"The obvious solution (and I know it's been proposed before) would be to liken the universe not to the lute itself, but to the melody played on the lute. A melody requires a musician who is making it - and unlike the recipe, the dependence is an ongoing one. But since the world contains a variety of natural objects, that all make different melodies, it would perhaps be more appropriate to liken it to a musical composition - say, a symphony - rather than a single melody. If the cosmos is like a musical composition which is continuously being played, then its Author must be alive and still making the "music of the spheres."

A fantastic page with all sorts of cosmic metaphorical musings.