Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April Newsletter: "Getting in Tune" OR "We are like Banjos"

Dear Friends,
Below is my "Pastor's Column" from the April 2011 Monroe City & Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church Newsletter. Because I received several positive comments about my column, I thought I should share it with others who aren't on our mailing list.
Blessings,
Clayton

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From Your Pastor…
There’s an old joke that goes: “banjo players spend 50% of their lives tuning their banjos, and the other 50% playing out of tune!” ☺ That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. Of all the instruments I’ve played in my life (and with my background in Music Education, I’ve tried my hand at a lot of different instruments), the banjo requires more tuning and retuning than any other instrument! When I go to play music at Monroe City Manor (or any other place) I start off by tuning up my banjo. After playing one or two songs, the banjo is already out of tune. So I take a few moments, adjust the knobs and get her back in tune. And then after a couple of more songs, my banjo has worked its way out of tune again! Sometimes I feel like I’m facing an uphill battle tuning and retuning, over and over again.

Part of my tuning problem is just the nature of the beast. The wood and other materials used to make most banjos are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, humidity, and pressure. All someone has to do is open or close a door, and the whole instrument goes out of tune. Another “problem” is that my ears are quite sensitive to intonation. Some people can play out of tune all day long and it doesn’t seem bother them one bit. That would drive me crazy! But for those moments when my banjo is right in tune, it rings out with such a beautiful, melodious sound—making all of my struggles worth while.

In many ways we humans are like banjos. We easily get “out of tune” with the way God created us to be. We can trace our intonation problems all the way back to Genesis. When God made Adam and Eve, they were perfectly in tune. “God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!” (Genesis 1:31) God placed Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, a literal paradise, and set them free to make beautiful music together. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the first couple to get out of tune. By eating the forbidden fruit, they became out of tune with God and out of tune with each other. The “music” that we hear in Genesis 3 is not very beautiful.

From that day forward human beings have been going in and out of tune, just like a banjo in a room where someone keeps opening and closing the door. When Adam and Eve sinned, their sin entered the human race and spread down through the ages, affecting everyone who has lived ever since. So it is in our very nature to be out of tune. But by God’s grace given to us through Jesus Christ, we can get our lives back in tune with God and one another. We can make beautiful music with our lives, just like God originally intended. We still may find ourselves out of tune, from time to time. The Apostle John wrote, “If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:8). When that happens, all we need to do is call upon Jesus Christ who is the “Divine Tuner.” Christ will get us fixed up and back on track according to God’s plan.

Some folks seem content to be out of tune, and remain that way for their entire lives. Maybe they don’t know or don’t care that there is a better way to live. Maybe they aren’t willing to make the time and effort to get back in tune. Are you one of these people? Perhaps you have family, friends, and/or neighbors who fit this category. Now is the time to get our lives back in tune! “Now is the time to listen, the day to be helped,” the Apostle Paul wrote (2 Cor. 6:2).

There are still a little more than 3 weeks left in the Season of Lent. For many people, Lent is a time to draw closer to God and get back “in shape” spiritually. So what a wonderful time to work on getting our lives back in tune. Call on Jesus Christ the Divine Tuner. He’s only a prayer away, and is available any time day or night. Allow the grace of Jesus to work in your life so that you can make beautiful music just as God intended.
Grace and Peace,
Clayton

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