“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:2-3
I recently had the joy of attending my daughter’s high school choir concert. It was a joy for so many reasons. This year has been particularly difficult at school. COVID-19 restrictions on the students, teachers and staff have made normal activities challenging. At the beginning of the year, the choir was not even able to practice. Their competitions and normal concerts were postponed and eventually cancelled. So, to have this concert at the end of the year was a joy!
The music that the students shared was beautiful. They had fun! They were able to show off their talents with many different songs. I truly enjoyed every moment. Perhaps my favorite moment of the evening came when the choir director spoke to the audience. He took a moment to share about the challenges of this past school year and how proud he was of the students. He told us that each day, he encouraged the students to leave behind their drama, worries, challenges and struggles at the door. I loved it when he said that each day, they were all able to set aside their battles and differences and “make music together.”
Those students reminded me of something very important. We all experience hardships and struggles. Each of us have unique life circumstances. We think differently (politically, religiously, personally). However, we can set aside our circumstances and our differences, if just for a brief moment, to bless our world. When we take time out of our lives to work with others, for the sake of others, we can bring joy to our world, just like those students did for us as they joined their different voices to make a joyful noise at the end of a difficult year.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
