4th of July Parade

My son Earl sent the following video to me. It features the Manchester Regional Police and Fire Pipe Band marching at the 4th of July Parade in Columbia, CT.   All pipers will recognize this tune as Oh! Rowantree Oh! Rowantree, which is typically coupled with Scotland the Brave.

That's my grandson at the end.  Apparently the local firemen spray the kids with hoses as they drive by, to keep them cool.  He brought a water sprayer to retaliate.

"Making Melody in Your Heart to the Lord"

There's power as well as something amazing in a hymn, which, when played on the pipes, stirs a person's heart to affect the innermost soul to a greater extent than would a preacher's message.

There's something much more compelling about a hymn tune than just its melody.  It has something to do with the words that the poet has rhymed, yet even more than that.  I expect it is God's Spirit that works in the tune, while the pipes are "singing."  The words given to the tune, the tune itself, and the Sublime Spirit...all three working together, really touch a person's heart.

We pipers must thank God for all the fine old hymns; the beautiful new ones as well, and for all the opportunities given to pipe with such an effect upon the hearts of our fellow men and women, that their very souls are touched, ultimately saving them from hopeless graves.  The following poem explains this, in that the Holy Spirit leads a person to extend God's message of salvation, once he or she has accepted Christ as Lord of his or her life.  Clair Hess, Senior Editor of Our Daily Bread tells us there is a compulsion to tell others.

When I gave my life to Jesus,

He became my Lord and Friend;

Now His power is flowing through me,

As His message I extend.

                                                                                    
The Spirit dwelling within the Church Piper gives him or her joy when helping others praise Christ.  The Spirit provides melody in the piper's heart causing a love for the hymns he or she plays.  Consequently, the piper will perform better and will bring joy and blessing to those receiving the Bible's message in music.

We must think of music as God's gift to mankind, and that in piping one is saying, "Thank you God for music, and thank you for how it provides a way for all to recognize your great love for us.  With it, we must also tell others about God's love."

The next time you are practicing to play the pipes at a service in which God is to be praised, and you are choosing your medley of hymns, take a few extra minutes for your personal spiritual enrichment to read very thoughtfully, the words of the hymns you are about to play.  Make an effort to learn the words as well as the tune, for God has given you a talent enabling you to express Spiritual feelings and Biblical truths with both music and words.  You are sincerely encouraged to use this gift and develop it.

Church pipers know the thrilling satisfaction of "speaking" by way of their pipes, to tell the age-old Biblical truths that are practical today.  We have a wonderful opportunity to revive them in the hearts and minds of those who appreciate good piping, piping that sings with power and distinctness in a heart-toned manner of speaking, that reaches hearts directly, where mere words might lose their way.

The inspiration for these paragraphs was Ephesians 5:19 which says, "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."