While many churches are blessed with talented musicians, there are a lot of smaller churches where a sole musician “does his or her best” especially when trying to cope with a vast array of modern hymns and songs.
By contrast, our family was on holiday and visited a church for the Sunday morning service. As we entered we noticed a lovely display of instruments forming a small orchestra with a pipe organ central to the building. As the pastor approached the front, an elderly lady (probably younger than I am now) took her seat at the organ. The pastor welcomed us all and then added “As some of you may know, our music group is away at a weekend conference, so Mrs X has kindly agreed to play for us. In the circumstances, I have asked her to choose the hymns she can play”. What a wonderful act of consideration. I cannot remember if the hymns were relevant to the subject, but I remember we were able to sing some lovely hymns helped by the limited ability of the “stand-in” musician.
Titus chapter 3 starts with these comments, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone”. I especially like that final phrase.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help us not to insist on having our way if it means our lack of consideration for others results in a loss of respect for You and us. AMEN.