Song Of Fools

Once again Ron Bergthold has taken a relevant truth and turned it on it's musical ear so we can say, "yeah, I get that." If there is one overarching truth the Lord has drilled into me in the last 3 years, it has been that God works through His Body, the Church, to accomplish His purposes...both in cultural ways and in personal ways. Thanks again Ron, for reminding us that it is a good and right thing to live with Godly accountability in the Body of Christ. ~Jon

Song of Fools
by Ron Bergthold

What is the difference between a musician and a savings bond? (Answer: Eventually a savings bond will mature and earn money.)


“Did anyone just hear a bad note?” The question came from one of the woodwinds. Of course, my first thought of “Is it me?” propelled me to verify that I was at least in the right key. Another group run-through confirmed there was indeed something that sounded bad. Others now heard and confirmed it. I did not hear it, but my initial self-evaluation runs clean. Now what should I do? How should the group respond?

Some groups would not have stopped in the first place simply because they don’t even hear wrong notes (some might say ignorance is bliss!). Some groups will hear it and just move ahead like it didn’t happen because wrong notes have become so routine, and therefore accepted, as a normal part of playing. Others who hear may want to stop and fix it, but are unsure how to find and resolve the bad note, and leave it up to the conductor to do so, if he can.

A good musical group will always be sensitive to and deal with wrong notes. They don’t always play perfectly, but they will always know what the tune should sound like and work toward getting it right. A good conductor will help greatly by repeating and reviewing measures that seem wrong. Good players are willing to point out places where something sounds wrong, even if they may be at fault. The group understands that they may have to repeat parts by section or, if needed, by individual player to find the cause. Sometimes it is as simple as an excellent musician just reading the wrong chart! Regardless, the wrong note gets resolved with good listening, an intent to play well, and group accountability focused on helping each other for the glory of God.

Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:18 that God “…reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” God has an ordained plan and purpose for our lives, and it always involves Christ – Who He is, what He has done, and what He wants to do in us. Our intent should be to seek Him and, as part of the journey, to encourage others to seek Him as well.

We may be seeking Him fully, yet be reluctant to help others do the same. At times, this may include the need for correction. Few people like to be corrected and therefore few take the initiative to correct others. So we often just live wrongly! We forget that many people cannot hear wrong notes because they are simply deaf to God in one or many areas. In truth, we all have some deafness in our lives in this world, and we truly need others to help us hear God well.

We must act in the same manner as a great musical group which is intent upon playing a piece well. We must be listening to God very well, we must have the intent to live according to His ways, and we must encourage each other to live well for the glory of God. A loving church body is perfectly designed to complete this reconciliation. But we must always start with God’s Word: “It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.” (Ecc 7:5)

For the TRBC Orchestra on February 11, 2009