It’s important to realize that the call to music ministry is shared by every person in it, from the paid or volunteer director to the back-benchers, from the trained accompanist to the high school instrumentalist, from the handbell ringer to the music librarian, from the brand-new cantor to the teen drummer to the aging singer. There’s a lot more to answering that call than merely showing up, singing or playing the notes, and going home.

— Every person involved in the music community is called to share the Good News in a special way. If we don’t believe what we’re singing, why do it? There are other things to do with one’s weekend

— Every person is called to learn as much as possible — not only in order to sing various pieces of music, but as a form of prayer. What are the lyrics saying? Are the words just words, or do we really believe them? How does this fit into the overall liturgy of the larger community? Why do we not sing Alleluia during Advent and Lent? The more we learn, the more we can contribute, and the more effectively we can empower the assembly’s full, conscious and active participation.

— Every person is called to represent the music ministry to the larger community: to invite participation, to explain what’s involved, and to recruit additional members.

— Every person is called to take ownership of the ministry: to see what needs doing and do it, whether it’s moving chairs, cleaning up the choir area, helping to sort music, being a mentor to a new recruit or learning to sight-read better, week by week by week. No ministry happens overnight.

— Most importantly, every person involved in music ministry must take seriously Jesus’ radical command to love one another. That happens week by week by week, too. It means rooting out every twinge of jealousy or envy, and resisting the temptation to gossip or make snide remarks behind another’s back. It means forgiving a slight, but being honest about real injustice.

It all sounds like a lot of work — and it is —but the payback is out of this world!