Often when sharing a YouTube song in a post, I spend the rest of the day in YouTube clicking songs that are linked/related.

Today is no exception – “The Voice – Blind Auditions” … UK … global … compilations … inspiring … emotional … best bits … all manner of “lists” with some great singers. But throughout it all – one thing stands out for me more than anything else.

When one great “singer” hears another great “singer” they connect.

The singing connects them both – connects all singers.  Superstar singers wallow in the singing of complete unknown singers. Global names are in awe of complete unknowns.  Well styled “photogenic” red-carpet stars fall at the feet of star gazers. The completely “unkempt” wow the glossy “kempt”.

(see 1:00 minute into the clip above)

And it reminded me of something else: this global community of fellowship.

It reminded me that when I connect with you, I love you before I ever meet you.  I don’t need to know what you look like … what you sound like.  I don’t care what kind of house you have … what job you do … where you live … how you dress.  I don’t care how many children you have or don’t … what likes and preferences you have … what “theology” you hold dear.  I don’t need to know any of that “stuff” to know that I love you.

I have connected with the most important part – your spirit – your soul.  So we share something more important than any of that “ordinary stuff”.  We share God.  We have that in common.  That is our connection.  Everything else is just so much window dressing.

So I love you.  I respect you.  I know you.  You know me.  We have connected deep inside.  So I know I will like you.

It matters not whether you are “photogenic”. Whether you are kempt or unkempt – whether we have the same interests – the same lifestyles – the same preferences – the same “ordinary stuff”.

I know I love you before I ever meet you because I am in awe of the relationship you have with my God.

And yet when I meet “godly folk” locally where I live …

What job do we both do, where we both live, who are our mutual friends, where are we both on the ladder of life?   And why do I come second to your diary-arranging with other godly folk?  Why do your godly friends think it okay to interrupt us because they have something terribly important to ask you?  Why is our “connection of souls” never enough?  And just why are we never in awe of our relationship with the same God?  Not in day-to-day living – not in “normal living”.

Is it because we are too busy to talk about “that” – or too embarrassed … ?  Or might it be because we never think that the important bit of our relationship?

Because what seems to come first is “kingdom work” or the next programme or the next activity or that coffee-morning or the planning of that church service or the next messy church or the next monthly café church or the bi-annual ecumenical service or even next month’s church magazine (or the playschool rota) – or “the anything-at-all-but-what-we-have-in-common “stuff”” … We never seem to talk about “that”.

So what else do we have in common but work – kingdom work.

And holidays.  And the next social.  And some gossip.  And some networking.  Networking is good.  Socials are good.  And holidays – well we all need a holiday (I mean – we all work so hard for God – we really need holidays).

When one great “singer” hears another great “singer” they connect. The singing connects them both – connects them all. Superstar singers wallow in the singing of complete unknowns. Global names in awe of complete unknowns.

I know a few unknowns – they spend the whole time “jamming” – or talking about jamming.  They talk about what connects them.  They never go to church.  They are not like godly folk at all really.  And I wonder …

Why is that?