stephen R Harrison

I first played drums when in Jr. High in the band. It wasn’t a full set – that seemed intimidating to me at the time. I only played the snare drum. Friends in the band at age 11 showed me how to play – dynamics, wrist action, paradiddles, grip, flam, roll…the basics were important. It was one instrument among many, and isn’t probably the first you’d name in a band, but an important one – it kept time. Everyone playing together is important – you could tell when it doesn’t. The main job of the snare drummer was to keep everyone together. Nothing flashy. The snare drummer didn’t make the fancy scale runs or get the solos the trumpets did. They really only stood out when everyone was out of sync and at Christmas with “The Little Drummer Boy”.

I love the song “The Little Drummer Boy” because it reminds me even the seemingly unimportant is important to Jesus. Those in the background are also precious in his sight. He used his gift to play for Jesus, even if others had a more noticeable one. It teaches us humility, to give what we have, and emphasizes giving an internal gift to God, not an external or material one. All he had was “me and my drum”, but he played for the Lord. He wasn’t a famous drummer, but a little boy (probably not a good drummer at all). I was a terrible drummer at age 11, but that gift offered to Jesus from the heart is well received. What can we give King Jesus who has everything? Ourselves. What we have. Our simplicity, brokenness, and humility. “Shall I play for you?” should be the simple question we offer from our humble lives in desire to worship to Jesus with what we have. It’s reminiscent of the poor widow’s offering in Luke 21 – she had very little to offer, but she willingly and joyfully gave it all.

“ ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on’ ” – Luke 21:3-4