Make a Joyful Noise
A family acquaintance of mine, Pearl Jean, was an
active member of her small church’s choir in South
Alabama. As far as she was concerned, they were as good
as the Mormon Tabernacle group.
After months of
preparation for the annual Christmas performance, she
approached her brother and asked if the choir could sing
during the holidays at the prison where he was the
warden. She extolled the group's hard work and
accomplishments to her sibling. Wouldn't it be
wonderful, she gushed, for the inmates to hear the
joyous music made by her friends from the church during
the Christmas season?
The warden started shaking
his head when she started talking but she continued to
plead her case for several minutes. When she finally let
him get a word in edgewise, he said emphatically, “No,
Pearl Jean. It’s not a good idea. The choir is not going
to sing at the prison.”
She was indignant. "And
just why not?"
"Because," he answered, having
heard the choir on several occasions, “some of the
prisoners might not be guilty."
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