The Young Lutheran’s Guide To The Orchestra recommends the percussion section for Lutherans. “Percussionists are endlessly patient because they hardly ever get to play.” Keillor, if you have never watched a bagpipe band, you don’t know the half of it.
Bagpipes are incredibly difficult to keep in tune. And at a competition, a key factor in judging is how closely the instruments seem to be playing as one. Or in other words, how well they are in tune. So much time is spent in the tuning endeavor immediately before a performance.
If you are in the half of the band known as drummers, you’ve got a lot of time on your hands. But the whole band is instructed to arrive promptly and warm up. So we do. Then we wait.
One occurrence sticks out in my mind. We had the privilege to compete at the World Championship in Glasglow, Scotland in 2008. We arrived at the grounds. The pipers got tuned up; 5 minutes later the day turned overcast and the whole band went promptly out of tune. So we drummers had a good 90 minutes on our hands. And normally that would hang heavy. But we were in Scotland. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I recall taking in the European Championship Heavy Events that afternoon. I will likely never see a caber tossed so eloquently again in my life. It was no chore to ‘pass the time’.
The reality for God’s people is that we never have to ‘pass the time’. Every moment of every day is a gift, a holy opportunity to pursue God and see His handiwork. To appreciate the life He has given.
“let us rejoice today and be glad.”
Psalm 118:24.
Where are you today? What are you doing? Is this not all a gift from your Heavenly Father? When we are in a rush to get to the next time, we miss the thing right in front of us. We miss an opportunity for gratitude and thanksgiving. Let’s not just ‘get through’ this pandemic. Let’s live.
Lord, here I am. Right now. Be with me.
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