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| Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon Quezon City Branch Music Ministry |
Paul and Silas were singing to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a big earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundation, all prisoners fell "The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open" - Acts 16:25-27
When I first joined Lingkod, it was after a long period of existing without God, I hardly prayed and I was pretty sure, I don’t know how to do it anymore. Thus, it was quite a surprise to find myself attending my first prayer meeting in Lingkod without really knowing how I got there and why but I knew that one of the reasons that made me come back is the beautiful music that Lingkod is singing during worship. When I first heard the songs sang I felt a curious tightening in my throat and a burning in my eyes. Of course, I thought for a while that I was just getting colds or beginnings of a sore throat but I kept coming back every Friday night despite my resolve every morning not to go.
As the years of my stay in Lingkod passes by, I found myself truly praying. It started that I could never form the words to say what I mean but the words in the songs being sung seems to be an echo of what was in my heart and some songs suddenly becomes a message of Love from God to me personally. I was suddenly free to open my voice and sing aloud my yearnings, my joys, my sorrow, and my promises to the God and to sing in my own words the messages the Lord has for me personally to share. It started me praying and eventually it inspired me that prayer is not so hard after all. So it was not surprising that my service in Lingkod was in Music Ministry.
I always say I am not a singer, I am an artist, my talents, I believe was in the arts. But whenever I create music with the brothers and sisters in Lingkod and whenever our voices would reach the heights it was destined to go, I can always feel my heart rising to the music and my mind soaring with the notes that all of us created together seemingly with one heart and one message to our one true God. Serving in music ministry then is not something I do because I think I can be good at it but it has become a language to which I can reach out to those who need to hear the words. A Language to respond to God’s words that He has engraved in my heart. Then I realized that I needed the service more than it needed me, it taught me that God is felt more strongly, more completely in the presence and relationships of each of the brothers and sisters that can only enhance the songs.
God is in the laughter’s we share as we practice together with the same drive to get the right melody to better sing the message of a particular song. God is in every brother and sister who struggles to practice a guitar or any instrument cheerfully amidst aching arms and fingers due to steel strings that could feel like needles in already abused fingers!! God is also in the laughter’s as we encourage each other that we could get the high notes, Croaking voices aside!!(Who says only climbing Mount Everest is high!!) God is in every cup of coffee served with just the right amount of cream and sugar by a sister or a brother in some of our practices. God is in every ensaymada or Spanish bread we would share from a nearby bakery during break time. He is in the brother who even if he’s not feeling well he will still serve by playing the guitar for the brothers and sisters who will sing. God is simply there in the presence of each of us as we try to serve each other even by simply being there.
Sometimes during worship, we would feel the sheer force of God’s presence we would feel Goosebumps, the same tightening of our throats and a burning in our eyes because there is a feeling of joy and love when We hear the words of the Lord for us uttered so many times over and brought forth from so many other lips spontaneously, so beautifully! We would want to join it even if we are gifted with a singing voice or not. Doing the work assigned to us then goes beyond just choosing the right songs for the occasion, accompanying or singing it right. It is in the hope that like Paul and Silas singing in the prison, we could hope to set free our souls our voices from the many things that stop us from worshipping God. I use to be who were only listening but I witnessed my prison bars open and I was set free. Now I know I can also be another Paul and Silas as I know we have it in all of us to be just like them.
