Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among the peoples. (Psalm 96:1-3 NIV)

This article continues a series advocating singing as a suitable response and testimony of the faithful in worship.  This Music Director aims to provide evidence of the admonition to sing in worship throughout the scriptures as well as in historical precedent.  But what makes this kind of vocal participation so important as to warrant several articles?  Perhaps a way to answer this question is to offer a comparison between the mind and the body.  We all know that there is a logical process that must be followed before any action can occur. First, one must want to produce a result enough to think of ways to form a plan and reach a goal.  Once the thought process develops a plan, the mind by means of the brain conveys impulses to the nervous system, circulatory system, endocrine system, musculature, respiratory system, etc., initiating physical actions that work together to accomplish the end result. When we read scripture instructing us to “sing to the Lord,” the images that appear in our mind describe our personal understanding of those words.

It follows, not just in our reading or hearing of scriptures dealing with singing but in all scriptures giving direction to our thoughts, that we receive from the words concepts of what the Lord wants us to do in response to his love, mercy, forgiveness and truth.  We are certainly free to simply read or hear the words and think, “Oh, that sounds like a good idea!” and then go on doing what we were doing before without taking any action whatsoever.  We can file the words away in the archives of our mind for a “rainy day” or defer them to that nebulous niche commonly known as “when I get around to it.” Even in our attendance in worship we have the option to ignore the admonitions of the scriptures read in our hearing and the explanations in even the most artfully crafted sermons. For many of us, however, a passive stance is not an option; we must respond to the words of our Lord; we must take some positive action toward carrying out those instructions. The Lord’s words cannot rest, collecting dust on our mental bookshelf.  We take to heart what we find in those powerful scriptural and pastoral admonitions by reaching out to persons in need, by giving of our resources and our God-given talents and material substance to benefit others.

But what of singing – whether in a choir or in a pew?  What of taking action when opportunity presents in the singing of hymns and responses if not introits, anthems and benedictions? What of opening our mouths and letting the sounds of our voice – squeaky, rough, raucous, non-tonal, multi-tonal, or otherwise thought personally unacceptable – rebound through the spaces above, around and below us?  What would it be like at Covenant on a dismal, rainy day, to hear the tones of a joyful, vibrant, worshipping community resounding out into the streets and echoing through the trees?  And what would that phenomenon say about our true motivation and zeal toward the God that we all serve and wish to please with all our heart?  “Oh,” we say, “God knows how I feel. I don’t have to open up in front of all these people. I’m the quiet type, anyway!  Let the choir do it. That’s what they’re up there for, isn’t it?”  And so, the words calling us to “sing to the Lord,” to “make a joyful noise,” to “shout for joy to the rock of our salvation” go unheeded, relegated to the shelf of our subconscious, with no action taken, no effort extended.

The next time you are in worship and the opportunity to sing a hymn or a response is offered, what action will you take?  For all the rejoicing we plan to do when we get to heaven, perhaps a little practice here on earth might be in order.

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”  (Isaiah 40:9 NIV)

Donald E. Dillard