I’m a singer. I took almost 10 years of piano lessons, but never took it seriously, so I remember very little. (Sorry Mom!) I played violin for one year and cello for three years, but that’s not enough to say I can play either one. I taught myself to play guitar, but only well enough to accompany me while singing.
I was in choirs for about ten years in all. My mother was a music teacher, and I learned to read music at a very young age. I love to sight sing, taking something that I’ve never sung before and singing my part by reading the music. And yes, I love singing harmony.
I have to be careful in church because there’s a big difference between singing for the sake of singing, singing as part of a performance group and singing as part of an assembly. I mustn’t get so caught up in the singing that I forgot the song and I forget whom I’m addressing.
I’ve mentioned several times on this blog that I take singing seriously. It frustrates me when someone starts a song to “sing them in” or leads “The Lord Is In His Holy Temple” as a way of getting the kids quiet. I hate when people talk during a song in a way they wouldn’t do during a prayer. I get frustrated when we sing songs whose lyrics are at best hard to understand and at worst flat out wrong. I think singing needs to receive a more elevated place in our worship.
The role of singing is not an instrumental vs a cappella issue. It’s a heart issue. It’s a problem of understanding.
I don’t like the contrived notion of five acts of worship. I don’t think it’s biblical. I think it’s been harmful to the church. At the same time, I do like the awareness that preaching shouldn’t be elevated over any other portion of our worship. It typically is, but it shouldn’t be. We need to see that singing is every bit as important. It too teaches. It too edifies. It too encourages. It’s a corporate activity done within the assembly, second only to the Lord’s Supper in that regard.
Singing deserves a place of honor within the Christian assembly. I hope that we’ll give it that place.
Good job, Tim.
Ralph Casey conducted more singing emphasis workshops than just about anyone. I remember him saying once that many excuse themselves from concern about the music of the church because they say, “I am not musical.” He added, “The singing of the church is not a musical problem; it is a spiritual problem.”
I like the way you have begun this series! And I think Ralph would have as well.
Amen, Tim. Good post.
“The role of singing is not an instrumental vs a cappella issue. It’s a heart issue. It’s a problem of understanding.”
Nailed it!
I agree with everything you wrote here except your feelings of frustration about multi-purpose singing. We use prayer in much the same way, especially at the close of our gatherings. I think true worship is tough and flexible enough to handle both receiving a place of honor and being a practical tool to serve the Body.
A heartfelt sevenfold Amen.
Nick,
I don’t doubt the toughness of worship; it’s the worshipers that I’m worried about.
Can you imagine Jesus saying, “Well, I’ll do a miracle to get them all quiet, then I can teach”? Or someone saying, “Hear, let’s sacrifice a lamb to wake everybody up a little bit”?
I can’t.
Grace and peace,
Tim
Wasn’t that pretty much exactly what the feeding of the 5,000 was? A miracle done to glorify God and, at the same time, serve the needs of the community?
I think the sound of voices raised up in praise to God is a much sweeter summons to the assembly than the ringing of a schoolbell or the gruff voice of the speaker of the hour saying, “Everybody sit down and shut up – it’s time to worship.”
Seriously, though – I have a hard time understanding why this idea bugs you – that those whose hearts are already prepared for worship start singing, and their worship invites others to turn their hearts and minds towards God. In an ideal world, of course, that wouldn’t be necessary – people would flow through the doors worshipping and there wouldn’t be any distractions or commotion. But we don’t live in that world. We live in a world where the ‘already’ runs smack into the ‘not-yet’ – and “singing them in” might just be one of those thin places where a microcosm of the way of the kingdom presents itself before our eyes for a moment, if only we’d look.
Nick,
I guess I see a difference between “Let’s sing praises to God even though not everyone’s here” and “Let’s sing in order to get people to come in.”
Actually, though, there are some songs that are entirely appropriate for such a moment. “Come We That Love The Lord” comes to mind. “Enter In His Gates” is another.
Maybe I should clarify: I don’t like it when we take a song that’s supposed to be addressed to God and use it for another purpose. Does that make more sense?
Grace and peace,
Tim
I do see the difference, but why must it be an either/or? I also think of the multi-faceted way that oppressed peoples use singing – the Negro spiritual particularly comes to mind, but I’m sure there are others that fit into that idea as well.
Now yeah… that point about not understanding who the lyrics are pointed to? That’s a big frustrator for me as well, that usually just comes out in slap-dash song selection. I do, definitely, think that singing deserves a more elevated role in our minds of worship than its current, “Well, we sang (check), and I’m sure someone enjoyed it, so let’s move on…” role that it has to a lot of people.