Thank you. I thank you from the depths of my heart. Thank you for your continual pursuit of bettering your God-given talent. Thank you for the hours you spent working on chords and pitches and harmonies and all the other things I can’t even begin to understand about music. Thank you for not giving up all those times you wanted to. The times when you couldn’t seem to get it right or didn’t think there was enough time in the day to practice as much as you would need.

Thank you for sharing your abilities with us. Thank you for getting up on that stage and giving it your all. Thank you for not letting fear or nerves get in the way. I’m sure there are times when you just really don’t want to. Times when your fear seemed overwhelming. Thanks for getting up there even then. For stepping out of your comfort zone and using the gifts you’ve been given.

Thank you for not singing at us, but worshiping with us. Thank you for worshiping and not performing. For making those precious few minutes not about you, but about our God. You are so gifted and so talented, and it would be so easy to make this all about you, but you don’t. You realize that this ability is only thanks to God, the giver of all good things. You’re an inspiration to us all on how we should humbly steward the talents and abilities we have been given.

Thank you for giving us a space to praise the One who created it all. For choosing songs with lyrics that are filled with the truth of God’s Word. Songs that will stick with us for days, months, and years to come, so that every time we think of them, we will be pointed back to Christ.

Most importantly, thank you for giving us a little glimpse of what eternity in heaven will look like. If only for a moment, a time to humbly sing praises and bring honor to the only One worthy of it.

Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelation 4:8-11

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

1 Chronicles 16:23-25