Wednesday, December 22, 2004
My Christmas-time Musings... The Little Drummer Boy
Okay ... for the next several days I'm going to wander into Naj-like behavior. My ponderings are quite often spiritual in nature, but my blog rarely reflects that. But recently I've been motivated to share my spiritual-musical ponderings with you. Enjoy......
I have been truly impressed this year with a significant desire to contemplate the WORDS to the songs that we sing in honor of Christmas. It started during the cantatas that we played at our church. I was praying about being more single-mindedly focused on Christ and having a pure heart in my participation in the orchestra. As a musician, I often find it difficult to avoid being self-centered in performance. On the radio one day before the first concert, I heard the song "Little Drummer Boy". The words really hit me as if for the first time.
Contemplate this (maybe ignore the pa rum pum pum's):
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
The part that was very significant to me was "I played my drum for him ... I played my best for him." Since I'm a French horn player, it's often difficult for me to connect "playing" with "worship" because there are no words. Yet, I needed to be reminded that it's not about the WORDS that I offer to Him, but about the gifts that He gave me ... and that I offer the BEST of what I have back to Him. So, every night while I was playing, I was thinking and praying about offering Him my very BEST French horn playing, no matter what the words are or aren't. It was absolutely wonderful!!
I discovered a desire to have my horn playing to be a solo concert performed for One and only One audience member. As if it were just me playing, and just Him listening. That I play my horn for Him and that I play my best for Him.
Then, it occurred to me (yeah, I'm a bit slow ... better late than never) that this thinking really ought to apply to EVERY aspect of my life. It doesn't have to be note-perfect, or perfect-pitch in-tune ... it just has to be my best ... with the ultimate goal: "Then, He smiled at me....."
II Corinthians 5:9
Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him."
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