"You're the Instrument, Not the Song"

The Netflix series “Quarterback” offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of the men who lead professional football teams up and down the field every Sunday. As a football fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the quarterback position. A good quarterback is like several people in one. They must be able to balance the cerebral side of planning and executing plays in a complicated offense, where not everything that the defense shows is what it seems. However, they must also possess elite physical skills in a game where every inch and every second can be the difference between winning and losing. Many step into the role, but not all are successful. On top of that, they must be a gifted leader who can motivate those whom they lead through adversity to success. 

Watching a show like this helps us see the preparation and sacrifice that go into being an elite player, with all the expectations, pressure, and risk of injury involved. Aside from watching the games themselves, I love learning the story behind each player, where they come from, the adversity they faced, and how people so young are navigating through so many unique life situations. 

As a little kid on the elementary school playground, I dreamed about being a quarterback and leading my team to victory. I always joke that the only thing that kept me from fulfilling that dream was my lack of speed, strength, and athletic ability! But that doesn’t mean that God hasn’t called me to lead in other ways. 

Our sense of call, the way we believe we have been called to serve God, the Church, and the world, is based on God’s personal call to each of us. God knows us by name. God created us uniquely and with a purpose. He made us with spiritual gifts that, when used, glorify God and bring light to the world. I like to remind people of that when they feel that they have nothing to offer the world or have lost their sense of purpose. 

Discovering our spiritual gifts and realizing how we have been called is a powerful moment. We recognize who we are, how we have been made, and what we have been called to do. The best way I can describe discovering our spiritual gifts is when we learn that we are instruments of Christ’s love. We don’t write the music; the music is played through us. 

My son recently took up the guitar again. He had played a bit in middle school but put it down for a while when he began to train for football. Learning how to tune his instrument, remembering the progression of chords, and putting together a song were frustrating at first because he hadn’t trained in so long. I told him that when the music doesn’t sound right, it is either because of the artist or the instrument. Currently, in your journey, it’s up to the artist, so keep practicing. 

"As Christians, Jesus is the musician, and we are his instruments. This means being ready to be played and understanding the unique way we reveal the tune of the Gospel."

As Christians, Jesus is the musician, and we are his instruments. This means being ready to be played and understanding the unique way we reveal the tune of the Gospel. Guitars don’t sound like violins. Trumpets don’t play drum progressions. This sounds obvious, but as humans, we want to play the whole orchestra; we want to possess every spiritual gift. The truth is that each of us is an instrument through which Christ will proclaim the Gospel to the world, an instrument that will be the presence of God in the world, sounding out the glory of God alongside others.  

While I have been blessed with several spiritual gifts, the most unique gift I have ever shared with the Church is the ability to sing in two notes at once. Unfortunately, neither of those notes is in key. I love music and I love to sing but as big as my ears are, I can’t seem to hear the notes correctly to stay in tune. I remember during my last year in seminar,y I joked with one of my friends that I would be chanting the Exsultet, a beautiful prayer offered by the deacon or cantor after the lighting of the new fire at the Great Vigil of Easter. 

“Thhiiisss the night!” I chanted. 

“This is not the night,” he replied. 

We shared a haughty laugh because we knew that while my time in seminary had helped me to discover my spiritual gifts, being a cantor was not one of them. 

Many priests feel pressured to be a gifted expert in every aspect of their vocation. We want to be a dynamic preacher, a compassionate pastor, a skilled liturgist, an efficient administrator, and a strategic planner with a clear vision. The truth is that while each of us has been given a handful of unique spiritual gifts none of us possesses them all. What we have been given is the life and role of an instrument through which the Gospel can be proclaimed. 

"Understanding that we are just one of many instruments in God’s orchestra helps us appreciate the spiritual gifts we possess."

Understanding that we are just one of many instruments in God’s orchestra helps us appreciate the spiritual gifts we possess. Understanding our limitations enables us to recognize the power in exercising ministry within a community. This isn’t just about raising up others to lead and share their gifts; it’s about acknowledging that we were never meant to live out our vocations alone. 

It isn’t my job to score touchdowns on Sunday, but I still feel the pressure every week to be an instrument through whom God will preach, teach, and celebrate the sacraments. The temptation is powerful to believe that I compose the tune that God wants to play, or that the melodious sounds people hear are because of how wonderful an instrument I am. In reality, God can turn any hunk of wood into a strattavarius and use any out-of-tune instrument to produce harmony. 

What a relief! How often do we come to God out of tune, out of shape, unfocused, full of sin and brokenness, but ready to work? And God makes a melody! Clergy bring their human failings and frailties with them wherever they go. They bring their grief, insecurities, doubts, and character flaws into every hospital room, pulpit, classroom, conference room, and altar. Recognizing their humanity, that they have been ordained not to be above others but rather set aside by God to lead them, could be one of the most powerful gifts we can offer them. It could free them from the need to be perfect at all times for all people and from the fear of failure when they fall. But most of all, it would free them to be the instrument that God has called them to be, whether they are in tune or not.