The choir pauses…
Silence fills the space…
Broken not even by the sound of breathing…
The audience seems to hold its breath…
Waiting for what comes next…
Then…the one-hundred-person choir sings again…
Softly at first…
Slowly…
The tempo quickens…
The volume rises…
Reaching a crescendo that brings the audience to its feet…
Applauding…
Cheering…
Finally, the applause dies…
And the audience sits in stunned silence as the choir walks off stage.
The lights dip to black…
And then slowly rise on the center of the stage…
Revealing an orchestra.
The conductor standing perfectly still…
Baton raised.
He brings the baton down and the orchestra responds…
Playing a light, almost lyrical air…
Perfect counter-point to the choir’s emotional finale.
The audience’s silent sigh of relief can be felt if not heard.
And then members of the audience start talking to each other…
People check their cell phones…
Leave for the restrooms….
Walk outside to smoke…
After the emotion of the chorus…
The orchestra’s performance feels like an interlude…
Its quiet playing a background to the hum of audience murmurs…
The jangle of cell phones…
And the quiet thumping of doors as people come and go.
But the orchestra plays on…
Gradually, the music penetrates the listeners’ hearing…
Gradually, the listeners quiet…
Suddenly people realize…
This music is more than an interlude…
It is worthwhile…
It is important.
All eyes turn to the stage…
All ears tune to the music.
I watch and wonder…
Wonder if have I have just seen is a metaphor…
A metaphor for something much more important…
How often do my eyes turn to the busyness of my day…
And my ears are tune to the noise of the world?
How often do I miss the quiet voice of God?
But God persists…
Until sometimes…
He penetrates my heart…
I realize this interlude is worthwhile…
This interlude is important…
It is an interlude with God.
Then I turn my eyes to Him…
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
And tune my heart to His love…
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8
