For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. – Romans 12:4
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16
Rhythm and Syncopation
These preliminaries settled, he did not care to put off any longer the execution of his design, urged on to it by the thought of all the world was losing by his delay, seeing what wrongs he intended to right, grievances to redress, injustices to repair, abuses to remove, and duties to discharge.
For some, birthdays, ours and others, create an annual rhythm. Bills and doctor visits may be a syncopation for some. School classes, school breaks, school beginnings, and endings create rhythms that reverberate throughout our nation. Sunday church, Wednesday prayer, monthly small groups have traditionally formed a comforting and strengthening cadence for us.
There are rhythms more complex within each of us than any hip-hop song could express, for deep within each Christian lives the Holy Spirit, our metronome: He defines our meter and changes it to syncopate with all within the Church, the Bride of Christ. The chorus of the Church that our heavenly Father hears is like the London Philharmonic Orchestra tuning and preparing for a concert. Even within the midst of perceived chaos, beauty, and anticipation are felt by the performers and the hosts of heaven.
Jesus, our Conductor
Soon, Jesus, our Conductor, will take the stage, will look at His Church, bringing all the Church into unity, strength, and elegance. Then he will take the podium. A quiet will roll throughout heaven, and Christ Jesus, our Lord, will present His Bride to His Father.
For most people in America, the familiar rhythms of our lives are in shambles this year. We have waxed nostalgic toward even rhythms that previously we saw as annoyances. This year’s IRS tax season changed. Our daily commutes to work changed. Visits from cranky in-laws may have dwindled. Indeed, 2020 has been a year of abrupt disruptions, leaving us to struggle to find new rhythms and rhythms that don’t come naturally.
One of the many mysteries of music is that a strong voice, be it human or an instrument, can break through discord and mold the individual voices into a unified melody, harmony, rhythm, and meter, causing the musical score to sail to astonishing heights.
Trusting the Conductor
Many rhythms live in our lives. Their confluence creates a familiar song for each of us and all of us. Let’s look forward, trusting that the Conductor knows what He’s doing. Rest in Him, and we shall be part of the most beautiful concert ever presented to God in heaven and His heavenly host.
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