If His Kingdom come is a symphony, having sheet music is grace.
In His Kingdom come, his instruments join together in concert, each to obey the etchings of the Composer's every command, always in complete agreement with each other. They come having labored, fingers now calloused and dexterous, their lungs trained. They come with a maturity in their craft, with a confident ability to freely submit to the direction of the music written for them. They play confidently now, as if to say "Yes, Lord."
In His Kingdom come, I am an instrument of many here. My timbre has been predetermined by my Maker. He has known the make and shape of the wood to create my bodily form, and strength with which he would stretch these strings over my fingerboard. He's done the same for every other instrument I see on this rehearsal floor, each with his unique innate mechanism to produce the timbre fearfully and wonderfully cultivated for him.
If His Kingdom come is a symphony, its movements are written by a great Composer. He artfully crafts every intricate passage of sixteenths for the violins, sweeping whole notes for the choir of cellos and supporting winds, the bold dominant chords of the brass. He highlights the ones he chooses to highlight at any particular moment in the piece. He writes them to echo one another and to repeat the melodic themes strung throughout Movements I, II, III and IV. The intentionality and artfulness, displayed by the instruments' faithful obedience, demonstrates the profound beauty of the Writer's mind.
If His Kingdom come is a symphony, God is the maestro. With a flick of the wrist or a glance at a section leader, he commands volume, tempo, articulation, and even silence and stillness from these musicians. Here at the symphony, the soloist is the Christ the Son. When he enters the stage, the orchestra stands in reverence, the maestro trails him to the front of the stage with hands pointed to the soloist, and the audience applauds his arrival before a single note is played.
Today, I'm finding myself in the middle of the orchestra, rehearsing for my little part in a concerto written by my Father, glorifying Christ my Savior. If the Kingdom were a symphony, I think that Jesus's solo, as intended by the Maestro, would boast wildly of his glory. See, in the months and days leading to the symphony, no one from the outside hears or sees the soloist play. Flyers and posters announce the soloist's presentation to come, and only those who recognize the soloist ready themselves in anticipation to come and see that he is good. Many miss out on the symphony.
But today I find myself holding in my hands the notes I am to play as a member of the orchestra (I choose violin because the experience is much too familiar). He intended for my life to sound like a violin when he made me. He intended for the notes I have to be played specifically by my hands. He has done this intricately for all whom he has called. And I have to believe - he has called wretched old me, and I have a part. I have sheet music!! The instruments are his sons. The sections are his people. The audience is everything created. And when Jesus's last note is played, everyone who came for the symphony will know no other response but to erupt in applause and praise.
Recalling even the past 3-4 years, I am floored by the way my God has committed to reveal that he is the point and that I've been included. Coming to DC has been a snippet of evidence that recognizing my Shepherd's voice and following is easy and light and a thrill and a joy. I'll go here, there, lay down my life anywhere. I'll sit in the back of the 2nd violins, back where neat rows of stands get awkwardly muddled with the woodwinds. I'll sit on the inside and turn pages. I could seriously play the background, Lord. Because hallelujah, I have sheet music.
