Christ be Magnified
At the recent Tutor Concert, I witnessed something that has become commonplace at Calderwood.
A young Secondary school student came forward to play a song he had undoubtedly practised for many months. As he concentrated on the rhythm of one hand across the strings and the careful placement of fingers on the fretboard, the audience began to sing along to the familiar song. Gradually, more voices joined in. Before long, many in the room were swaying gently to the music, caught up in the melody.
There was nothing particularly unusual about it. In fact, most of us know the experience. A familiar anthem comes on the radio, and we find ourselves singing without thinking. A movie soundtrack draws us unexpectedly deeper into a story. A well-loved song captures our imagination and carries us along with it.
Once captured by the music, we stop listening and start participating. We cease being observers and become participants. We become co contributors to something bigger than ourselves.
The moment reminded me that God has not created us merely to observe him from a distance. Knowing about him is not the same as knowing him. He created us for relationship with himself. In Christ, God graciously calls us to himself and, through his Spirit, tunes our hearts to his purposes. As we learn to walk in step with him, we discover the joy of participating in the life he designed us to live.
Recently, I travelled to Canada with a group of principals and school leaders from across Australia as part of the CEN Canada Study Tour. During a conference of Christian schools, we sang the worship song Christ Be Magnified. The lyrics of two verses have stuck with me:
Verse 1
Were creation suddenly articulate
With a thousand tongues to lift one cry
Then from north to south and east to west
We'd hear "Christ be magnified!"
Verse 3
When every creature finds its inmost melody
And every human heart its native cry
O then in one enraptured hymn of praise
We'll sing "Christ be magnified!"
Those words paint a picture of all creation finding its true purpose in bringing glory to Christ. Not because Christ needs anything from us, but because everything finds its proper place when centred on him. The more clearly we see Christ for who he is, the more our lives become aligned with the melody he is already playing throughout creation.
At the Tutor Concert, a room full of people found themselves drawn into a song. For a few moments, many voices joined together around a single melody. The beauty was not found in the performance of one individual, nor in the contribution of the crowd, but in the shared participation in something larger than themselves.
So it is with the Christian life. God calls his people to find their place in his grand story of creation, redemption, and renewal. As we fix our eyes on Christ, our hearts are tuned to his purposes, our lives begin to resonate with his character, and our voices join the song of praise that has echoed throughout the generations.
May we be a community that listens well to the voice of Christ, walks in step with his Spirit, and gladly joins in the song he is composing through his people.
Christ be magnified.
