Many Voices But One Song

I went to my daughter’s high school chorus concert the other night.
For over an hour I was delighted with the voices and the music choices.
Young men and women on the brink of adulthood, singing together.

Long black dresses for the women and black suits for the men.
They each exuded class.
They commanded respect and got it from everyone in the audience.

I’m particularly partial to the men’s choir.
They are funny along with being talented.
That combination goes a long way.

Each young man had a Santa hat that completed his ensemble.
They let down their guard just enough to make the audience laugh.
And laugh we did!

Hearing the Twelve Days of Christmas done in such an absurd way.
Hearing Christmas Time Is Here from Charlie Brown’s Christmas sung in falsetto.
Hearing about thirty men’s voices in perfect harmony.

The highlight of my evening came at the end of the concert.
It is our high school’s tradition to bring up all alumni on the stage to join the chorus.
I watched students who were graduated only a year ago.
I watched adults who by now have a family of their own.

As if on cue, they all took their places; places they probably stood in all those years ago.
Altos with the altos, sopranos with the sopranos.
They knew their parts just as if they had never left.

I thought how it must be like riding a bike; you never forget.
Practice in class for many years along with after school rehearsals really payed off!
They sounded wonderful!

Voices blending together who have never met each other.
Voices blending together without any practice.
An impromptu group of about three hundred voices singing in perfect harmony.

I watched the choral director raise His arms.
The movements familiar to him and to them.
They followed; they always did; they still do!

The smile on their faces said it all.
They knew that the music they were making was something beyond them.
They knew that the music they were making was from the heart.

Tears came to my eyes.
They were singing Joy To The World.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

And wonders of His Love.
Only the wonderment of His Love could make this happen.

I don’t know if every person on that stage knows Jesus in a personal way.
Since it is a public high school, I don’t even know if they all celebrate Christmas.
Tears came to my eyes because God makes Himself known.

We will ALL bow our knee before Him one day.
How sweet to bow before Him now and enjoy His presence in our life today.
Some are stubborn with hard hearts, and refuse to bow their knee to anyone.
How foolish!

God will make Himself known.
In a public school, on a stage, in the audience, in the most unlikely places.
God will make Himself known.

My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Your glory be over all the earth. (Psalm 108: 1-5)

That is what I saw when I looked at the stage.
A glimpse of heaven.
When every nation and every tongue will praise God!

Praise Him with their instruments.
Praise Him with their voices.
All the voices blending in a harmony of praise.

Exalting God.
Bowing the knee before Him.
Enjoying His sweet Presence.

O come let us adore Him!
Christ the Lord!