A New Song: Play Skillfully

For nearly five hundred years, the cello has been played as a filler or background for some of the most incredible musical masterpieces. Occasionally, a cellist will get center stage, but typically, the same cello sounds come out. After hundreds of years and God knows how many tens of thousands of cello artists later, two men change everything. If you haven’t heard of 2Cellos, two Croatian men Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, and you have any interest in music, you should listen to them. (I’ll provide a link at the bottom of this post.)

These two gentlemen have transformed what many would consider a boring instrument into something that captivates your attention. Neither Luka nor Stjepan trained on anything different than was presented to all the other cello artists over the centuries. It was the same structure of thin wood, taut strings, and ornate knobs, but they turned it into something that is played at teenage rock concerts to standing ovations.

Nothing is different about the instrument. Nothing has changed. No cello creator would be offended as the instrument is in tact just as intended by the maker. The only difference…presentation of the material. The notes float off the same treble and bass clef that has existed for millennia, but the sound they create captures the imagination of the coldest of classical music haters.

The instrument is old, outdated, and many would consider it boring. In the right hands, however, the music can be just as sweet; it can change with the culture without changing the focus and can appeal to the youngest of minds…and the cello creator is not offended.

"Sing a new song of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy."

Psl. 33:3

Instead, the craftsman is encouraged as new and innovative ways to honor such a beautiful instrument is pieced together so that the instrument does not fade into oblivion.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is considered by many to be old, outdated, and boring. One thing is certain, however, the center of that attention, Jesus Christ, is still just as sweet and soothing to the heart as He has always been.

“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” Psl. 119:103

The statistics have been clear for decades; the younger generations are tuning out the gospel message. Why not pick up that instrument of old and play a new song that captures the imagination of a teenager, college student, or grandparent?

The Creator will not be saddened by your new approach, but instead, He will be grateful that someone cares enough about the Good News of Jesus Christ that they picked up the same tool, played from the same sheet of music that Paul, Peter, and Martin Luther did, but with a new sound that captivates a new audience. The pages stay bound to the book, the words do not run, and the message is consistent: 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). 

Perhaps simply because you earnestly sought God anew or begged for a new way to present the same message, the listener may hear the care, love, humility, and honor you give your Savior and see something different about you than other Christians.

The others seemed to them to simply want to stroke the same chord with little to no effort, concern, or passion for the person, but only wanting a notch in their Christian belt.

During this Christmas season when we sing, hum, or listen to Christmas songs such as Joy to the world or my personal favorite Hallelujah, please don’t forget the message of old continues to be a soothing sound to a troubled heart. The love of Christ is still just as peaceful as it was when the angels proclaimed His birth to rugged shepherds.

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:10-11

Listen to the band 2Cellos in Concert

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Works of Art

All Artwork by Jon Seals & used with permission.
"The Builders"©
http://jonsealsart.com/home.html

Recently, Yale Divinity School accepted a good friend of mine into their Master of Arts program, with a concentration in Religion and Visual Art. His artwork has always taken my mind to places unknown and led me to consider deeper, more profound thoughts.

As I admired one of his paintings, I thought about the time he spends before he puts the blank sheet of paper on his easel. The careful consideration of where to place the first stroke that begins the masterpiece. The various internal debates he must have while working with colors, shapes, lines, shadows, and most importantly, when to step back and declare it complete.

The artist is slow and methodical with each step because they know others will view it, critique it, and hopefully want to buy it and display it in their homes.

Life, it has been said, is a work of art.

I have always thought about that statement from a distant position. That is, I have always considered my life as one canvas, where I placed my first stroke years ago in my foolish young years. By the time I began to grasp life more deeply, I’d already messed up my painting so much that even Bob Ross couldn’t have recovered it.

Plow

As I spend my life trying to understand God, He has helped me alter my view of my canvas. While the silly and immature strokes of years past are there, I do not see my life as one large canvas—yet. Instead, every day He places a blank sheet on my easel and leaves me with choices that will determine what today’s art will look like. I can choose to ignore the critical nature of the day and let the paint fall where it may with no design, pattern, or beauty. Or I can choose to think carefully about the day by spending time with the Perfect Creator, ask Him where to place the first stroke and ask Him to plan the day for me. This way, at the end of the day, I can hand Him my artwork, wait for His response, and know that it is perfect.

Then one day, when this body stops moving and I have no more canvas left to paint, He and I will take the 30,000’ view of thousands of small works of art and it will make either one giant masterpiece or something to be discarded.

Students

My friend impressed the right people to get into Yale with his artwork. I want to impress my heavenly Father, my Savior, and the Holy Spirit with my daily canvases that were woven together by Them in a manner I could not see until I reached that side of Heaven.

My past may be ugly. I will make stupid decisions today, tomorrow, and next week. But when I keep my thoughts on Jesus, and walk as He would have me walk, He turns ugly into beauty. 

Our life is a giant canvas that one day we will present to our Savior, Jesus Christ. It can be beautiful or it can be a disaster. Today you have a choice to paint with thought or toss away your choices as though they were meaningless. 

Question: Will God want to display your life's art in the halls of eternity?

“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”  Colossians 1:22