They Had One Thing to Say Together

For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Chronicles 5:13

Read 2 Chronicles 5. Focus on verses 11 through 14. The temple dedication includes singers from several families, cymbals, stringed instruments, and a hundred and twenty priests with trumpets. It is an extraordinary gathering of people who know how to make a sound. Yet the account draws attention to what they say together. They praise the Lord's goodness and enduring mercy. Many voices and instruments share one object of thanks. The glory that fills the temple does not leave us with a ranking of the strongest musicians. It leaves us with the Lord whose house they have come to dedicate. The cloud prevents the priests from continuing their ministry. This is a particular manifestation of God's glory in Israel's history. We cannot reproduce it by assembling enough instruments, reaching a certain volume, or singing a preferred line. Worship is an answer to God, not a means of making him perform. The singers' common praise also differs from requiring everyone to have the same taste. Different instruments are present. Different families serve. Their shared confession is larger than the question of whose contribution sounds best. Ordinary gatherings can lose that center. We may spend the whole service evaluating whether the music suits us. Was the familiar song included? Did someone take too long? Was our preferred person given a part? By the time we leave, we have formed several opinions and offered little actual thanks. Quality matters, and thoughtful feedback can be useful. Worship leaders have real responsibilities. But listeners can become so accustomed to reviewing the experience that participation is reduced to approval or disappointment. We wait to be pleased before we give attention to God. Consider what it would mean to offer a particular thanks during the next song, even if the arrangement is not your favorite. You can remember a mercy, confess a need, or attend to a truthful line. You do not have to pretend that every musical choice is equally helpful. You can simply refuse to make your preferences the only activity taking place within you. The dedication's many sounds become one act of praise. There is something freeing in that direction. You are not required to be the most expressive person in the room, and you need not compare your response with someone else's. You are invited to bring your attention to the God whose goodness is worth saying aloud together. Put It into Practice At your next gathering, choose one truthful line of praise and turn it into a specific personal thanksgiving. Save any necessary practical feedback for an appropriate conversation afterward.

When did you last leave worship remembering your judgments about the experience more clearly than anything you thanked God for?

Good and merciful Lord, gather my scattered attention into honest praise. Help me participate rather than only evaluate. Let the gifts of others serve a shared thanksgiving greater than my musical preferences. Amen.