Harmonies

My first Sunday as the new organist of St. Luke’s was March 5, 1989. I remember it well. It snowed five inches that day. As a Texan, Oklahoma was one of those “Northern States,” and I was very excited for my first Oklahoma snowfall. However, my fondest memory of that Sunday was meeting and greeting the members of St. Luke’s. It was immediately evident that this was a warm and welcoming body of believers. I was 27, and it was my first job out of state, but I already felt I had made so many new friendships and “adopted” grandparents. Thus began the first of many years of building relationships.

To help me better know the wonderful people who engaged in worship each week, I made it my mission to find out what music genres inspired them. As to be expected in a large church, there were varying replies to my inquisition. As a classically trained musician, it excited me to set out and explore the realms of music genres beyond sonatas, partitas, fugues, etc. A church should never be defined by the style of worship or what the musical selections are from week to week, but that it is done with the utmost quality and that worshipers are inspired and uplifted to praise and give thanks to the very Lord and Savior in whose holy space we gather.

A church body is much like a choir. A choir is divided into four main sections: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Usually, the soprano section carries the melody line while the other three parts support it with varying harmonies. Standing alone, the melody would be a lovely melodic line. But when you add in the harmony, that melody suddenly comes alive, much like a well-known hymn. Occasionally, a composer will distribute the melody in another voice part or intertwine it amongst all four parts. This is teamwork at its finest. Like a choir, church ministry thrives when teamwork is in action: worship, music, missions, education, and fellowship. The Holy Spirit is the divine melody that all of us join together and harmonize to make come alive.

It is one thing to read or hear scripture. It is yet another to actually live scripture. I learned early on that St. Luke’s is a church that does just that: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With God, all things are possible. The golden thread of varying harmonies that makes us alive in God, the church, and each other is love. When we love and accept each other, powerful ministry experiences are endless. I am so glad I made the decision thirty-six years ago to move to that “Northern State” of Oklahoma and begin my journey of harmonizing with fellow Christians to live out an amazing Symphony of Life. God loves us. We love God. The song is simple: love each other and be a part of the most magical, harmonic chord the human ear has ever heard.

Robert Fasol, Organist and Choirmaster