A paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13...

If I could sing with the voice of an angel, and if I knew more about music than my fellow songsters, but didn't love others, I would only be making a noise. If I could memorize words more quickly, and could anticipate the songster leader's cues better than anyone, but did not have love, I would be as useless as an alto in the bass section.

Love suffers through long, difficult songster rehearsals; it is kind when another songster pitches a wrong interval or sings flat.
 
Love doesn't become envious or cynical when someone else gets a solo. It never boasts of being the best, but gives recognition for abilities to the Giver of all talent. Love does not put down another songster to make itself look better.
 
Love is not angered when the congregation does not respond well to the songster selection. It does not resent being upstaged by the offertory, band or special music.
 
Love does not rejoice when another gets blamed for singing the wrong word or note, but rejoices when the selection is complete, and God is glorified.
 
Love supports various tensions from fellow songsters and those in authority to make serving God the number one priority.
 
Love continues to do the best possible, even at 9:55 p.m. on rehearsal night, when some are getting restless and are not giving their utmost concentration.
 
LOVE NEVER FAILS!!!!!
 
If there are proud prophesies of our being superior, they will be wrong and cease, if there are boastings of extra‑special musical abilities, they will be silenced, for our skills are limited, and we can only accomplish so much.
 
But when we have been made perfect, the need for these inadequate special gifts will disappear. When I sang in the singing company, I sang like a child; I thought like a child and I reacted like a child. But when I joined the songster brigade after my voice changed, I didn't participate in the singing company any more.
 
For now, we are looking at the Christmas cantata, one song at a time, but in December we will see the completed work. Now we are skimming over some of the music, but by then we'll know the entire cantata, as God has always known.
 
And the onlysongs that will be of any importance will be faith, hope and love; but the greatest song of all is LOVE.

- submitted by Bob Young. Originally published in Jul/Aug/Sep 2001 of THEME.