“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing.” — Psalm 100:1-2
“Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!” — Psalm 150:3-4
“And when the musician played, the hand of God was upon him.” — II Kings 3:15
“…sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Ephesians 5:19-20
I love the music of the Church, from the most ancient chants preserved in the Syriac Orthodox Church to the modern chants being written and sung in Taizé, France; from the simple thought of “Jesus Loves Me” to the high Christology of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent;” from the intricate fugues of Bach to the equally intricate swing of Dave Brubeck. Wesleyan hymns, Camp Meeting songs, ‘70s Jesus music, I love it all. The music of the Church inspires me, lifts me up, takes me out of myself. As you may have noticed, I love to sing our hymns – I may not do it particularly well, but I do it with full throat and full heart.
And, I love to listen to the music of the Church when I’m not invited to sing: when the choir presents an anthem, special hymn, or cantata; when we have a special instrumental soloist; when the pianist or organist play a prelude, an offertory, or a postlude. To sit and hear music that has been prepared for the glory of God gladdens my heart.
Above, you will have read seven verses of the Scriptures that address music. There are, of course, many, many more. Since time immemorial, music has been a part of human worship. Our Jewish sisters and brothers memorialized their worship music in the Psalms and in other places in the Old Testament. Scholars believe that Paul and other New Testament writers also quoted from existing hymns. One Jewish scholar writes: “Music is a wordless prayer that opens up our imaginations to the divine source of all life… Music offers us rung after rung to climb to the heavens, where we hope to discover our best selves, so that we can then emulate that holiness in our regular lives.” That same writer reminds us that both Saul (before he was king) and Elisha prophesied under the influence of music.
In a famous quotation often attributed to Augustine of Hippo, we are told, “To sing is to pray twice.” Because I believe in music as prayer, let me offer three suggestions for our worship at St. Andrew’s:
- If you have talents as a musician, please offer to share them! I’m looking forward to hearing Marshall Bedell play his trumpet for us soon and I’ll bet there are some others who could play a special solo. And, remember, there is always room for strong singers in the choir!
- Even if you are not secure in your talent as a singer, sing out in congregational hymns! If our music is a prayer, God knows what is in our hearts. So, “make a joyful NOISE to the Lord!”
- Because music is prayer, please join me in offering an “Amen” when a musician plays or the choir sings. Applause is lovely for the performer(s), but “Amen” helps us remember that the audience for our music is not ourselves, but God.
Finally, I’m going to be changing our order of worship, beginning on October 15. We will open our time together at 10:30 with announcements. Then, to prepare our hearts and minds for worship, we will hear the prelude. Please use that time to quietly open yourself to God’s presence. I know I will!
Blessings,
Pastor Chris