By Linda Porter Carlyle
“I’ve got news,” Pastor Chuck announced.
Everyone in the Sabbath School class looked up expectantly and waited.
Pastor Chuck grinned. “In two weeks, we’re going to have a special worship service on Friday night. It’s going to be kind of a church family worship. There will be lots of music, and if any of you would like to participate, you are invited to do so.”
“What do you mean?” Mac asked. “Do you mean we can sing, or play an instrument, or something like that?”
“Right!” Pastor Chuck answered. “Our church is going to pray and worship together, and music can be a big part of worship. I think it’s going to be a really wonderful evening.”
“Anybody can sing?” Robert asked. “Even if they only sound good in the shower?”
The class laughed.
“Well, if you only sound good in the shower,” Pastor Chuck answered, “maybe you’d better ask someone with a good loud voice to sing with you.”
The class laughed again.
“I could play a song on the piano!” Joseph put in. “I haven’t started taking lessons yet, but G.M. taught me how to play ‘Amazing Grace,’ and she plays with me. It’s a—what do you call it when two people play together? A duet! Lots of people like ‘Amazing Grace’!”
“Wonderful!” Pastor Chuck said, pulling a pen out of his inside jacket pocket and picking up a piece of paper to write on. “Joseph and G.M. Piano,” he muttered as he wrote. He looked up. “Anybody else want to participate?”
“Hannah and I will sing together!” Mac announced. She poked Hannah with her elbow.
Hannah looked shocked and shook her head vigorously.
“Come on!” Mac urged. “You have a good voice, and we sounded good singing together that time at your house!”
Pastor Chuck smiled. “Let Hannah have a minute to think it over,” he said. “But keep in mind that what we’ll be doing that evening is worshiping God, not performing for each other. So if you have a song in your heart that you would like to share with the Lord, this is a perfect opportunity.”
“I remember when I was little,” Pastor Chuck went on. “We used to have worship nights like this a lot at my church. And there was one older man in the congregation who played the saw. I loved listening to him.”
“Played the saw!” Trevor exclaimed. “How can you play a saw?”
“Well, he used just an ordinary saw, I think,” Pastor Chuck answered. “He sat down in a chair and put the handle between his legs. Then he curved the blade of the saw over like a rainbow, and he used a violin bow to play the notes against the edge of the metal blade. The sound of the notes depended on how much or how little he curved the blade. The saw made a kind of piercing, zingy music. I liked it!”
“I wish I could see somebody do that!” Trevor exclaimed.
“I think playing the saw must be a dying art,” Pastor Chuck said. “I haven’t heard of anyone doing it for years.” He looked around the room. “Does anybody else play an instrument and would like to use it to worship the Lord?”
Daniel raised his hand. “I’m learning to play the clarinet,” he said. “But I only know songs like, ‘Home on the Range’ and ‘Pop Goes the Weasel.’ ”
“Maybe you could compose a song of worship,” Pastor Chuck suggested. “That’s what musicians do, you know. You could compose your own special song for the Lord.”
“Maybe,” Daniel said slowly. “Maybe I could.”
“That’s what my little sister does!” Emma jumped in. “She walks around the house and sings songs to God that she just makes up. She’s really cute! And she sings songs to Jesus and the Holy Spirit too!”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Pastor Chuck exclaimed. “It’s wonderful to worship the Lord and express to Him how you feel about Him. A lot of the songs David wrote were saved for us to read in the Bible in the book of Psalms. You might want to look in Psalms and read some of them. Maybe some of you will be inspired to write a song or a poem to sing or to read to the Lord at our worship service.”
Pastor Chuck glanced up at the clock on the wall. “It’s just about time for us to go,” he said. “Think about our special service during this coming week. Bring back some more ideas next Sabbath. And think about it this way. The whole congregation will really be the choir, and we will be performing for a very special audience of One. I know that we will bring Him pleasure.”
