“Amazing,” he whispered as our last note died away among the pews. On tour in Washington State, the Three Angels’ Chorale had just finished singing, a cappella, the beautiful Christmas carol “I Wonder as I Wander” in a rural church.
This past winter break, the Three Angels’ Chorale traveled to the Northwest to bring tidings of comfort and joy to Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California. Two and a half weeks of our lives, a (not so) cheap plane ticket, cramped quarters in a van, and 28 concerts—why was this worth it?
This brings us to another question: “Why do we sing?” Why do Hartland students journey across the nation and spend their breaks floating words on chords? Is our “performance” to awe others with our musical abilities, as we had obviously done for the man in our Washington audience?
One lady in Shady Point, Oregon, said, “I was so inspired by your music! I know that the Holy Spirit worked through you last night. All of you are like little lights that have come from the East Coast to the West Coast to spread truth.” She answers the question. She gives the reason God sent 18 people across the country. He had a mission for us: He wanted us to spread light. And in spite of our weakness, God gave us strength to fulfill His purpose.
“You came all the way out here to sing for us?” The young man slumped on the bench as he asked his question. It was our very first concert in a prison in Northern Idaho. He turned to his buddy, “Wow! People do care about us!”During the tour, we were able to conduct two music workshops in public schools. At the elementary school we went to, the music teacher told us, “My father passed away last weekend, and your message of hope gave me a much-needed lift.” We treasured these opportunities to minister to secular young people.
“I don’t like music. I almost lost my taste for music, but your music really touched me,” a lady at the College Place Church in Washington State told us. In the Three Angels’ Chorale, we believe that the Holy Spirit works a miracle between our mouths and our audience’s ears. This lady was evidence of that.
Why does God perform this miracle? We go back to the answer to the original question: God sends us to perform a mission effectively. So we keep singing, not to glorify ourselves, but to fulfill with our trembling voices the work God has for us.
