The band.
They’re gifted; they know their roles and play them to a tee to ensure the listening experience is as beautiful as possible. When I was a lot younger, the band I saw consisted of a bass player, an electric guitar player who was the lead person, another electric guitar that appeared to be more supportive, at least one keyboard/piano player, a lead singer, some backing singers, and finally a drummer. Even in those days, there was still a case when the part of the drums would be somewhat preset. Like a drum machine that kept the beat whilst the drummer played along with it. There were times, however, when I saw the band set where nothing kept the beat other than the drummer.
I could write for quite a while about every member of the band. I paid attention to them, and with music being a significant part of my life, I’d admire what each contributed in the effort that its best always was far greater than the sum of their parts. Music - what a wonderful gift to humanity, what a glorious expression, and to do it in tandem with others. Of course, as I’d discover, there was also a way in which you could actually do all the parts yourself and construct a whole piece of work where you were the performer and producer.
In the band set-up, though, I grew to appreciate the role of the drummer. They could contribute several things to the listening experience. Most of the time, the basic requirement was to establish and maintain the beat. That is not as straightforward as it sounds. It’s understandable why that challenge led to the technological advances that saw something else be able to establish that beat for the duration of the song. I don’t knock that innovation. At the same time, it makes me admire those drummers who do it to high standards of consistency and excellence, having that ear to know when you can add something or don’t need to put anything in there - being the steady, reliable presence and a basis on which the other instruments can find their place and keep things going from start to end.
The analogy of the band helps me so much in understanding the way relationships can operate in different spheres. One of them being the church. Church as a community of people who contribute to the building of the whole. People who have their contributions. And some of those contributions are about appreciating the rhythm of how the community operates and maintaining that rhythm. Doing that through timely messages, phone calls and visits; the consistency in being present and available. It’s not about necessarily being gifted at teaching, preaching, organising, singing, children’s ministry or things of that nature. Nah - it’s not always about that. It’s being in sync with the leading of the Holy Spirit to be consistent and present to keep the rhythm of life going. Loving, caring, investing, serving, encouraging without bringing attention to themselves and being a platform for others to flourish and thrive in their understanding and application of the glorious life of Jesus Christ.
I am so grateful for those individuals in the Body of Christ. God knows what they do and how they make a difference. God will reward them in the fullness of time. Until then, I’m glad they enable us to keep going because they maintain the rhythm.
For His Name's Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
