Singing Together

One of the advantages of living in Nashville is the opportunity to frequently hear some extraordinary live music. Tonight, I went down to a local coffee shop to hear some great artists sing their songs, and in doing so, bring peace and goodness into the neighborhood. Two things struck me as I listened.

The first is the evident enjoyment that music brings both to the audience and the performer. I saw this manifested especially sweetly tonight. Two of the performances were comprised of a husband and wife, singing and strumming together. In one act, a woman sang while her husband accompanied and harmonized. When she belted out the notes he nodded to himself, happy to hear her do what she was meant to do. He wasn't smiling at the audience, he wasn't performing in that moment, he was just adoring and appreciating the woman with whom he shares his life. In the other act, the duo took turns singing their songs. When the husband would speak about his songwriting and describe his lyrical inspiration, his wife chuckled and reacted, though she's certainly heard all of this before. And as he sang, what he couldn't see with his eyes closed was his wife's furrowed brow as she listened, considered his passion, and then nodded and knowingly and honestly. And when it was her turn to sing, he beamed and tapped his guitar in time. It was so sweet to see love manifested in that way. It seems beautifully unselfish to privately and intimately appreciate and delight when someone you love does what they were created to do-- in this case-- sing.

The second thing that dawned on me is how wondrous and miraculous it is when people sing together. To see even three people moving in perfect unison, crying out with the same words at the same time is to witness something transcendent. Something, be it art or music or God, is unifying three disparate bodies and minds and they are speaking in one voice. Oh, how glorious it will be when all of the nations and all of the angels cry with one voice, 'Holy, Holy, Holy!' Romans 15 encourages, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I hope to sing with all Nashvillians soon--what a beautiful chorus that will be, when we all do exactly what we were made to do.