Divine Composition

Eastern University officials decided it was time to shuffle office space in the early 1990’s. The picturesque campus had originally been a mansion on the Mainline in St. David’s, PA, near Philadelphia. Increases in enrollment had meant expanding services and new construction.

As staff sorted through materials to see what should be moved from one building to the other, an amazing thing happened. A packet was found in the administration building’s safe. Inside was a musical score that appeared to be quite old. To the astonishment of the staff, they found it was signed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Scholars and experts examined the find and conclusively determined that it was authentic. Apparently, a wealthy benefactor had willed the treasure to the University in the early 1950s and its existence was forgotten.

The University music department learned the piece and gave its first public performance, generations after the composer’s death. The piece was then auctioned by Sotheby’s, raising a considerable sum for furthering education at the University. The find has benefited countless people in a myriad of ways.

When I reflect on this story, I have often wondered what would have happened if the music score had been incomplete. What if most of it had been composed and there was an ending, but there was a section left unwritten? What then?

I suspect a team of experts and scholars would have been consulted. People who knew Mozart’s mind, his style of composing, and the context in which the piece was conceived, would have brought their knowledge to completing the composition. Every effort would have been made to have it conform to Mozart’s style and nuance. Only then would a completed work be possible for all to enjoy.

Scripture is just such a work of art. We have the beginning, we know the end, but it is not complete. The difference here, of course, is that the Composer is not dead. The Composer invites us into the music to join Him in the work of art He is creating. He wants us to so fully know Him and what He is about that our contribution perfectly harmonizes with the melody He is writing. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of such a creation?