They’re No American Idols
We walk into a building that was growing weary as each day passed. We came through the entrance, walked through a short hallway, and opened the door to something we didn’t expect. A room filled with 26 women – 13 American, young, and single, and 13 Zambian, grown, and widowed – that roared with a song of praise to our God. The sound grew as the passion stirred to worship our father and savior. Tears began to fill the eyes of us, the visitors, in awe of the beauty and talent God had gifted the Zambian women. It was a harmonic beauty that our ears had yet to encounter in our lifetime until that day.
Worship has begun at the church service. We walk in without an idea on what to expect. Music fills up both the room and surrounding area.
People are dancing, shouting, and singing praises to our Lord.
Men, women, and children alike join together and create a unified voice.
We knew Africa would be different.
We knew Africa would be intense.
We didn’t know the hidden treasure we would find.
We didn’t expect to experience such a body willing to look foolish.
Yet, foolishness was the last thing they achieved.
What we witnessed was a church longing to praise God.
What we saw and heard was hearts yearning to give Him glory.
Take away the community and single a person out, you may get a decent singer.
Audition each person for American Idol and you may not even find a contestant.
The beauty in their sound and worship wasn’t in their individual voices.
Though you could find a billion dollar talent in the pool of talent.
What intensified their passionate songs was the unity behind each note sung.
The way each person complimented the group collectively
and only grew stronger if more people joined in:
that was the beauty we witnessed.
The harmonies, the melodies, the selfless praise!
Everything else could be wrong in their life;
they could have no food, no home, no family, and not a penny to their name.
OR they could be blessed and have every necessity and then some.
Color, race, background, social status/standing, sinful, or righteous:
none of that mattered.
They simply wanted to worship God and worship God they did and do.
My teammate, Teresa, was able to record a few voice memos of a couple worship sessions. But more than listening to and writing about the amazing song we were blessed to be a part of, there was a question that I had to get down on paper:
Why can’t we do this at home?
Singing is one of my loves and passions that I don’t like to hide.
Singing itself is not my passion though. I love it most when those who have been afraid to sing find their voice and shamelessly shout out to God.
In Zambia, and now Malawi, I was blessed to hear a full congregation sing to our Lord God Almighty in heaven without a care in the world because He is worthy.
And because of the unity, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.
Why can’t we do that in the states?
Why have we allowed the lie that you have to be contract-worthy talented in order to open your mouth to sing?
Why aren’t we allowed to enjoy our God to the point of being willing to do even the most embarrassing things to bring Him praise?
It’s not just about music though.
What if we as a church started unifying in everything?
What if we stopped caring about how qualified we are
and gave God everything no matter how good or bad it is?
Would we work like a well-oiled machine?
Would our work complement each other?
Would we be willing to look or sound foolish?
Would God’s grace be sufficient in the areas that we obviously can’t do well?
What if we as a church gave God everything in us and said:
Here, God, here is everything I have and everything I am.
I want to be unified with my brothers and sisters
and worship you with all that I am.
I want to dedicate everything in works, deed, and word
to your kingdom and trust that your grace will cover
my inadequacy.
I trust in the promise that everything is for the good
of those who love you
and are called according to your purpose.
You are greater than any fear of rejection or embarrassment I may have.
You are worthy of me giving everything to.
Complete what I lack in as I submit to this unity.
I am not denouncing nor am I disagreeing that we are a body with many functions.
We are all called to praise though.
We are all called to make disciples.
We are all called to teach said disciples.
And we are all called to be unified.
But is the church making a melodic sound right now?
Is each part complimenting the part they aren’t?
Is everyone doing everything in surrender to our God?
Are we focused on bringing God praise
or are we too worried about how our neighbor looks and sounds?
Church, are we ready to be unified?
Are we ready for our many functions to make a melodic sound?
Can we sing some songs of praise to our God in unity through both works and voice? Can we let God’s approval be sufficient affirmation for us to keep going?
Beautiful sounds come from unity of many different vocal functions.
So if we’re a body of different working functions:
is our work creating beauty?
