by Al Kaul, Executive Director
It was my pleasure to travel with the students of our Golden Voice Choir and Symphonic Band as they shared worship concerts throughout the Midwest during their annual multi-state Lenten Tour.
I enjoy listening to each night’s concert as students applied their growing talents to praise God through their music. I never grow weary of listening to them playing and singing the same music, and it brings me as much joy to witness their learning and growth and to see the joy they bring to audiences in different parts of the country.
I was especially pleased to hear one of my favorite ‘songs’ played each night at the beginning of each concert. The ‘song’ has been a favorite of mine for many years.
I was not blessed with musical talent as anyone who has sat next to me in chapel can attest. I don’t play an instrument, and I cannot sing. But I love music. I never knew the title of that ‘song’ until this year when I asked Mrs. Sugden about it. When I described it, she looked at me and matter-of-factly said, “It’s called tuning.”
Tuning. It starts out rather quietly and low, and builds as each instrument joins in, and they all play the same note for the duration of the ‘song’. It’s not particularly pretty or melodious, but it is played at the beginning of every symphony and opera.
I love tuning for many reasons. First, it starts quiet and low, and it builds and builds toward an apex moment. Second, even though it doesn’t sound entirely organized, it involves every instrument coming together to produce a single unified sound. Finally, and most importantly this ‘song’ is a reminder that the best is yet to come.
Our lives are often like that – the Holy Spirit grows our faith over time perhaps quietly at first, but that faith builds as we attend Church and Bible Study and Lutheran Schools, all building toward apex moments in life like confirmation, marriage, the birth of ababy, the death of a loved one, or other big moments we experience.
Second, these faith-building activities may seem like individual separate tasks while we are growing in faith, but all the while the Holy Spirit is weaving all of these experiences together to prepare us for life with Christ as our foundation.
Finally, we know that our reward does not come here on this earth (the tuning), but rather the best is yet to come when we join our Father in Heaven and meet Jesus at His Father’s right hand and experience the Heavenly Host sing the most incredible symphony of praise we will ever hear.
Lent is like the tuning – it is preparation for something better. The best is yet to come – on Easter morning we will find the tomb empty and be reminded that Jesus has won salvation for each one of us! (Happy Easter! He is Risen!)