Thirty five years ago, after we had moved to Carmel, IN when the kids were young, we heard of a wonderful pianist named Lorie Line. We had already lived in Indiana for seven years or so and we decided to try attending a Christmas concert featuring Lorie Line when she came to Indiana to perform a Christmas concert. It turns out that she does a Christmas show tour every year and throughout the years, we have periodically made arrangements to attend her concerts.
Lorie is an incredibly gifted pianist, in fact I would call her a progidy, and her holiday extravaganzas were always over the top – full of audience participation singing, sometimes bringing a group of musicians to accompany her and the master of ceremonies, Lorie’s husband, Tim. He has been a part of these shows since the beginning and has been married to Lorie for almost 40 years. Tim and Lorie live in northern Minnesota on Lake Minnetonka where they base their business.
It’s been years since we have attended her Christmas show but, behold, Lorie was scheduled to come back to Carmel, where we live, last Tuesday evening. Janet and I attended for the first time in years. It was just as magical as we remember it. The show has been scaled back as a result of Covid and changes that have occurred in live concerts throughout the country. Tim was there and the show took place in what is called a “black box theatre” – one that holds several hundred folks at a time and is used for many types of intimate plays and gatherings.
Lorie still plays beautifully and one of the things that the Lines have never waffled on is their dedication to their faith. They don’t just believe in Jesus, they evangelize. Next to the piano is a huge cross, probably fifteen feet high and each carol that was played came with a story out of the Scripture. Tuesday night we heard about the wise men, the magi, and their trek to visit the Christ child. We also heard about “selah” which appears in many of the psalms and means to “include musicians” and to “reflect on what you have just read.” The Christian references to the birth of Jesus and the magnificence of the Christmas season were evident in every holiday song.
The audience was spellbound and the Spirit of Christmas was clearly present throughout the evening. It was simply unbelievable. At one point during the program, when Lorie left the stage for a costume change, Tim came out to preach a small lesson and lead a responsive reading. It was awesome. And Lorie brought out a Bible that she had been given by her grandmother when she was very young girl. It’s tattered and held together with tape – evidence that it has been well used throughout her life. The whole experience really put the meaning of Christmas in perspective for those of us in attendance.
In fact, Lorie and Tim are hosting a virtual concert event in their living room on the evening of December 21st. If you really want to see an incredible relevant pianist doing her thing, while professing her faith and desire to promote Jesus in America, you may want to visit Lorieline.com and purchase a virtual seat. The cost is very affordable and I’m sure it will be a wonderful evening with Lorie and Tim.
In the meantime, our verse for tonight is from the mini sermon that Tim preached during Lorie’s wardrobe change Tuesday evening. It is a reading from Psalm 47 and highlights the use of the term “selah” that I mentioned earlier. In Psalm 47, the author tells us, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.”
The basic idea of this psalm is praise that no matter how bleak things look, God is with us and our victory is assured. My encouragement this evening is that when we proclaim the word of the Lord, we face the risk of exclusion, ridicule and doubt – all of which can be thwarted by our Heavenly Father. My prayer is that we will have the perseverence to profess our faith with bold assurance and fulfill the Great Commission to preach the Good News throughout the world to the ends of the earth. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace… and don’t forget you can see Lorie in her own home on December 21st!