by Jill Pearson
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?”
A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
This quote from my favorite Christian classic, The Pursuit of God, recently caught my attention during a re-read. You see, I have a sweet spot for a good piano metaphor. I reckon the piano was my first love and has been my partner longer than my husband of 29 years. On its keys, I’ve led worship, spilt tears, composed hundreds of songs, marked milestones like marriages and funerals, and taught dozens of youngsters how to play. It’s kept me company in solitude and brought me together with others in community.
One of the more tedious tasks required of piano owners is keeping the piano tuned. Michael, our piano tuner, comes to our home once a year or so with his tool box and his discerning ear. He bangs on the keys, slowly ratcheting the strings until he hits pitch perfect. The process is a little painful on the ears until, at last, he puts away his tools and begins to play beautiful arpeggios up and down the keyboard. That’s when I peek into the music room with a giant grin and a thousand hallelujahs!
Consider the striking symbolism of Tozer’s quote: a hundred pianos tuned to a singular fork. Tozer uses this picture to illustrate a healthy Christian community, where we have tuned our hearts to a perfect pitch, which is Christ, and thus become in tune with each other. In contrast, when we try to calibrate to earthly wisdom or to the whims of culture, we become discordant noise.
Calvary is in a time of transition right now as we learn more about the biblical shepherding model and changes to our bi-laws. Pastor Kyle and other leaders are wielding the tuning fork as they try to help us calibrate to a unified pitch. So I commend you: love the tuning fork (Christ) and the tuners (pastors, elders, and teachers.) Love all the pianos just as you love your own. Let’s celebrate the music we make together and, Lord, let it be in tune!
Jill Pearson is co-editor of The Stir, wife to Dave, and mom to three young adults who have flown the nest but are easily lured back with an offer of dinner. She owns and operates Riverwood Studio, an art education business, and finds creative ways to serve at Calvary.