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Oct
19
2011
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Posted 1 years 215 days ago ago by Lloyd Larson  7 Comments
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by Lloyd Larson
The price is unique, member to member.
The potential payment, likewise.
The sacrifice and potential reward
a constant worth considering.
Choir commitment is a subject
frequently addressed by choir
members and directors alike.
We cannot discuss choir commitment
without discussing stewardship—stewardship
of time and talent. The book of
II Samuel provides an interesting backdrop.
This Old Testament book is devoted
to recording the rule of David as King
over Judah and Israel. In the 24th chapter
we read that some grave pestilence
momentarily ceases. David is instructed
by one of his resident prophets to offer a
sacrifice and thus reconcile the relationship
between the people of Israel and
God. It is on the property owned by
Araunah that David goes to build his altar
of sacrifice. Araunah naturally desires
to give the King anything he needs. After
all, David is the King! “Here, King.
Let me provide the oxen for the offering. Please, take my threshing tools, oxen
yokes, and anything else you need to
build the altar and fire. Anything I have
is freely at your disposal!” But David’s
response is one of the most significant
and insightful in all Scripture on this matter
of stewardship. David responds by
saying, “I will not take it from you at no
cost, for you see I cannot offer up to the
Lord my God burnt offerings which have
cost me nothing.”
Choir participation should always be
seen as a high-level commitment.
David’s perspective is a valid one for
choir members. We dare not offer to God
individual efforts which do not cost us
something in the form of time, talent and
discipline. Let’s look at some important
ingredients which are relevant in any discussion
on this subject.
Commitment to Whom?
How many times we have all heard (or
made) a statement to the effect: “I hope
he/she appreciates my commitment.”
The implication, of course, is commitment
to a director or maybe a program. I
always want to respond by saying, “The
commitment is not to me, as director; the
commitment is to God.” It was a commitment
to God that prompted David’s response to give something which would
cost. The next time you are inclined to
feel a little self-righteous about making
the effort to go to rehearsal after a long
day at work, remember that you sing not
because of the music director, but because
of God—He deserves our best
(even sacrificial) offerings!
The “Volunteer”
The church has depended upon the
faithful work of volunteers down through
history—men and women who freely
gave of themselves in various capacities
of ministry. All of us have been around
some “volunteers” who felt it necessary
to verbalize their level of personal sacrifice.
Often such statements are seemingly
made without regard for the
standards of commitment needed to benefit
the entire group. It is only through the
dedicated sacrifice of many individuals,
each pulling their fair share, that the corporate
body can move forward in pursuit
of the awesome goal of excellence.
Many of us participate in churches
where a strong emphasis is placed upon
the teaching/learning ministries of the
church. Few, if any, churches have paid
church school teachers on their staffs. It
is the consistent weekly dedication of
volunteer teachers that gives strength to
such programs. A responsible teacher
would not consider skipping a teaching
assignment without making provision for
a substitute. Nor would that teacher consider
coming into a class setting totally
unprepared.
Perhaps a better music ministry illustration
for many churches has to do with
handbell choirs. When a handbell choir
performs, all of the needed bells must be
assigned to a ringer. If a person must be
absent, then that individual’s bells must
be reassigned or a substitute recruited,
otherwise huge gaps would occur in the
music, probably causing a rehearsal to be
unproductive. Somehow, though, that
same level of dedication does not commonly prevail for the volunteer singing
choir member. “Well, there are other sopranos
in the choir.” “My cousin is visiting
from out of state this week.” “This is
the first rehearsal after the Christmas
musical; it won’t be that important.” And
the list of excuses goes on.
Our volunteer commitments—
whether they be to the choir, the Girl
Scouts, the P.T.A., or to the neighborhood
social events committee—are as important
as our jobs, because they reflect the
priorities and values of our life. As a result
they are probably going to cost us
something—the words of David ring out
again; “I cannot offer up to the Lord my
God that which has cost me nothing.”
A Word About Punctuality
The old nemesis of most choir directors
is punctuality, or more accurately, the
lack thereof. It should go without saying
that it is essential for directors to respect
their choir member’s time. That means
beginning and ending on time. The flip
side, of course, is that choir members
should respect the time of both members
and director by being punctual.
Choir members are busy people. I’ve
found few people who say they are not
busy. Interestingly enough, it seems that
the busiest persons are often the most
punctual. The persons who are consistently
punctual to choir demonstrate that
same kind of punctuality in their other
commitments. The opposite is reflected
by those who are consistently tardy. Obviously
punctuality has more to do with
discipline than schedule. People either
manage their time or they don’t. It’s that
simple.
Imagine a choir director’s delight if
every choir member were present for the
first sung note of a rehearsal? It might be
a goal worth pursuing!
Appropriate Absences?
Each choir has to determine its own
attendance policy. I believe excused absences
usually include three general categories:
illnesses, emergency situations
and occasional work, school, or family
obligations. The illness subject is highly
subjective, varying greatly from what
one person considers legitimate and what
another would not. Choir members can
be encouraged to attend rehearsals when
they cannot sing because of throat problems
or congestion. As long as they are
not contagious, there is a great deal of
learning that can be achieved from listening
and participating mentally.
The occasional work, school and family
obligations must be determined by individual
choir members and coordinated
with their directors. For instance, if a
choir member who attends school is going
to have an occasional school choir or
band conflict on rehearsal night, then that
certainly is legitimate. Homework conflicts,
however, even during exam week,
usually come back to that matter of time
management.
Choir members should attend their
children’s school activities, even though
it may occasionally take them away from
a rehearsal. Those are important events
and everyone benefits from that level of
family participation. However, if “Junior”
is going to have soccer or baseball
games every rehearsal evening for the
next three months, then that horse is of a
different color. Again, clear understanding
is essential between choir member
and director.
Conclusion
The important activities of life definitely
cost something. That cost usually
takes the form of disciplined use of time,
talent, energy and resources. Choir is no
exception.
The story is told of William Hogarth,
an eminent English painter. He had been
commissioned by a millionaire to portray
on canvas an incident from the Old Testament.
Hogarth named his price, only to
have the millionaire proceed to beat him
down far below the quoted sum. Needing
the work, Hogarth reluctantly agreed
to do the painting for the absurdly low
figure. Some time later, Hogarth invited
the miser to come and view the finished
project. The millionaire was shocked to
find only a huge blot of red paint on the
canvas. “What is it?” he asked, “Why, it’s
the picture you requested, sir,” came the
response. “It’s the crossing of the Red Sea
by the children of Israel, and their pursuit
by the Egyptians.” He noted the
puzzled look on the millionaire’s face and went on to further explain his work.
“You see this red area,” as he pointed to
the blotch, “is the Red Sea.” “Oh, I see;
but where are the Egyptians?” came the
question. “They have all drowned,” responded
Hogarth. “What about the Israelites?”
“Well, they have already crossed
over!”
The investor wanted much for very
little. But in stark contrast, we see King
David with the appropriate Christian perspective
on stewardship in general, and
choir commitment in particular: “I cannot
offer up to the Lord my God that
which has cost me nothing.”
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