Black. White.
African. Asian.
All religions, demographics, ethnic, and socio-economic groups.
Singing. For joy. Together.
I’ve heard it said that a “child shall lead them.” The youth shall lead us…
The wolf with the lamb…
the leopard with the kid.
The lion and calf, cow and bear…
their calves and cubs will grow up together.
The whole earth will be brimming…
Yesterday the Intramuralist had the privilege of observing a midwest, high school show choir competition. It was great fun — singing and dancing, dancing and singing. It’s a fun, formidable, intense competition. There’s something about the commitment and creativity combined with talent and hard work that sends this show choir parent into always humbling, simultaneous smiles and fairly vocal cheers. Yesterday was no exception.
Yet I pen this post not to speak of the success of a single school.
No, I pen this post to acknowledge arguably my always favorite moment of these events…
After the day show — awaiting the judges’ results and the announcement of which teams will advance to the finals — there is a brief period when all schools gather in the auditorium. The kids and parents fill the seats, aisles, floor, you-name-it.
Black. White.
African. Asian.
All religions, demographics, ethnic, and socio-economic groups.
And then the music plays.
Great music.
From the Isley Brothers’ iconic “Shout” to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” when the music blares in the auditorium, awaiting the judges proclaimed assessment of those who performed best during the day, everyone joins in the dance…
The kids fill the aisles…
They dance in their seats…
They sing and dance and dance and sing and all join in one song…
The kids get all mixed up together.
Where they’re from doesn’t matter.
What they believe doesn’t matter.
Their identified “people group” doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t even matter who’s about to win.
It’s about different people doing life together, sharing their circumstances and their joy.
It’s about sharing in the dance.
Yes, the youth shall lead us.
And yes, we have a lot to learn.
Respectfully,
AR