The Gift of Music

For the last two days music has touched my soul.

Saturday I went - with Audrey, my granddaughter Alyse and her boyfriend Ephrata - to a Beatles marathon.  It is an annual 12 hour concert where these musicians play every song the Beatles wrote in order.  It starts and noon and ends at midnight.  We were there for about three hours - from 12:30 to 3:30.  And it was so much fun.

First, it took me back 50 years to when I was a teenager and loved the Beatles.  I still remember leaving Youth Fellowship with a gang of kids and going to our basement to watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.  It was truly the music of my youth.  As I listened Saturday I found I knew so many songs and the words just came.  The funny part was that Ephrata - whose parents are from Ethiopia - is a young Beatles lover and like me he knew many many songs.  We stood on the sidelines of a packed dance floor and moved to the music, sang along and were entertained by the various musicians who played.  It was fun, fun, fun.  I don't usually go to concerts and I experienced the music just letting me let go and laugh and sing.  It was great!!!!

Sunday we had a church cantata and I was absolutely affected by this music as well.  It was about, of course, the birth of Jesus and it expressed the truth that Jesus came for the broken and the lost.  One of the songs brought me to tears and then we had communion.  It was so powerful for me.

There is something about music - playing it, singing it, hearing it and moving to it that really touches our souls.  I look forward to the Christmas Eve services and the familiar carols and gift that the music will bring.