On many occasions, when I meet people in the church and try to start a conversation, some quickly say, “I can’t sing!” I often reply, “I am not recruiting for choir today.”
Many people feel that they are not musically inclined nor have the ability to sing. So, they choose to listen and not join in any singing. Some people find it hard to worship because they just cannot sing. On the other hand, some people feel they have not worshipped if they do not sing their favourite songs. We all feel and express differently when it comes to worshipping God.
Singing affects us deeply. Notice how people start singing when they are celebrating, or they have accomplished a difficult task. We sing in response to something good that has happened in our favour or to us. There are many kinds of songs that help us express our feelings and emotions. Not all songs are celebratory in nature. There are songs of sadness, lament, anger, love, heartbreaks, and even of proclamation.
Singing engages almost all our senses. If I am singing in the church, my eyes are on the lyrics; my ears tuned to the music played by instruments and the voices of other people singing along; my mouth singing the words, my hands tapping to the beat of the song; my whole-body swaying to the rhythm of the song, as the familiar sanctuary smell whiffs through my nose with every breath I take. And everyone who is singing is doing the same thing collectively. For once, we are all doing the same thing together, as a body of Christ.
Singing thus has the ability to engage all our being in concert with others who are worshipping likewise. And in doing that, it is able to help us focus our hearts and minds to God and his works. In this way, we are able to sing to God and to one another fulfilling its communal function.
All songs can be divided into objective and subjective songs. Songs that we sing at the start of our worship service are often objective in nature. It helps us to focus on God and his many attributes. It directs our thoughts to God’s truth and reminds us time and again of who God is. We sing such songs again and again because we are forgetful creatures. If we feel that we are let down and God seemed far away, songs like “Immortal Invisible God” can remind us that while it is true that God cannot be seen, he is not absent. Such songs can remind us of God’s unchanging nature, character and love for us.
Songs that we sing in response to the Word and Sacrament are often subjective in nature. It helps us express our feelings and response to God. Sometimes when we do not know how to respond, such songs can help us make wise and Godly choices. Consider our Communion Song where a line goes: ‘Come and weep, come and mourn, For your sin that pierced Him there’
Such words guide us to come, weep, and mourn as we think about our sins that put our Saviour on the cross. To someone who may not be thinking much, when such words are heard, it can stir the mind and bring appropriate response. Songs about commitment, repentance, dedication have this communal impact.
In Colossians 3:16, Paul exhorts the believers to be filled with Christ and to sing to one another. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” It is interesting to note that for Paul, singing was not an option. To sing is a command.
If a person’s life is filled with Christ, it will overflow with thanksgiving in a song. And here the song may not necessarily be a song that comes out of that person’s mouth but that the whole being which is filled with Christ will be song. If anyone has tasted the goodness of the Lord, experienced freedom from sin, and knows the power of Christ’s death and resurrection, singing will no longer be an option. Such a person will sing his/her way home. The person’s life will be song that brings delight to our heavenly father and to those around too.
Interestingly, the role of teaching and admonishing is often relegated to pastors and church leaders. But singing is a commandment given to everyone. We are all commanded to sing. If Christ dwells in our hearts, He will fill us and in thanksgiving, everything in word and deed will be done in God’s name bringing glory to His name. Let us sing in obedience to God and strengthen our hearts with God’s eternal truths to the praise and glory of His name.
