Changed

“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.” “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 

1  Cor. 15: 51, 52

A fundamental principle in music is change. Change can sometimes be abrupt, or it may span a long period. Consider a measure of music where there is a gradual crescendo in one measure vs a crescendo that spans across several measures.

Consider these two pieces – one, a 20th-century minimalist piece by Philip Glass titled “In C,” and one from Schubert, titled “The Wanderer Fantasy.” Upon listening to these two pieces of music, even an amateur listener can tell that Schubert has wandered into different keys, while Glass utilized a minimalist approach, focusing instead on sonority and static harmony. 

In our daily life and the spiritual walk with God, change sometimes seems slow, like Terry Riley's in C. Sometimes, it seems that prayer and fasting do not bring about the results that we want. We pray for that son or daughter, or parents. We pray for healing of the mind and body, for a better life, for a better situation. We anticipate change, but often question God why that change is not happening. 

Think of Enoch. In Genesis, it says that Enoch walked with God for 300 years. Imagine if he gave up on the 30th, 45th, or 97th year. It is because during these years, Enoch was walking and talking with God. This model reminds me of improvisation time with my students. When we play together, my students can adapt and adjust their playing based on the background accompaniment I set for them. It is sometimes a wonder how they can catch up to my changes in tempo, dynamics, or rhythm. Walking with God is like that; we begin to think and act like him. We follow his changes in rhythm and tempo, and we closely imitate him. 

The story of Enoch ends with God translating him to heaven. Our story ends similarly. In His Second Coming, God will change us in a twinkling of an eye. The journey of wandering will soon be over. Listen to Schubert’s “Wanderer Fantasy” again and notice the harmonic change he does. It seems like with all these changes, the end is never coming. But God, in his mercy, will not let us wander forever. He will bring an end to our wandering and wondering and will change us, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. That last modulation, that last cadence.