Singing in a quartet is rather an old-fashioned thing to do in today’s modern world. There are several groups that still manage to pull this off. Don’t picture the rag-tag, oddly-dressed people that pervade the edgy music scene of today’s youth. Rather, these men dress to the nines, and they present themselves shaved and trimmed to perfection.
One of these is the Irish Tenors, a trio of men who are world renowned for their musical excellence. True, they are a trio rather than a quartet, but the effect is the same. They join voices, each providing a different part of the total experience, and the result is astounding.
The Gaither Vocal Band has five members. They sing in suits and ties, and they present both a polished look and an enjoyable performance. We never have to worry they are unprepared. In their presentation, they are everything we expect them to be, from the shoes on their feet, to the cut of their hair.
God wants us to be a quartet of magnificent beauty, both in our appearance, and in our interactions with each other and the world. He knows if we are sloppy in appearance, the world will see us as sloppy in our walk with God.
- Leviticus 19:27 tells us that our beauty is perfect the way God created us. We need to love ourselves as we are, and in doing so, we will love our fellow singers as well.
- Leviticus 21:5 lets us know that marring our bodies distracts others from hearing our message of holiness. It is in our moderation of dress and action that others see the strength in our song.
- Isaiah 50:6 says there are those who will find fault with our appearance, no matter what we do. Yet, if we sing Jesus’ song, our voices will rise ever more sweetly before our holy Lord.
- Jeremiah 49:32 is God’s scornful view of the one who tries to improve upon what God has already made perfect. We will be kicked off the stage, if we try to outshine those who sing with us.
- Ezekiel 44:20 is a call to moderation in our appearance, to be neither scruffy nor elaborately flamboyant. Our dress must enhance our quartet rather than pull the world’s attention from the message of the Christ.
- Proverbs 20:29 wants us to find pride in the years of our experience, and to let those years speak of the wisdom we have learned. It is the gray-haired Christian who adds the sweetest note to the song.
- Psalm 133:2 describes God’s magnificence flowing over us when we sing in unison with our brothers.
- 2 Samuel 19:24 is about our pardon. We are in disgrace until we come on God’s stage with our appearance slicked up and ready for him. Only then can we sing along in his magnificent heavenly quartet.
- Leviticus 14:9 is our symbol of purification. When the world has made us filthy, we must cast it all off to become pure for God. We have no choice, if we are to sing with him.
In our Christian walk, we are not soloists. We sing one line of notes, and it is those at our side that fill in the rest of the melody, harmonizing, sometimes adding a dissonant chord, but always lifting the beauty of the song to those who are watching us perform on the stage of life. Let’s present ourselves well, so that the world will want to sing along with us.
When we present ourselves as the envoy of Christ, let’s make sure we are prepared for the part.
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Code: FGO.C.09.15.vp