Beautiful Music? Or Chaos?

Tonight was Mr. Youngster's first marching band performance.  It was amazing how many people came to the stadium to watch the band play!  Some may say they came to watch the football game, but I know better.  A football game is where two teams come together and compete for the victory.  Shortly after the game started, it was evident that there really wasn't any competition.  The local high school football team got trashed!

The band, however, did very well.  Mostly well.  They had one bad moment - which of course was at a very inopportune time.  The band was standing in front of this very large home crowd playing a well known tune called, "The Star-Spangled Banner," when the baritones got lost.  When they got lost, they dragged some of the rest of the band down with them.  You should have seen the band leader!  I think I know why he is losing his hair.  He seemed ready to pull out a few handfuls with that performance!

Other than that little fiasco, the band did very well.  Their half-time show was flawless, as far as I could tell.  Of course, I have the musical talent of a poorly trained mule, so I could have missed a sour note or two.  My lovely wife agreed with me afterward when I said the band was far more entertaining than the football game.  Of course she knows almost as much about football as I know about music!

My son is playing the cymbals in the band this year.  It seems a waste of good drumming talent to me.  I listen to him play the drums in my basement every day and even I can tell he has great talent!  But, I guess someone has to play cymbals and he is enjoying it.  It was really cool to see some of the choreography they use as they play.  I especially liked his little move where he does this neat dancing-spinning thingy while twirling a cymbal above his head. 

The highlight of the evening is when the band heads into the school to put away their instruments and hang up their uniforms.  Well, almost everyone in the band goes in.  The drum line stands outside in a semi-circle and continues to perform for quite a while.  As the drum line performed, several of the high school girls began to dance in the center of the drum line's circle.  I tell you, this group can play!  Even my cowboy boots were tapping to the beat!

As I thought of the one mishap from the band (as compared to the football team's numerous mishaps), I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."  I would guess one of the baritones lost his or her place, which caused the other baritones to lose their place, which caused the other band members around them to lose their place.  Instead of the band blending together to make beautiful music, chaos was the result.  Mr. Band Director had to become red-faced, point at those in the wrong, and gesture wildly to get the band back in sync.  When we hang around with people of bad character, our good character doesn't rub off on them; their bad character rubs off on us.  The only thing that changes bad character to good is the Holy Spirit.  We need to show God's love to these people through ministry and sharing the message of Jesus with them.  But  if they refuse to accept it, we can't stay in their world or we could become corrupted. 

When God's people follow the Divine Director, we make beautiful music.  But when we follow anyone else's lead, chaos is the result.