My daughter is finally getting out with friends again and messaged me a picture of an orchestra event she had recently attended.  The caption just said, “Good energy,”  which got me thinking about how like an orchestra a church is.  We strive for good energy.  That’s what we want people to leave our doors with remembering if not taking it with them out into the world.  Then I starting thinking about the conversation we had in here the other day about people not doing what they didn’t feel led to do.  That it is an individual decision.

And I thought about how, in the world of music, it isn’t just the times when everyone participates by having the same note.  The harmony is more than just the pleasant blending of sounds; it is the power of unity. Each note, each instrument, and each musician brings something distinct to the ensemble. Yet when they play together, their differences do not clash but come together into something greater, good energy.  It might even be a symphony that moves the soul.

To understand this analogy, we must first appreciate what harmony in music truly means. Harmony involves the combination of sounded musical notes to produce chords and generally they are pleasing to the ear. Being harmonious does not require all voices or instruments to play the same note or follow the same rhythm. Imagine how boring that would become. The interplay of different notes, intervals, and timbres create richness and depth in the music.

We heard three different voices reading the first word today. Together their plenary of voices brings a strength of diversity to the blessing.  It was when the three were together that we best hear that it is okay to be ourselves even when who we are is very unique. Consider them like a congregation singing in harmony — sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses are each singing different notes of music, sometimes intersecting, sometimes separating.  Even though they are different, each voice contributes to a collective sound. The sopranos may soar with high, clear notes, while the basses provide a solid foundation, a beat that keeps everyone together. Altos and tenors fill in the space between, creating a sound that is far more beautiful than any single voice alone.  All God’s critters have a place.

Everyone’s energy is necessary to make it a time of good energy.  After we all sing well together we can sit down and enjoy that energy of being in unity with those that are different than us.

Imagine, this church as a choir or orchestra seeking to give and receive good energy with and from one another. Each person comes with their own “instrument”—their gifts, skills, different callings and leadings and diverse experiences. When these are brought together in service of a common purpose, something extraordinary happens. Those who speak from the silence may be likened to ta solo violin, drawing attention and setting the tone, but without the steady rhythm of the drums (the clerks and committees), or the gentle hum of the violas and cellos (those who serve quietly), the music would lack fullness and depth.

In this way, harmony in music mirrors the diversity in what people do in church. We sing now a carpella and there is always beauty when someone knows the harmony.  It keeps us from being  monotone—Harmony gives the song character and richness. If everyone in church tried to perform the same role, much would be left undone, and the community would not thrive. Sometimes it takes a certain talent to sing that harmonious note. It is the combination of voices—each distinct, each valued—that gives vibrance and life to a song.

A key to musical harmony is listening. Each musician must attune their ear not only to their own sound but to the sounds around them. If one voice dominates or falls out of sync, the harmony fails. The same is true in the church. For diversity to result in unity rather than discord, members must listen to one another, appreciate differing perspectives, and make space for each to be heard when those perspectives do not match.  Imagine where we would be today if we  always honored the harmony of contrasting  perspectives?  This doesn’t mean we always have it right or always have it wrong. Sometimes we have to go with the tone that is different than what we envisioned.  We have to be able and willing to change so that we don’t clash with one another.  That shift takes some ability to let go of ego and think of unity.

Imagine two people singing different pitches.  That is not hard to imagine or remember, as the case may be.  But what if both kept escalating in volume trying to drown the other out?  That is why coming to ideas based on voting is not done, because everyone needs to be listened to, and we are not to play politics and garner voices just like our own. There would be no hope of unity.  Sometimes we have to know when to let it go and go with what others have chosen.  And know that doesn’t make you “less” appreciated, but your sacrifice for unity is very much appreciated.  You matter especially when you don’t get your way, or sing on your own pitch, even if you feel it is the right pitch for the moment.  For the sake of harmony, we adjust.

In the church, those who lead from the front must cherish those who serve from behind the scenes, recognizing that the “quiet notes” are often the ones that hold the piece together.  When there is a problem there is rarely one way to solve it.  As Quakers we are asked to focus on the third way – what is outside of the box that brings us to harmony.  We must be willing to improvise like a jazz musician, a trombone playing with the sound of the piano, but willing to create a melody all its own.  There is a even joy found in a syncopated rhythm.

This adaptability ensures that the church, like a well-rehearsed ensemble, can respond to new circumstances, meet challenges, and celebrate joys together.

No orchestra or choir achieves harmony without guidance. The conductor unifies tempo, dynamics, and interpretation, ensuring that all musicians are moving in the same direction. The musical score provides structure and vision, outlining each part and how it fits within the whole.

In the church, this guiding role is fulfilled by listening to the Inward Teacher, and by a shared commitment to the teachings and example of Christ. The “score” is the collective mission and values of the congregation, which clarifies the purpose of each role and aligns the diversity toward a common goal.  For us, it is the going back to the SPICES for clarity – Simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and sustainability. 

When I was in band as a youngster five decades ago, there was a box on the teacher’s desk that showed if you were on pitch.  You came up to the tuner box and you tried to play the exact same note that the box played, and it helped to tell us who was too sharp and who was off pitch. There was a line that you tried to get your instrument to mimic. Our times of waiting worship act like this tuner helping to bring us into accord with one another, helping us to get the clue that we may be too flat or too sharp.  As we listen in silence, our vibration is cleared, and we mystically become in sync with one another.

It is so worth it to make all of these changes and compromises.  When harmony is achieved, music has the power to inspire, heal, and move those who hear it. In the same way, a church where diversity is embraced and unified in purpose becomes a living testimony to the beauty of community. Outsiders who witness such harmony see not a collection of identical individuals, but a vibrant orchestra of gifts and personalities working together for something greater than themselves. Just as harmonious music draws in those who listen, a harmonious church draws others to the source of its unity.

The analogy of musical harmony and church diversity reminds us that true unity is not found in sameness but in the deliberate, respectful blending of differences. Each note, each instrument, each person adds to the fullness of the whole. Together, in prayerful discernment and with a shared vision, the varied contributions of church members become a living harmony—a testimony to the beauty of working together in love.

Play on in the beautiful choir that is Klamath Falls  Friends Church.  Every note is needed, wanted and appreciated.  It creates a concerto as unique as anyone could imagine, a true masterpiece.