Like a Symphony

<p>I surprised my wife with concert tickets to listen to a performer she&rsquo;d always wanted to see. The gifted singer was accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and the setting was the matchless venue at Red Rocks&mdash;an open-air amphitheater built between two three hundred-foot rock formations at more than 6,000 feet above sea level. The orchestra played a number of well-loved classical songs and folk tunes. Their final number was a fresh treatment of the classic hymn, &ldquo;Amazing Grace.&rdquo; The beautiful, harmonized arrangement took our breath away!</p> <p>There&rsquo;s something beautiful about harmony&mdash;individual instruments playing together in a way that creates a bigger and more layered sonic landscape. The apostle Paul pointed to the beauty of harmony when he told the Philippians to be &ldquo;like-minded,&rdquo; have &ldquo;the same love,&rdquo; and be &ldquo;one in spirit and . . . mind&rdquo; (Philippians 2:2). He wasn&rsquo;t asking them to become identical but to embrace the humble attitude and self-giving love of Jesus. The gospel, as Paul well knew and taught, doesn&rsquo;t erase our distinctions, but it can eliminate our divisions.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s also interesting that Paul&rsquo;s words here are a prelude for a song he quotes (vv. 6&ndash;11). Here&rsquo;s the point: When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through our distinct lives and contexts, making us more like Jesus, together we becomes a symphony that reverberates with a humble Christlike love.</p>