The Greatest Symphony

Hi and welcome to this daily encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Mart De Haan wrote today's reading and titled it The Greatest Symphony. When BBC Music magazine asked 151 of the world's leading conductors to list 20 of what they believe to be the greatest symphonies ever written, Beethoven's third, Eroica, came out on top. The work, whose title means heroic, was written during the turmoil of the French Revolution, but it also came out of Beethoven's own struggle as he slowly lost his hearing. The music evokes extreme swings of emotion that express what it means to be human and alive while facing challenges.

Through wild swings of happiness, sadness, and eventual triumph, Beethoven's third symphony is regarded as a timeless tribute to the human spirit. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deserves our attention for similar reasons. Through inspired words rather than musical scores, it rises in blessing, falls in the sadness of soul-crushing conflict, and rises again in the unison of gifted people working together for one another and for the glory of God. The difference is that here we see the triumph of our human spirit as a tribute to the Spirit of God. As Paul urges us to experience together the inexpressible love of Christ, he helps us see ourselves as called together by our Father, led by His Son, and inspired by His Spirit, not for noise, but for our contribution to the greatest symphony of all. Now, let's tune our hearts together and listen to God's word. This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading.

It's taken from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 12 through 20. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many. Now, if the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?

As it is, there are many parts, but one body. Now let's pray. Father, please enable us to see what we can be with others, with our eyes on your Son, with reliance on your Spirit, and with a growing awareness of what you can do with noisemakers like us. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.