Accompaniment
Accompaniment – what do think of? If you are like me and most of the people I ask, you think of music.
Musically, accompaniment is often the vocal or instrumental part of music that supports another. At times we may hear one melody; at times another melody. There are also times when we cannot differentiate the tunes, as they blend together for fuller musical effect. Perhaps the idea of accompaniment from the musical perspective can help lift up the accompaniment ideals of supporting one another in ministry, producing a more abundant experience for us all!
When thinking of ministry, accompaniment seeks to “walk together” with sisters, brothers, and siblings in a community of faith and in the wider neighborhood, utilizing – in mutuality and respect – the unique gifts of each child of God. With accompaniment as our model for mission, we move from ministry to each other to ministry with each other.
Often congregations think of ministry with their community as a way to help the people in need around them. While this is an important part of Christian care and concern, it often fails to recognize that the people in our communities are already richly gifted children of God, with insights, hopes, dreams, abilities, and wisdom to share. Because all of us have been uniquely gifted by God!
What would it look like for your congregation to seek out the wisdom of your community and together envision ministry that benefits the whole of God’s people? Who in your community can you reach out to for insights and experience? Who can you listen with and talk with about the gifts and the challenges of those living in your neighborhood? What would ministry with your community – rather than for your community – look like?
A gift of music is that it is a communal experience, as we listen (and maybe even sing, dance, play, and clap!) together. When we walk together in accompaniment, we seek to serve, learn, and grow from and with each other. When we walk together in accompaniment, we blend the unique melodies of our lives into a fully orchestral, deeply engaged, gloriously beautiful song of the abundance of God’s presence and life with us all.
Reflection by Pastor Kelly D. Bayer Derrick
Questions for Reflection:
- Listen to Johann Sebastian Bach’s “‘Little’ Fugue in G minor (BWV 578).” (Performed on organ by Stephen Malinowski; this YouTube version also includes an animated graphical score.) How does the music make you feel? Can you pick out the unique tunes? Can you hear the intertwining melodies? Are there any biblical themes you think of us you listen?
- Read 1 Corinthians 12.12-14. Is it easy to live in community? Paul lifts up that we are all one body in Christ: how does this enlighten the idea of accompaniment? What gifts do you see in the sisters, brothers, and siblings who are in your congregation and in your wider community? Try to be specific!
- Who, specifically, can you walk with, listen with, and talk with in your community? Whose experiences, hopes, and dreams can you learn more about? How can you come together with others in your community to discern together the ministry gifts and opportunities in your neighborhood?