"WHEN THE MUSIC FADES..."

(When a technical issue became a lesson on trusting)

Last Sunday, we experienced the worst technical issue at the Feast. It was about 30 minutes into the program when the microphone of one of the preachers stopped working. At first, they tried to keep the program moving by having us do some sharing with our seatmates while the servants tried to fix the issue, but as soon as we thought everything was okay, it happened again.

Another preacher wasn't able to use the microphone either, which prompted him to project his voice louder onstage just to finish his message. Every part of the talk was cut short because of the mic issue, and this persists all throughout the whole Feast session, including the Holy Mass.

As an anxious person, I honestly felt a little panic over what was happening. A part of me wants to help the production team (even though I also don't know what to do!) or has thought of creating a prayer circle, assuming that it might be caused by the devil because he doesn't want us to hear the Word of God. (Absurd right?)

But as a regular Feast attendee, I often hear that when we encounter unexpected problems, we should not let ourselves be consumed by them. Identify the issue, fix what we can control, and leave it up to God for the things we can't. Since I don't have the capacity to go over to the tech team and assist them, I just utter a simple prayer and hope that everything will be okay.

Instead of focusing on the situation, I decided to just look for the positive things around me, and here is what I observed:

First, I saw how understanding and cooperative the attendees were. I never heard any grunts, complaints, or negative criticism from the people around me. When the preachers decided to make their voice louder, everyone was listening and remained calm.

Second, I saw how people appreciate the efforts of the servants, especially those who keep going back and forth and trying their best to hand out the microphone on stage. (Gosh, I can't imagine how stressed the servants were in that moment!) The attendees overlooked their own inconvenience because they knew that being negative would not help the situation.

Third, I also heard perhaps the most sincere form of singing from the attendees. When the worship team wasn't able to sing their parts in the Mass, the people transformed and became the whole choir! As they sang, it felt like a split glimpse of heaven when all the angels were singing the glory of God. I don't know how to describe it, but the sound was so pure and majestic, and there was also a part when I got goosebumps.

During that moment, the song "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman came to mind. The opening lyrics of that song say:

"When the music fades

All is stripped away

And I simply come"

The song reminded me of the questions like,

"When all the embellishment of the music is gone, how does my worship sound?"

"Will I still be affected?"

"Will I still mean every word that I say, or am I just after the music and not the whole reason why I worship, which is supposed to be Jesus?"

(Woah. I just got chills after writing that.)

Lastly, I realize that what happened coincidentally relates to the message of the Feast that day, which is TRUST. In our current series, RESTED, it talks about the value of resting, and with that comes trusting. We often don't give value to rest because we are anxious and worried that something might not go as planned, but we should remember that God is always in control and believe that everything will be alright.

Having issues with the microphone and the sound system might be a big inconvenience and a hassle, which makes the session extend more time, but the experience taught me a lesson on patience, trust, and understanding.