Insight for your “Journey across the Sky” a view from the eaglesnest

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6 (ESV)

Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves, young lions, and year-old lambs will be together, and little children will lead them. Cows and bears will eat together. Their young will lie down together. Lions will eat straw like oxen. Infants will play near cobras’ holes. Toddlers will put their hands into vipers’ nests. They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain. The world will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord like water covering the sea. Isaiah 11:6-9 (GW)

The stage was smartly decorated for the holiday season. The theater although small was adequate to host this holiday concert. I was looking forward to the evening’s entertainment. Soon the Trinity Jazz Orchestra took the stage and proceeded to entertain the small but eager crowd awaiting their jazzy Christmas time offerings.

Each member of this twelve piece orchestra demonstrated professionalism on their prospective instruments. We were treated to a splendid tenor saxophone solo that rivaled any I have heard anywhere. Shortly afterward the featured trumpeter stepped to the front and flawlessly played his solo part.

All seemed well but somewhere amidst the second row of trombonists there was a rogue sound coming forth a little off-key, slightly out of tune with the rest of the group. This slight yet noticeable discord was clashing with the otherwise harmonious offerings of the performance. To an untrained ear perhaps this slight discord would go unnoticed. By the rousing applause offered by the audience perhaps none but myself noticed the friction wrought by this untuned trombone.

It was hard for me to overlook the harshness of the sound. My trained ear was crying out in agony. Can’t you hear that? Someone else must notice it as well. The chords that would normally ring with a pleasing sound instead clashed because the out of tune trombone just did not blend with the other instruments. There was nothing the trombonist could do at this point but suffer through until there was the opportunity to retune the instrument. I do not know why he did not choose to tune-up slightly during the performance other than to think he would only make it worse and decided to fix it at the break.

Tags: music, harmony, discord, trumpet, saxophone, Christmas, orchestra

Fix it he did for the second half of the program was flawless. The now in tune trombone blended nicely with the rest of the band and the chords rang with a sweet fullness. Gone was the clash and the discord that prevailed throughout the first half of the program. Those bass tones now rang true to pitch as the orchestra was now playing in one accord.

They were all in tune with each other. Pleasing harmonies now resounded from the stage. I too was appreciative of the effort made by the lone trombonist who took the time to get in tune.

Is your life out of step? Do you sometimes find disharmony and discord surrounding your home? Is there this constant strain like you are just not in tune with your surroundings? Do you sometimes feel like that lone trombonist must have felt? You know there is something wrong but at the moment you can not do anything about it. Are you awaiting a moment where there will be a quiet point where you can then retune your life? But are you finding the music never stops and you are forced to continue to play your part out of tune?

Our world has been plunged into an out of tune musical. Since sin entered the world all of nature has been thrown into disharmony. Instead of the wolf lying down with the lamb, and cows and bears feeding together we have death and destruction everywhere we look.

If we take the time to listen closely we can hear all creation groaning at the discord brought about by man’s fall from God’s perfection. We like that orchestra are playing out of tune. Instead of making beautiful music we are like sounding brass and clanging cymbals, a lot of noise but not much music. 1 cor 13:1 By not being in tune with God’s spirit we are an orchestra that does not have much to offer musically.

A church in discord to God’s spirit does not have much to offer the world spiritually either. Those who come to partake of the offerings presented by the out of tune orchestra are perhaps going away shaking their heads and muttering about the whole experience. In the same way those who attend our worship services may feel the same. They may observe a disunity in the ranks, a disharmony running beneath the service. They may hear about a life out of tune. The whole experience may leave them shaking their heads and muttering as well.

The director may appear to be out of touch with what is actually coming forth from the stage. He may be tone death to how out of tune the sound emanating from the stage actually is. Sin in our life will leave us out of tune with God’s spirit, for the spirit of the world is directly opposing the spirit of God. The two can not harmonically coexist. One has got to be the band leader and the other must bow in submission.

If we allow God’s spirit to be the conductor of our lives then we too can be producing a harmony that is pleasing to God. Instead of being out of step with the Holy Spirit we will find ourselves right in tune with Him. Our lives will then make sweet music to God and to others. Instead of being a blaring brash horn we will be a lovely sounding instrument of God’s peace in a world of discord and disharmony.

Allow the Holy Spirit to tune up your life and then go forth sounding praise to Him.
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