Last night was my very first concert in the orchestra, which I joined last August. I'll try to tell you what happened without boring you with too many details. ;-)
Dressed in a floor length black skirt, white blouse, and black shoes that hurt my feet, I walked up to the performing arts center with my violin case in my right hand and my music folder in the other. I was able to find the room in which I was supposed to be fairly easily... but not without worrying beforehand that I wouldn't find the right place in time. But God is so faithful, isn't He? Almost as soon as I had walked in the PAC, a violinist who had been in the orchestra last year showed me where to go. I had no need to worry.
Sometime after I got my violin tuned and ready, we went through our songs one last time before the final performance. I was slightly flustered, but after knocking my shoulder rest off my instrument and struggling to get my music in order with one hand, things went pretty smoothly. :-) Once we finished rehearsing, we went to another room and waited for when we were to perform. After several minutes of waiting talking with friends, we were summoned on stage.
I took my seat - first violin section, fourth row - and after a few moments, watched the conductor come on stage and raise his baton for us to ready our instruments. Once he saw we were all ready, he gave us the cue to begin playing. Despite my nervousness, I was able to play the songs well. I think it was one of the best times I've played them, in fact! How faithful God is!
After we had finished our performance and put our instruments away, we crept into the auditorium to watch another, more advanced orchestra play. Their music was so beautiful! It was neat to be able to watch an orchestra play after I had been a part of one. Once they had played a few songs, a large choir came out and sang a medley of Christmas carols while the orchestra played. That was one of the highlights of the whole night, I think. The sounds in that auditorium were beyond beautiful. I don't think words can describe how lovely it all was. I was tremendously blessed by songs such as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" which were played and sung with the utmost skill and excellence.
As I've attended rehearsals week after week, it struck me how similar an orchestra is to the body of Christ. Both have a conductor to set the pace and correct us when we're wrong. We can either follow or ignore him. If we choose to go our own way, things will fall apart. You won't be in sync with the rest of the orchestra, and you'll end up looking really foolish in the end. But if you follow the conductor and put into practice the things he tells you, everything will work out well.
Secondly, both have a body with many different gifts and talents. Each person is unique in their talents and abilities, even as each instrument is different. Yet if we work together to follow the Conductor, the result will be beautiful. When I practice with the whole orchestra, I find out things that I've been doing wrong in my practicing at home, which motivates me to practice harder so I can sound better than ever. Sometimes we discover faults about ourselves when we're around other people. But when we repent and obey God, things work out and you become a better person.
Lastly, both have an instruction booklet - sheet music, and the Bible! If we don't study it and do what it says, we won't get very far.
I'm sure there are other analogies, but those are the ones I thought of. :-)
(Wow, this blog post is way longer than I expected it to be. Hope I didn't bore you!)
One last thing before I finish: I pray that none of us will be so caught up in the Christmas rush that we forget the whole meaning behind it all. Because God loved us, He gave His only Son for us while we were still sinners so that any and all who believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (see John 3:16 and Romans 5:8). Let us never think lightly of the great love of God - that He would send the world His own Son Jesus to die the horrible death on the cross. May you all have a very blessed Christmas!
V4C
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