THE CALL OF BAPTISM
“Come to New Orleans next summer, where you’ ll share your ministry of discipleship through pastoral music.”
NPM. I mean, really, where else can you talk about what church organ has the best krummhorn in the area or complain about your particularly challenging choir members except with people who understand? I’m sure most of our spouses don’t want to hear it again. How much richer are our lives because of these friendships? Tink how many people are in your life because of this organization— members have made friends all over the country, and many have formed even deeper friendships through local chapters. Over the years, the relationships have kept us together.
Each of us Has a Story
Tank you for reading patiently through my stories. Each was meant to spark a memory of your story within you: think, reflect! Find the threads that weave your life in pastoral music into a lovely tapestry.
Within each of us, there is a story about a call and a response to music ministry. Our native talent comes from God, the call comes from the community, and the response to the call is up to each of us. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the master expected the servants to do more than say thank you, for they were only stewards of his money. He expected them to increase the return. We are all given enough talent to do the job, even if we don’t think so. If the community calls us to music ministry and we resonate with that call, then no matter how great or small we think the gift is, we
must trust that it is enough. But remember this: we are stewards; we are not owners. Te Christian challenge is then to ask, how will we make a return to the Lord for the gift? Yes, we can play or sing well enough, but how can we increase our gift? By playing more liturgies? Just hitting the keys doesn’t make music. Tat’s called typing. When the notes “lift off the page” as master musician Rawn Harbor so wisely says, then you have music.
To lift music off the page a musician must know the notes practically by heart, so that the text can sing—to let the music preach the text, if you will. Musical thoughts should be what leads, not individual musical notes. How does this happen? We practice; we listen. Te more we listen to great performances and study music—whether it be Sweelinck or Sweet Honey in the Rock—the deeper and more beautifully will we be able to lead our people in prayer.
No matter where the gatherings take place, pastoral musicians celebrate. We pray that NPM will be able to celebrate in New Orleans in 2021. It is a magical place; the city is alive with all kinds of music, and there is so much to do! We learn as much from discussions as from convention workshops. I urge all past and present music ministers to come celebrate together, to see old friends, to make new ones, and to affirm and celebrate your ministry. Tese are hard times in the church and world, but looking back, I think that the windows thrown open in the church since Vatican II have swung wider than we ever suspected.
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