Sing it Nonetheless

From the Silmarillion:

"And it came to pass that Iluvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Iluvatar and were silent.

"Then Iluvatar said to them, 'Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.'"

So, Michael Airgood posted this on his blog:

An old, old man used to play the accordion most nights while sitting on a bench in front of my apartment complex in Konakovo, Russia. I can't imagine he's still alive, but if he is I assure you he would still be out playing; long after dark he would begin his mournful-pop melodies. His voice was other-worldly, but his words were never enunciated quite enough for me to understand. The other neighbors would yell and fuss. Even the crazy old woman who called "Vassya, Vassya, Vassya..." for hours on end to retrieve her long-dead-cat from the out-of-doors would join in the chorus against this old, old man and his lovely music.

I loved the music. I loved every second of it. So deeply authentic and heartfelt - a melody and mood that could paint a portrait - I felt I knew him. His fingers cascading along the white and black dots so quickly, his soul played the notes his fingers missed.

More than anything else, I loved his music because he played on when the world told him to stop. He didn't check the public-opinion polls before making decisions. He played on. He didn't aspire to make the charts or any other such non-sense. He played for the one he loved (and how long had she been dead? Years? Decades?) and it was beautiful.

Sometimes I begin to play my own melody; but when the world crushes in, I stop abruptly. I make sad attempts at apologies to my neighbors and go back inside. The song still rages on in my heart, but my fingers and voice remain still. I make sad attempts at apologies to the one I love and try to change the subject.

Perhaps I'll never play the best or be the best at really anything. Maybe I'll always fall just a little short of "good enough" to serenade the world. But perhaps some day, I'll sit outside at night and play and sing with all my heart. Maybe some will tune it out, others might find it beautiful, and still others will scream and shout. But at least I will have held the courage to make the music for the God I love.

Perhaps some day.

So when I read the Silmarillion, I'm struck by how Tolkien must have had the Bible on one side and ancient European myths on the other - but how strongly the Biblical themes ring out. I love the concept of God's speaking creation into being via music. And I love Michael's image of the song. Great metaphors that are working in me some interesting thoughts...

Music -harmony - melody - all great metaphors for the Christian walk, for our life in the Spirit. Pastor Steve (stolen happily from the Bible Study leader or worship leader from Camp Meeting this past summer) talked about the Trinity being like a chord - each note ringing clearly on its own - but when all three are sounded (the triad, the fundamental structure of a chord in Western Music, right?) it creates something else. The interplay of the notes and the harmonics of those notes makes a complex and beautiful sound that is not simply the sum total of the three notes played together.

Life in the Spirit is like that for me - especially this idea of WE not me. It's like when we get together to brainstorm ideas - each of us brings a certain level of creativity to the table - but the result is usually far better than what any one of us could have dreamed up on our own.

And so it is in ministry - it's like music. Sometimes I'm the melody, sometimes the harmony - heck, sometimes I'm a pedal tone...or whatever. Anyway, the point is that this song that is buried within us isn't completely a song until we sing it - with others around - some will join in (on the melody or the harmony) some will hate it, some will take the song and make it their own. But we sing it nonetheless... For we HAVE to sing it - our hearts, our souls, our lives are incomplete without the song - because it is a song that was planted in our hearts by God. Sing to the Lord a new song, the Psalmist says. Make a joyful noise to the Lord. Let everything that hath breath, praise the Lord (and that last one - yep - it's a song running through my head right now...another Petra song from way back, though you may hum the Matt Redman song if you like - it's a semi-free blogosphere...).