Making Music

As I relax this evening from a hard day’s work (Mondays always seem to be a little tougher than the rest of the week, for some reason), I put in an video of Bill Gaither and his Homecoming Friends. Now, I know some of you may not appreciate my choice in music, and that’s OK. I’ve several of those tapes and DVDs, and have grown to appreciate them more and more.
The videos I have are all several years old, and many of those featured in the videos are no longer living. That makes them even more special, as the talent and ability of these folks has been preserved for those like us who appreciate so much what they do to the glory of God.
I don’t know the hearts of all of these folks. There are surely some who are in the business to just make a living. Others may be in the business for what glory comes to them. But I suspect that far and away the most of the people in Mr. Gaither’s videos are there because of their desire to glorify the God of Heaven. There are different talents, different abilities, and different kinds of music in these videos, all loosely under the Southern Gospel umbrella.
I have to wonder, if God gives us all different talents and abilities, and expects us to use them to His glory, why it is that some believe that certain of those expressions of love and devotion to God are somehow sinful because of the particular talent or ability that is used. I can’t imagine a God giving someone a certain ability and talent, then forbidding him or her from using it to the glory of God and the calling of men and women to faith. God expects us to use what we’re given. Scripture is quite clear on that matter.
Regardless of how you might view that last paragraph, seeing and hearing J D Sumner and the Stamps quartet sing “Let Us Break Bread Together” is truly priceless, and all the more so since Mr. Sumner is no longer with us (even though the Stamps Quartet goes on). There are many such priceless performances by such as Hovie Lister, the Cathedrals, the Martins, the Happy Goodmans and many others. I appreciate the efforts of Mr. Gaither to preserve these performances.