We Sing.
We do a lot of singing as Christians. If you think about it, there are not too many places where communal singing is happening. Sure, we have concerts and sometimes people get together and they sing some songs. In the fall of 2015, some friends and I went to a concert in Ithaca. We were really there for the main act but were surprised by the opening musician. It was one guy who would alternate between a guitar and a magnificent grand piano. At one point, he started to introduce his next song, and while doing so he invited the audience to participate in the music; there is this little part during the chorus that is simply sublet and wonderful. So, he starts playing and when we got to the chorus, the whole house bloomed through a beautiful harmonious singular voice. At that moment, I was captivated by the voices in unison. And, I was also one of the voices. I had the opportunity to participate in something beautiful, something communal. And, I will never forget participating in that event. Public singing is able to unify and solidify.
It should be no surprise to believers that music is a powerful tool since we utilize and wield that tool every week. We have not only multiple examples of God’s people singing in the Scriptures, but we have calls to sing, as well. Paul wrote to the churches in Ephesus and Colossians that Christ’s Spirit-filled church is to sing “psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Singing Biblical songs glorifies our God, and that is of primary importance. But, I think it does at least two other things as well. Like I said above, singing, in general, seems to create unity between people and it impresses upon our minds and hearts. In the church, though, we know these two things to be solid realities.
First, singing together creates and fosters unity between God’s people. When we sing, we are not simply singing some nice songs. The singing I look forward to is unlike the singing I experienced at that concert. When the church gathers to sing, it sings true things about God and it does that together. We, together, confess things about our God through song. When we do this, we are all participating together. Christ makes us His body through the gospel, and we express our unity through song.
Second, singing solidifies truth in our hearts. In singing, we let the word of Christ dwell in us richly by “teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16). Practice makes perfect, right? Repetition, repetition, repetition. It is no different when we sing songs. We are rehearsing Biblical truths in order to take them with us when we leave church on Sunday. Music is capable of squeezing into the smallest crevice in our minds and hearts. We might not perfectly rehearse the pastor’s third subpoint from his sermon, but everyone is walking away singing that one song.
So, when we come together, sing your heart out. The Lord brings the word to bear on our minds and our hearts when we sing Biblically rich songs, together.