It was a wondrous thing to behold! It wasn’t just what we saw and heard, but the meaning of it.
The Sons of Jubal came to our town (thanks FBC Blairsville!). Jubal Brass accompanied the men’s chorus. Over 200 musicians filled the stage. The Truett McConnell (University) Chorale joined them. The auditorium overflowed with young and young-at-heart.
The meaning of the event is found in this: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). Whether it’s two or three, or hundreds gathered, music is a way for the word of Christ to dwell within you. The message of this evening concert was that God is holy and worthy of worship. Jesus is the Savior who died for your sins, the Good Shepherd who cares for your soul.
They invited the audience to participate in worship by joining in the singing. We voiced the lyrics, “The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ my living hope!” I was not familiar with the song, but it was becoming easier to follow with the lyrics projected and the chorus leading the way. The words began to settle in my soul. As we came to this verse, it moved me to realize what many grey heads in the audience were singing with confidence: “Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free! Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me! Jesus Christ, my living hope” (Wickham/Johnson).
C. S. Lewis described Christian musicians as “the most enviable of men; privileged while mortals to honor God like angels and, for a few golden moments, to see spirit and flesh, delight and labour, skill and worship, the natural and the supernatural, all fused into that unity they would have had before the Fall.” I think that’s his way of saying skilled musicians bring heaven down to earth for a moment. When music is aligned with the word of Christ, that is a meaningful and wondrous thing to behold.