Presbytery Worship

The Presbytery of Western North Carolina met today at Montreat in the Upper Anderson Auditorium.

Through a series of circumstances I don't fully understand I was asked to play for the opening worship service. For all the import of the gathering, the service was kind of thrown together (in a good way!): we were to hear three candidates for ordination preach sermons, and celebrate communion, all in 45 minutes; and according to Karen Haak, to try to do that innovatively!

We did sing three stanzas of "Fairest Lord Jesus" to open, but every other song got whacked in the interest of time. Remarkably, and with no derision intended, all three preachers held to their 7 minute time constraint pretty well. I played my settings of three chant tunes (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM; VENI CREATOR; and ADORO TE DEVOTE) for the prelude, during the distribution and at the end of worship. We sang a single stanza of three hymns after each of the sermons. In the end the service went very well, with nice singing from the gathered delegates (and groupies from the preachers' churches).

As I was playing the prelude, though, I thought about the various churches represented. Not all of them can afford a full-time musician like myself. Not all of them can afford to pay anyone. The people who give their time and talents as music leaders for many of our presbytery's churches do so out of a deep commitment, but often with minimal training and support. For many churches a choir of 5 warblers is the norm. They sing to God's glory not certain that they and the pianist will arrive at the end of the stanza at the same musical moment. I was playing a nicely in-tune 6-foot Yamaha baby grand piano; how many plink-ity uprights and spinets are still honorably providing music in Presbyterian churches around our region? I was accompanying the hearty singing of 300 people; how many of our Presbytery musicians play for half of that crowd, or a third that crowd or less?

So while I played the prelude and off and on throughout the service, I prayed for those churches and my colleagues in music ministry around the Presbytery. I prayed for the musicians who donate their time and talent. I prayed for the choristers who though few in number, lead their congregations faithfully. And I prayed for myself for greater humility and thankfulness. I have a full-time job with a decent salary and benefits; I enjoy a nice pipe organ; all the pianos are in tune. I work with not one, nor even two, but several groups of fine musicians, choristers and instrumentalists, many of whom practice at home and want learn more, and strive to offer their very best in worship. I work with a staff of church professionals who love one another and the Lord, and seek to honor God with their work, and who seek to lead our congregation's mission and ministry with a sense of challenge and compassion.

I don't know what else was on the docket at Presbytery today, but that's what I did. I prayed.

Amen.