Time signatures order rhythm for us; they help us to follow the beat. Four crotchet beats in a bar (common time or ⁴₄) represent a march; three crotchet beats (3₄) is most readily identified with the waltz. Time signatures tell a musician how many beats per bar (the first number) and what kind of beat they are (the second number, with 4 representing crotchets, 2 representing minims and 8 representing quavers.) Time signatures are rhythmical shorthand.
The world dances to a certain beat, the beat of independence. It is an attractive beat, easy to keep in step with. But Christians listen to a different drummer and dance to a different beat.
God’s beat is counter-cultural. It’s why Paul talks about keeping in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:25) We have to listen for God’s voice, to learn ‘the unforced rhythms of grace’, as Eugene Peterson puts it. His beat will initially seem clumsy to us, perhaps like those unusual time signatures of ⁵₄ or ⁶₄, or playing music with a syncopated beat. His beat includes forgiving others no matter what, loving even our enemies, laying down our desires to be first. His beat includes examining our motives, looking beyond the obvious melodies to the more complex behaviours in our lives. His beat will gradually become familiar to us so that love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, goodness, patience and self-control become the virtues we march to, so that we put to death the desires of the flesh and keep in step with the Spirit of God.
