The life of a church musician can seem very ordinary to both the musician and congregation.  It includes choosing music, practicing, and directing rehearsals.  But musicians (and congregations) dream about what the music can be.  We want the best.*  And then,

The lead tenor has laryngitis.  The weather changed and reeds are out of tune.  Re-arrange the anthem quickly!  Re-register the organ music!  Alas!  And then,

A parishioner says, “Thank you for the music.  I was able to worship deeply and felt a strong connection to God today.” Really?  Even when it seemed ordinary to the musicians?  Stuart Baskin says the ordinary equates to discipleship.* As Paul Westermeyer reminds us, we are not called to be successful but faithful.  Tending to the little things.

In The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change, Tomas Halik, a Czech sociologist, priest, philosopher and admirer of Pope Francis, says, “A person’s life speaks more about their faith than what they think or say about God.”  Journalist David Brooks says he has learned in his adult life that “the passions of the heart precede and are greater than the machinery of reason.”**  Churches have done “heart work” for centuries, in singing eternal truths, often rooted in scripture, the texts set to beautiful music of gifted composers.  As Dr. Robert Mann says in choosing music for worship, “Good music gives a text transcendence, beyond what the text itself expresses.”  Tending to daily decisions with integrity.

J.S. Bach scholar Dr. Christopher Anderson recently fielded a question about how Bach’s study and notations in the Calov Bible affected his theology and view of his vocation.  Bach was convinced by scripture that music was necessary for God to be experienced in worship.  Music made possible the connection between God and worshippers.  Thus, Bach saw his role as musician as vital to worship.  He attended to the “little things” so worshippers could experience God, no matter if some thought his work “ordinary.”  

As we near the end of 2025, we can take care of the little things, like tuning the organ, encouraging the singers in the congregation to “Make a joyful noise” even if they do not read music, proofing the bulletin for mistakes, choosing the best music to express a theological idea, working with a young person to offer their gifts of music, using song to celebrate the moments of the life of a congregation.  2 Peter 1:5-11 reminds us to confirm our call and election:  “. . .you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.”  Daily little decisions.

Singing encourages people of faith to remember scripture and spiritual truth.  Fulfilling the Psalmists’ admonition to “Sing to the Lord” places us in a long tradition of shaping our character and relationship to God to become whom God means us to be.  Not so little after all.

*Like James Thurber’s character Walter Mitty who daydreams about his important role in the world, as reported in Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Tyler, TX.  Daily devotional for November 13, 2025.

** David Brooks.  “How to Replace Christian Nationalism.”  Op-ed for November 13, 2025, in the New York Times.

*** Dr. Christopher Anderson.  “Johann Sebastian Bach Reads the Bible: Insights from the Calov Bible.”  Lecture for the Luther Center of North Texas, October 30, 2025.