and needed. As we work with and learn from using it, we somehow internalize that steadiness and what different tempo markers feel like (for example, 62 beats per minute feels different than 120). For some people it is a comfort. And we still use it to help us establish the tempo of a new piece, but now we use our cell phones.

 Okay, we have the tempo set, we move to time signatures. Time signatures not only tell us how long to hold notes, so everyone moves from note to note at the same time, it tells us the mood of the piece.   

 So, time signatures and tempos are the first steps toward becoming an ensemble.

 We work parts. Soprano. Alto. Tenor. And Bass. Then, tentatively we sing the parts together. And when tempo and counting come together with the notes, we are on the way to becoming an ensemble.

 Sometimes I’m just struggling to get my notes but often I catch the beauty of the harmony we are creating.

 But something happens inside of musicians when we do ensemble work. I learned early days singing in choir that if I can’t hear the voice of people standing next to me, I am singing too loud. While my individual voice is important, I blend it to the voices around me. In that sense, I put my ego aside to help create a whole new thing.

            The suspension of the ego, the concentration of minds, hearts, and focus makes it an experience we don’t have when we play a solo on an instrument or sing a solo. For the improvisational musicians among us, it sometimes takes a lot of work. But, when the ensemble works, the participants are in unity.

            There are times when a congregation manages to set aside the worries that comes with ‘having church’ and focuses on the One God. And God builds something more than each of us alone.

            We are still individuals. We each bring our worries, distractions, troubles, and trauma with us as we leave home and turn our faces toward the experience that is worship.

            Individually, we sing, recite the liturgy with understanding and involvement, and through the participation in the elements of the service, we find ourselves soaking in the word God has given the pastor to share with us.

            However, occasionally the majority of the congregation somehow catches the spirit of the liturgy, music, and prayers to put aside their individual baggage and worship in the unity of spirit. And the Spirit of God hovers over our heads and fills the sanctuary.

            The contradiction is unity comes from individual preparation and participation, then each of us set aside individual importance to join our spirits to others and God. You notice the second scripture said the disciples were already gathered together in one place when the Spirit visited them.

            And we, like the disciples, become an ensemble of worshipers:

                        Lifting up our heads

                        Our spirits

                        Our voices….

            Until we are no are no longer just individuals searching for God. But we catch the depth and beauty of corporate worship connecting the majesty of God with us.