The Pianist

It was Sunday evening. Pastor Roy listened as Trisha spoke to him over the phone. She and her husband and their young boy had joined the small church very recently, and he was still getting to know the family.

“I’m so sorry that Jeanie fell,” Trisha said.

Jeanie was the church pianist. She’d fallen and broken her wrist on Thursday of the past week. So, there hadn’t been anyone to play the piano that morning. Several people had offered to deliver meals, and Pastor Roy knew that Trisha had already helped in that way, so he wasn’t sure what she was going to say next.

“Yes, well, she seems in good spirits,” he answered.

“That’s good to hear,” she responded. “Pastor Roy, I had a thought. Our son Daniel plays the piano quite well. If you’d like, he could fill in until Jeanie recovers.”

Pastor Roy paused before he spoke. Daniel was only nine years old! What would the congregation think if they saw a child playing the piano for the church worship time? And could the kid really play, or was this a mother who heard music while others heard clanging? He needed to think. “May I call you back in a few minutes?” he asked.

“Of course. Talk to you later.”

Pastor Roy hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to handle this carefully. The family was new. He didn’t want to refuse and cause hurt feelings. On the other hand, he couldn’t say yes just for the sake of saying yes. And there was the congregation to consider. What would they think of their pastor? He had hardly finished that thought when he realized that only last week, he had talked about the importance of not worrying about what others might think! So, what was the right thing to do? It was true that they needed a pianist. But they’d never had a child fill that role. Suppose he said yes and regretted it? But suppose he said no and learned later that he had made a mistake? And the truth was that he didn’t know much about music himself, so should he even be making this decision? He chuckled as it dawned on him that he didn’t have to make this decision himself.

He called Ben, the music director and his personal friend. He explained the situation.

“Well,” Ben said. “What if we ask Trisha to bring Daniel to the church on Tuesday evening? You and I can listen to him play. At least then we can make an, ahem, an informed decision.” He didn’t have high hopes that the child would play well.

“Sounds good. I’ll call Trisha and then get back to you.”

Tuesday evening arrived. Trisha and the two men sat in the front row and watched as Daniel walked up to the piano. He gave a slight bow, as he was used to doing at recitals. The two men smiled encouragingly.

Daniel sat down on the bench and carefully placed the printouts of the first song. He set his hands just above the keys and drew a breath. For just a moment there was complete silence.

And then he played. Trisha held back her smile when from the corner of her eye, she saw the men’s jaws drop. She’d said her son could play. She had not said the full truth - that he was a prodigy. It wasn’t something that she went around telling everyone. It was much better for people to learn that themselves. Daniel finished the first song and turned to the adults. “Would you like to hear another?”

“Yes,” Pastor Roy answered quietly. “Please, go on.”

He played the next song, and the church auditorium was again filled with the beautiful music. Daniel’s face was peaceful and calm and joyful as he played. His playing wasn’t showy. It just seemed as if he knew this musical ability was a gift, and that he was happy to share it.

He finished the second song. Then he stood and smiled brightly at the adults as he walked toward them. “Thanks for letting me play tonight!”

"That was amazing" whispered Pastor Roy to Ben. Ben nodded.

Ben said, “Daniel, have you played while people sang?”

“At home I have. Mom and Dad like to sing. And once for a choir at school.”

“Would you like to play for the church on Sunday?”

“That would be awesome!” Ben exclaimed.

On Sunday morning, Pastor Roy stood up and said, “I am very grateful to tell you that we have a young man to play the piano for us today. Daniel, come on up and get ready for the first song.” As the boy came forward, Pastor Roy watched the faces of the congregation. Some looked surprised. A few had an "Aw, won’t this be cute?" expression. Only one person looked displeased, but she was always displeased with how things were done, so he wasn’t too worried about that.

Ben played. The people, though initially shocked that such a small boy could play so skillfully, soon just enjoyed singing the well-loved songs. It was a Sunday to remember.