God breathes and the world answers in a symphony of faithfulness.
Songs of services in chapels, halls and tabernacles,
arias of councils and conferences and conventions,
oratorios of missions and campaigns and committees.
The devoted bursting forth in a hundred million hymns,
harmonious, dissonant, raucous and serene.
The voice of the church exhaling its devotion,
praising Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Friend.
Angel voices and the saintly crowd of witnesses
hum along as God’s kingdom call echoes in the world.
For so long we’ve tuned into only one part, ours,
examining it, analyzing it to the nth degree,
arguing over our notes, perfecting them, enjoying them.
We know our part by heart,
we sing it lustily.
Then one day God turns the page
and we glimpse the whole score,
infinitely intricate,
more voices than you can shake a stick at,
unclouded, unconcealed, unconstrained.
God the great scorekeeper nods
as we suddenly hear the age-old chorus,
the melody of grace in stereophonic surroundsound.
It’s there for those who have ears to hear.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.