The Humble Heart
MUSIC BLOG
08-29-2024
THE HUMBLE HEART
Psalm 10:12 Arise, Lord; God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the humble.
Psalm 10:17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will make Your ear attentive
Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.
Psalm 34:2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice.
In my 38+ years of ministry I have had the privilege of working with many accompanists from all backgrounds and various musical gifts. When I first stepped in front of a choir at Swope Park Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO the church accompanists were excellent. They could read the music and sight-read with ease. They had no difficulty playing parts and seemed to know and understand exactly where the director was at any given moment. When I left the familiarity and comfort of my home church and began to lead choirs elsewhere, I was soon made aware of how good my home church situation was. My first accompanist was an organist with the claim to fame that she subbed one summer for the Kansas City Royals and could play “charge” with the best of them. She struggled with reading music and sometimes chose inappropriate songs for worship, (like playing “Rudolf” or “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” for the children’s sermon!) For the most part, I have been very privileged to have had some wonderful and gifted men and women who have led the choir from their respective instruments. It has been a joy to work with each one.
When I consider the Psalms above and link those scriptures with the pianists and organists, I have worked with one name that comes to mind in conjunction with Biblical humility, Fitz Morrison. Fitz and I worked at the First Baptist Church of Wellington, FL. Fitz and his wife were born and raised in the Island nation of Jamacia. His family was dirt poor. However, they did have a piano available and he began showing an interest when he was just a lad. One of his first experiences in accompanying was when his mother or grandmother sat him on the organ bench and told him to play the hymns. He had only been taking lessons for a short time, but that was the beginning of his organ-playing career.
Fitz was never a full-time organist. He made a comfortable living in the corporate world and was retired when I knew him. Fitz always smiled. Fitz followed my leadership and added musically what he could. He was comfortable with his limitations, not an easy task for a man in his eighties, but still played with confidence. I loved having him play on hymns. Fitz always found a way to add a little tremolo on the gospel hymns. He would always catch my eye and smile when he did. He played preludes and postludes and offertories when needed. He accompanied the choir and he and his wife were in Sunday School and most church functions whether he was playing or not. Fitz was a team player and a boost to every organization he was a part of. Fitz was a perfect second banana. Most people would never stand for that. It seems that we all need a little spotlight, but not Fitz. He was not only content to shine the spotlight on others, he thrived in that environment. As I look back, I do so with new eyes. I wonder how long it took God to perfect that quality in Fitz? Humility is a lifelong pursuit. It only took Fitz 82 years, I’m not quite there. How about you? Do you thrive in the arena of second banana? Can you stand to let others have the spotlight? In reality, every Christian needs to put the spotlight squarely on Jesus and learn to thrive in the glow. Praying for the glow to be enough.
Blessings,
Marty