One of my favorite sounds is that of an orchestra warming up. It may seem strange, but for me it was love at first hearing. I have always loved music, and excelled at it in my high school. I was in junior high the first time I heard a live orchestra, and while all my friends were talking and carrying on waiting for the show to start, I was mesmerized by the sounds coming from the pit below the stage.
The sound of french horns practicing their triumphant melodies, piccolos flying through runs, violins dancing along the strings... To the average person, they would hear all of this and simply consider it noise. Who wants to listen to an orchestra warm up? The chaos of everyone playing different parts at the same time is quite overwhelming.
Soon, however, the concertmaster gains the orchestra's attention and has them all tuning to the same note. Once the musicians are tuned and unified, the magic soon follows. The conductor arrives and the real music begins. Joyful melodies, heart-wrenching harmonies, suspenseful diminuendos, earth-shattering fortissimos... We are pulled through an array of emotions as the conductor leads the way. The members of the orchestra, once divided, now perform as one, and it is breathtaking.
Earlier today, I was struck how similar the body of Christ is to musicians in an orchestra. Every musician has their own instrument and their own specific musical part. We, as Christians, have our own giftings and our own unique talents given to us by God for a specific purpose. With dedication, we can learn to use our gifts and talents well, just as a musician can develop his/her skills. However, if we as the body of Christ are not unified, we can be a lot like an orchestra warming up- everyone is doing their own thing. And while individually we are each doing our part well, we are not serving the ultimate purpose that God designed.
A composition is written for many instruments and many parts to be played as one. To isolate an instrument or part might still sound nice, however that is not the intention that the composer had when he/she wrote the piece. The same is true of God's intention for the body of Christ within the church. We are meant to use our talents and gifts for the unified purpose of glorifying His kingdom. We must keep our eyes on Him, our conductor, and work together to accomplish the work that He has set for us to do.
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. -1 Corinthians 12:27
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. -Romans 12:4-5