Praise The Lord!

This past summer, I had the great privilege of attending a performance by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. I was surprised by the crowded stage of 90 devoted youth musicians. Our local symphony is made up of only 60 members, so what a treat it was to enjoy such a varied and energetic performance of 20th century music!

The modern symphony has few musical ancestors. Its most ancient ancestor is the Sinfonia, a short overture that was heard at the beginning of 17th-century Italian operas. "Sinfonia" means "sounding together". Sinfonias were always written for a small orchestra, never just for one or two instruments.

After 108 works, Haydn had mastered the classical symphony form, and is credited as the father of the symphony. Mozart, Beethoven, and many others would follow in his footsteps. The classical symphony includes strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

But I would argue that the Bible hints at a form of the symphony that predates and is much more ancient than the 17th century. Psalm 150 alludes to a great orchestra — even a heavenly one:

Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
       praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
       praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
       praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
       praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
       praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. (NIV 2011)

Can't you just picture the conductor picking up a baton, tapping the lectern with it, lifting it to bring the musicians to order after tuning up, and holding it for just those last few seconds before unleashing a triumphant opening, breathing life into notes praising God. One by one, the conductor points to each section for their turn: strings (harp and lyre), woodwinds (pipe), brass (trumpet), and percussion (timbrel and cymbals).

Psalm 150 doesn't mention a choir, but I also envision an enormous choir (picture a massive choir for Handel's Messiah or bigger!) of heavenly angels waiting in the wings for their turn to lift up their voices in praise also!

One of my favourite 20th-century hymns is by Bruce Ballinger. It opens, "We have come into His house and gathered in His name to worship Christ the Lord" and exhorts the gathered audience, "So forget about yourself and concentrate on Him and worship Christ the Lord." A third verse has been added over the years: "Let us lift up holy hands and magnify His name and worship Christ the Lord."

We are all invited to join this heavenly orchestra whether or not we actually play an earthly instrument, or whether we are sitting in a pew in a great sanctuary or in the comfort of our own homes. Won't you join in?

Prayer: Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise Him in His mighty heavens! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen.

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