Melody In Mayhem

God often repeats Himself. 

One of the most striking examples is found "in the beginning..." in the book of Genesis. In fact in Genesis 1, God repeats the same phrase after each act of creation:  “And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10).  In fact in Genesis 1:31, after looking over all of His creation, God declares all of His Creation:  “…very good…”  (Genesis 1:31).   

It follows:  if God declares Creation very good, we should declare Creation very good.  But often we don’t; why we declare Creation -- Life – dreadful, repeating the same despairing outcomes over and over:  I’m ruined – it’s hopeless – I’m doomed forever!

Growing up my father loved to play phonograph records:  you know those round pieces of vinyl full of grooves, on which a needle was placed, as a turn-table went round and round; producing a scratchy, but delightful sound.  Well one day as my Dad played his favorite Guy Lombardo record, the needle got stuck, and the record kept repeating the same phrase over and over again: ‘gray skies are here’ – ‘gray skies are here’ – ‘gray skies are here.’  Well, at first I just ignored the stuck record, but then I got ticked; really ticked.  And with that, I got up, stormed over to the record player, ready to smash the record in two!  But then it occurred to me:  rather than smash the record -- I could just get the needle unstuck.  And so I got the needle unstuck, and with that, Guy Lombardo belted out the next part of his tune:  gray skies are here -- but sunny days, are just up ahead!’   

Where do you only hear:  gray skies are here, gray skies are here; where is your needle stuck?  Well then get it unstuck!!! -- for sure God’s record includes challenge, even suffering – but God’s record ultimately is a record of grace and glory, producing a melody of hope, not despair.

On May 28, 1992 Vedren Smajlovic, the lead cellist for the Sarajevo opera in Bosnia, put on his formal black tails, sat down, and began to play.  But not in an opera hall, but in a bomb crater outside a bakery, sitting on a fire-scorched chair.  Seems a shell had been lobbed by Serbians the previous day, killing 22 people waiting in line for bread.  And with that Smajlovic became known as the “Cellist Of Sarajevo, playing in the bakery bomb-crater for the next 22 days, one day for each of the 22 people killed.  But there’s more:  why Smajlovic continued to play all over war-torn Sarajevo: in graveyards – at funerals – in sniper-infested streets.  Smajlovic’s goal:  to change the agenda: providing melody in the midst of mayhem, creativity in the midst of chaos.  For Smajlovic knew, Sarajevo ultimately was meant for triumph, not terror – for beauty and not bedlam.

We're ultimately meant for triumph, not terror – beauty, not bedlam.   Sure there are bomb craters all around – but life as God meant it be was not shattered, devastated – but saved, rescued, restored.  For God’s original intent was not brokenness but restoration, for God’s original intent – in the beginning -- was for the life to be good -- very good!  

Believe life can be good, very good.  For there can be goodness and grace, melody and music – for there can be salvation -- restoration – beauty -- in Jesus!