Lord, make me an instrument of your peace...for years that has been a favorite prayer of mine. There are some beautiful choral settings and I often say it in times of despair or when I cannot sleep. And always, I feel that I come up short. An instrument of God's peace? How can I, living my small life in a small town, ever hope to achieve that? I want world peace, for God's sake, and I'm not making any progress with that.
But last weekend, in the midst of services and concerts, I heard this line differently...I noticed the word instrument, and for a change saw it literally rather than metaphorically. Hey, I know what an instrument is! I play 2 of them quite well! Could they be a pathway to offering peace?
In short, yes. I provided organ music for the funeral of a beloved church member and resident of my town. The church was packed and there were many unfamiliar faces. They sang with full voices in celebration of this woman's rich life and shed tears of grief at her passing. And the music comforted them, touched them, and brought them peace.
The next morning I was back on the bench, playing a completely different set of hymns and organ voluntaries. And again the congregation sang out, praising God and also asking for mercy. They listened quietly to the organ solos (really!). They prayed with a comforting Taize chant. And left with courage for the week ahead.
Later that afternoon I accompanied Thomas Beard in a program of spirituals at a church in a Baltimore suburb. Thomas is a superb performer and made the mostly white audience feel the deep pain of slavery. There were many tears as well as shouts of
Bravo, bravo! And once again music made people feel as one and brought them hope.
So perhaps I am an instrument of God's peace after all?
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
