I've played in orchestras. I've practised so long my lips were sore and my head was throbbing. When I lost sight of the beauty of the music, because I'd been playing so long and trying so hard, my role in the orchestra became a chore. At those moments, the conductor would stop us to remind us of the wonder of the music and inspire us with a story of the composer or the journey of the piece we were playing. He would allow us to remember that each section sounds weaker on its own. Then slowly the brass, wind, strings and percussion sections would get more and more of it right until the whole symphony sounded amazing.The Church may not be perfect. We may not get it right. We might disagree, argue and dispute amongst ourselves. But we must remember that we are the only orchestra God has chosen - and there are millions of people who need to hear the symphony of His love.
Rev Malcolm Duncan
Now there has never been a perfect performance of a symphony by any orchestra anywhere in the world at any time. The experts will always hear something that isn't quite right. Conductors will see areas of potential improvement and composers hear pieces that are wrong. But there has been a lot of amazing music!
The Church may not be perfect. We may not get it right. We might disagree, argue and dispute amongst ourselves. But we must remember that we are the only orchestra God has chosen - and there are millions of people who need to hear the symphony of His love.
So whatever the challenges we face, let's play our part and allow the music of God's heart to ring out.
The Reverend Malcolm Duncan
[Rev Malcolm Duncan is the leader of the Faithworks movement, and previously worked as Head of Mission at the Evangelical Alliance UK].
You can find out more about Faithworks by clicking here.
