Choir of Hard Knocks

Last night I caught the end of "Choir of Hard Knocks", a choir of homeless people guided by Jonathon Welch, well known Tenor and Choir Director. Jonathon had been inspired by a random article in an old Reader's Digest magazine about a choir for homeless people that had been set up in Montreal, and he sought to set up his own.

With the help of another charity, the recruiting process began - flyers on the streets, meeting with agencies, visits to crisis accommodation centres and hostels.

Jonathon describes waiting for members to arrive on the first day "like having a party - you've invited lots of people, but you have no idea if anyone will turn up. In fact, more than 20 did turn up, with that number rising to 50 regular participants within a few weeks. "

As I was watching the program, I firstly found myself being taken back by their rawness, their lack of 'social skills' for want of a better term. They were brash, they hogged the microphones, they seemed to have fights over nothing and their singing voices were crude.

But Jonathan saw the potential in them all. Through his skilled guidance, they created the most amazing music. They themselves were shocked at how beautiful the music sounded, and couldn't believe they had done it. Of course, they couldn't have done it without Jonathon.

It was at this point it hit me - this is like the Kingdom of God!

Matthew 22 describes the Kingdom of God like a king who prepared a wedding dinner for his Son. Those who he originally invited didn't come. So he told his servants to, "Go to the street corners. Invite to the dinner anyone you can find.' So the servants went out into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. Soon the wedding hall was filled with guests. "

When Jesus came, he didn't come for the rich in spirit or healthy, he came for sick, he came for the poor in spirit, he came for the lost.

Just as Jonathon sent out flyers to all the streed corners seeking the disadvantaged and said "come", Jesus sends out that same message to all in the world today - "come - I have a plan for you".

And come we do, with our warts, our faults, our brash comments, our filth, and self-centred egos - trying to hog the spotlight.

However, there is no judgment, there is no condemnation - because the 'Supreme Choir Master' Christ sees past the faults, and sees our potential. He takes our sin, our shame, our filth and blots it out with His blood.

Then he grooms us. As we keep turning up for His guidance, and as we sit under His leadership, He takes what was a clanging noise, and turns it into sweet music - often shocking even us that we could be part of something so amazing.

It's important to notice that it is a 'choir' of hard knocks - not an individual. Jesus wants us too to be in his choir - with others - because it's as group that we are most effective. As a group we support each other, we encourage each other, and increase our impact in this world.

The church is that choir, and we need to be a part of the church - His choir.

On the web, Jonathon says, 'the formation of the Choir of Hard Knocks has given me the opportunity to use the musical gifts I have been blessed with and wonderful experiences I have had as a professional singer and conductor, to bring pleasure and a sense of belonging and self esteem to those who've joined this exciting new project.

'As many of the participants come from marginalised and often financially difficult backgrounds, it is my hope that the joy and euphoria that music making in a group dynamic will give a sense of purpose, structure and respect to their lives and help them look forward to belonging to a 'family' - albeit a musical one!

Let me re-word his comments to apply to us.

'Being a part of my Church has given me the opportunity to use the [insert] gifts I have been blessed with and wonderful experiences I have had, to bring pleasure and a sense of belonging and self esteem to those in my Church.

'As many of the participants come from marginalised and often financially difficult backgrounds, it is my hope that the joy and euphoria that following Christ in a group dynamic will give a sense of purpose, structure and respect to their lives and help them look forward to belonging to a 'family' - albeit a spiritual one!

We need to be ready to welcome a continual stream of seekers from a life of hard knocks - look past their obvious, and see their potential.... because that's what Jesus did for us.