Symphony of Triumph

The following is a piece I wrote a few years back, which my friend, colleague, and former roommate Jeff Vanderhoff always reminds me of, so I figured I'd post it here. It reflects my love for two things: Our Triune God, and classical music. Enjoy! We are all part of a great Symphony, which the Composer skillfully conceived at the beginning of time: Some of us are the Melody, our loud voices ringing out with the Message of the Music... Some are Countermelody, adding movement and variety, and enhancing the Melody with our bold originality... Some of us are the Bass Line, not outspoken or original but steadfast and supportive, without which the Melody would have no stability... All of us, playing our respective parts, make the Symphony a triumph. The Symphony is full of tension and struggle, but in the Composer's wisdom and design, the moments of tension always lead to a resolution of joy, while the most difficult sections are also those which challenge our abilities and make us better musicians. As we play our parts in the Symphony, there are three things we must always consider: We must strive to glorify the Composer by adhering faithfully to the Musical Score, and not glorify ourselves by adding prideful improvisation, for the less we deviate from the Score, the more the Audience will be convicted of its meaning... With the guidance of the Sound Man, we must strive to blend our parts harmoniously, that our performance may be a true reflection of the Composer's art... Finally, and most importantly, we must fix our eyes on the Conductor, who--with His nail-pierced hands--directs all of us to follow Him. The Symphony continues, and as we turn the pages to new and increasingly complex movements in the Score, we must be confident in this: One day, all the members of the Audience--whether they want to or not--will give the Composer a kneeling ovation. The Conductor will embrace each one of us warmly and say, "Well done!" And the Composer, sitting in the Balcony, will wipe the tears of joy away from His eyes as He declares once again that His Masterpiece is very good.