I love a good bell choir, especially at Christmas! The resonating sound of the bells lifts my spirit. I joined the bell choir at our church in Cincinnati. I had never played the bells before and had a lot to learn. I walked into the first rehearsal with my white gloves and met the other ladies. Only one had played before.
Before us lay shiny brass bells arranged from largest to smallest. Each bell plays only one note. Our bells ranged in size from the large D below middle C with its deep “BONG”, to a tiny high-pitched tinkling B-flat. Each of us would be responsible for up to four bells.
We put on our white gloves to protect the bells. The oil from our hands could change the tone of the bells over time. We walked along the table, testing each of the bells to decide which we’d like to play. Surprisingly, none of us chose the same bells.
I chose to play the larger bells with the lowest notes. I picked up the D and rang it. It made my whole are vibrate. I learned various ways to hold the bell to change the quality of the sound. Sometimes I left it on the table and plucked the clapper, or I swung the bell letting it slide along my side, and sometimes I rang it in no special way.
After we felt comfortable with our bells, we began to play a song. The director gave us a very slow count. I watched the music for my notes and joyfully rang my bells when called for. Sometimes I forgot to switch the bell and rang the wrong bell. Sometimes I rang the right bell at the wrong time. I wasn’t the only one.
The director slowed the song even more. We practiced for weeks until we could play one song correctly at the right tempo. We had a very patient director.
To make music that harmonized and blended into a beautiful song, we had to be in one accord, united in tempo and mood. We put our individual preferences on hold as we searched for the best sound for each song. The director determined the playing of the bells, interpreting the intent of the composer. Some bells tolled the melody, and others provided background harmony. Some bells tolled for an entire song, while others lay on the table, ready to be rung if needed.
When we got it, each of us playing the right bell at just the right time, the harmony blended to an engaging melody, blessing all who heard it. If even one bell tolled out of place, we all flinched.
We are bells in God’s choir, each of us unique in tone and purpose. He has written a beautiful melody for the people who follow Jesus Christ to play together. When each of us rings our note at the right time, the world hears a song that gives praise and glory to God.
The body is a unit though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.
So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, salves or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…
But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13:8
TRICIA LATHROP 