Today's joy for the day involves music. The act of listening to a symphony is something I enjoy because it always amazes me that all those diverse instruments playing completely different but complementary parts add up to one lovely piece of music. I think that's a good metaphor for God's church as it should be. We all have a different role to play in the church, and yet, when we're all within His will, it adds up to one lovely beacon for the world. However, if somebody hits a wrong note, or is missing a beat, it can quickly wind up a big mess. The same with the Church. If we are spending all our time bickering over things (like music!) that don't really matter, it saps the love right out of the church.
Many churches today have forgotten the mission of the Church. Jesus gave us our direction in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit." Too many churches focus on the earthly things which are only temporary and forget that their mission is to preach the gospel. Let's pray that the Holy Spirit will move these churches to remember their place in the symphony that is the church.