I was on the second floor of my retirement community job recently when a sound drifted up from the dining room.
A harmonica.
I smiled as I realized it was one of my residents. He’s 97, always smiling and joyful, and loves to sit in the dining room or hallway and play his harmonica for anyone passing by.
As I listened from the second floor balcony, it took me a minute to recognize that he was playing Amazing Grace. He finished, and the residents eating lunch exploded into applause. He launched into another hymn. He played hymn after hymn, and some residents began quietly singing along to each tune.
That buzzy sounding harmonica is beautiful to me. Harmonica is not an instrument I would normally describe as beautiful. Violins or piano maybe. For some reason, when this 97 year old sits, playing hymns on his rusty harmonica, it’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
And worshipful.
I’m finding less of a need for a full band and a stage for worship these days. Simple is good for me. One guitar seems more than enough. A big African drum is more than substantial. One harmonica? Sure!
Those simple, unexpected moments of worship speak to my heart more than the planned ones do.
Have you had a simple, worshipful moment that sticks out to you?
This makes me think of a time when at college bible camp an individual was worshiping God on their own and others were ushered in by that worship. It wasn’t planned or stage directed, just a glorious impromptu entrance into the Lord’s court started by one individual’s heart seeking God. The remembrance makes me sigh. 🙂
I believe impromptu worship is always better than staged!
Oh yes!! Like a gift from God. 😀
Had an impromptu worship in my head reading your story!! 🙂 Imagined that gentleman playing.
Sweet!
“But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him…” – II Kings 3:15
Love it.
I love theatrics …in theater. Simplicity in worship helps to cut to the heart of what worship is about. Beautiful.
So true. Sometimes we need to push away all the “fluff.”
Sometimes the most worshipful experiences are just two or three of you sitting around discussing a section of scripture or what God has done in your life lately.
Yes. I love connecting; REALLY connecting with people. As opposed to just standing in a group of strangers.