Grace for the choir conductor

Several months ago, my choir was invited to perform at a large conference involving delegates and leaders from different church denominations within Finland.  The MC had asked if she could interview me before we sang.  I assumed she was going to ask me questions about the choir or about our repertoire and was somewhat taken aback when she began with, ¨the theme for our weekend is grace.  I would like to know -- what is grace for you, as a choir director? ¨

Although my initial reaction was one of surprise, I knew immediately the question was a good one.  However, coming up with an appropriate answer, on the spot in front of so many people, made me feel a bit jittery.  I decided to begin carefully, ¨grace is when all your singers turn up at the right time, to the right place, with the correct music and appropriate attire.¨  This answer garnered a few chuckles from both choir and audience, giving me courage to continue.  ¨Grace is also leading a group of individuals from different nations, who speak different languages, are different in age, but who as a group, have decisively come together to communicate and understand one another in order to create beautiful music.¨

I have continued to reflect on this question since the conference.  My choir is much like any group of people -- families, churches, clubs, organizations, colleagues on the job -- you name it. To be sure, there is a distinct difference in that this is a voluntary group and no one is forced to join if they don't want to; however, occasionally singers admit to me they didn't choose the choir -- they just felt called to be there.  This honest admittance, often said in passing, has brought me to humility in my role as the director, since Finland is a nation rich in choral groups.  The truth is that we as a society have become more and more consumer oriented -- if you don't like your new smartphone, you can easily return it for another, and if the church you are attending isn't meeting your needs, why not try visiting the one down the street, or better yet, skip the inconvenience of getting dressed on a Sunday and instead listen to online sermons delivered by an eminent preacher, from the comfort of your own living room.  We have a hard time committing to things nowadays because there are a myriad of distractions and activities to choose from.

The consumer mentality however, often does not prioritize nor fully recognize grace.  Grace overlooks an abundance of imperfections.  If we choose to sit at home alone, we miss out on the opportunity to experience God's grace though interacting with others.  Grace gives us the strength to see past our differences so that we can lend a hand to our neighbour, build a church together, invite a refugee family for lunch, or travel to a foreign land with our choir to make beautiful music.  There is something very powerful that happens when a group of individuals sing together -- the intertwining of individual voices creates a fabric of glorious sound that, as Beethoven reminds us in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony, is reflective of our shared humanity -- humanity that would not exist if it were not for His grace.