Fashioning Harmony Out of Diversity

Among my fondest memories from my high school days was participating in the marching, concert and dance bands. Even though I was far from the best musician in our bands, I played in the percussion section with gusto and pride. 

On football Saturdays (that’s when they played high school games in my day), many of the spectators came not to watch our football team – which was mediocre – but our marching band, which was undefeated. Among the bands in our region, we had no equal.

 

The snare, tenor and bass drums and cymbals in our section could make the loudest sounds, but every instrument in the band was essential. That included the tubas, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, French horns, clarinets, piccolos, and even the glockenspiels. I’m sure every musician was just as enthusiastic about his or her part as the drummers were. Some might have even thought they were most important. But when we stepped onto the field, we were a single unit determined to march and perform at our very best, just as we had during many hours of grueling practice.

 

And how did we know we were doing our best? We knew by looking to our band director, an earnest perfectionist named Jack Pirone. We loved the applause of the fans, just as we did from the audience when we gave our annual Christmas and spring concerts. But it was the approval of Mr. Pirone that meant the most to us – by far. 

 

This desire to please our band director, as well as entertain everyone in attendance at our performances, resulted in a powerful sense of unity that transcended our musical differences. The brass instruments couldn’t play the percussion parts; the sousaphones didn’t try to drown out the woodwinds. Because we were performing together with a common goal, we always managed to fashion ear-pleasing harmony despite our diversity. 

 

We find ourselves in a place called the United States of America, but today we seem anything but united. Rather than appreciating our differences and seeking to dialogue and understand each other, we’re like members of an orchestra who want to dominate the stage. News commentators try to outshout each other. Protesters exchange angry words. I think of the phrase from the old Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth,” describing the scene: “…A thousand people in the street singing songs and a-carrying signs, mostly say hooray for our side.” 

 

This phenomenon isn’t new. A verse from the Bible, written many centuries ago, provides a similar description: “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there” (Acts 19:32). Everyone seemed to be in an uproar, but many of them weren’t even sure why. Just as it is today.

 

We find this even within the Church – pastors, religious leaders, congregations and denominations all at odds, convinced they’re right and everyone else is wrong. If the apostle Paul were to see what’s going on today, he’d probably tell us the same thing he told believers of his day: 

“My brothers, some…have informed me that there are quarrels among you…. One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?...” (1 Corinthians 1:11-13).

 

According to many reports, God is working in wonderful ways across our land and around the world. But despite the millions of people who profess to be followers of Jesus, our impact on society appears to be proportionately small. One reason for this is our disharmony. We’re like a band or orchestra in which instruments are out of tune and musicians are trying to upstage one another.

 

Paul often wrote about the importance of achieving harmony within the body of Christ. To believers in ancient Rome he said, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chris. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:5-7).

 

In my high school band, our foremost goal was to please our director. He served as our inspiration and motivation. The mission of advancing the Gospel of Christ is so much greater and more important than a band performance. Rather than focusing on our agendas and disputing over our differences, we need to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

 

If we can succeed in doing that, how much brighter the light of Christ we could cast upon our increasingly dark world; how much greater would be the savor of the Gospel for those around us embittered by circumstances and godless ideologies. As the apostle wrote to the church in Philippi, “make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:2). If we can please our Conductor, the Lord Jesus, nothing else matters.