Spring Concert

All things will be made new. Last night I viewed a school spring concert through the eyes of Jesus for the first time. I've had kids in spring concerts for 8 yrs. so this is not my first go-around at bleacher bruises. The difference was phenomenal though. For the very first time I looked at the faces of the choir and rather than picking out their differences I discovered how very much the same they all looked. Yes there were fat ones and skinny ones and dark ones and light ones and all heights and variety of clothing but they all looked so beautifully alike that I saw Jesus in them and it blew me away. Why hadn't I ever seen them like that before?

So the music starts and I wish I could tell you everything that was played but I can't because I paid so little attention to the announcer and focussed on the kids. There was so much life packed into the little gymnasium. I think there were probably 250 kids split in three groups, fifth and sixth graders, middle-schoolers and high schoolers. Their faces were a collage of confidence, nervous energy, jubilance, humility, posers, and indifference. They sounded awesome. As they played the music I thought of the composers and what might have been in their hearts as they wrote in a cymbal crash or a flute solo or a bell strike. I was moved to tears by this really large young lady's rendition of Evanescence's "Wake Me Up Inside" and thought of times that I felt just as the artist felt when they penned those words but not now, no by no means did I come anywhere close to that now because every one of my senses was awaken to everything thing around me to a degree I've only experienced like 3 times (not counting my earlier partying years). Now I was in awe with wet tears on my face at the naked courage of this young lady, beautiful young lady, that was belting out these words as if she herself were attached to every one of them and being carried on wings through a life that we can't touch or see but know just from her voice that it holds the richness of what the very centroid of the universe is anchored on. If this is what experiencing life in Christ is like sign me the heck up forever because I don't want to be anywhere near that corpse that used to walk in and wonder if everyone seen how supportive it was being of its kids or if its kid realized it was missing some important meeting at church for this and if they appreciated it for its sacrifice.

JOY