Last week was the 50th anniversary of perhaps the greatest rock album of all time, “Abbey Road,” by the Beatles. It has sold over 30 million copies. I still remember buying the album at Raccoon Records on Jefferson Street in Lafayette when I was a kid. It is my all-time favorite album by the Beatles, followed closely by the White Album.
Paul McCartney came up with the idea for the picture on the front of the album. The group was photographed crossing Abbey Road in London in front of the studio where they recorded. The photographer was Iain MacMillan. He was only given 10 minutes to take the picture. He stood on a stepladder in the middle of the street. The police stopped traffic. He took six different photos of the group walking, one behind the other, in the zebra crossing. Six different pictures.
The order was John, Ringo, Paul and George. Every picture had the same order. But in the first picture, John’s head was turned to the side, while Paul and George were a little bit out of step.
The second, third and fourth pictures were okay, but each time, somebody was a little bit off stride. The fifth shot was really good, but it accidentally included three interior decorators in the background who were coming back from lunch and also an American tourist . But it was the only picture that was taken that day in which all four guys were actually in perfect stride, and so it became the iconic album cover.
You know, walking together in stride can be a challenge. Unity is never easy. But it sure is important in our community. It is especially important in the church. The Apostle Paul wrote, “So in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5) I pray that through Christ, we will Come Together.