Worship - September
A couple of months ago, when I wrote to you in my very first newsletter, I talked a lot about glorifying God. The point I was seeking to make is that everything in our worship services (and our lives) must be done first and foremost for the purpose of glorifying God. This month I would like to build on that foundation and continue our discussion of worship music. With our worship services in mind and with God's glory as our aim, today I would like to focus on singing together.
Some of this I have already mentioned in my earlier article, but this time I would like to unpack a little bit more about corporate singing, and hopefully either give you a helpful reminder or perhaps shed some light on why we do what we do. As I previously stated, the New Testament does not give us a whole lot of specific instructions when it comes to worship music, but what it is clear about is that God wants us to sing. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. And whatever you do , in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:12-17
I of course emphasized the latter part of that paragraph because it supports the point I am trying to make, but go on back and read that entire paragraph a few more times. In all seriousness, read those words over and over and let them change you. Then you can finish reading this article later.
So, in this passage we are commanded to sing. We are also told to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, we are told that we are called in one body, we are told to let the word of Christ dwell in us, and we are told to teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. The point I am trying to make is that these are commands that are given to all of us as a corporate body, and that living out these commands affects all of us as a corporate body. When we gather together for worship, we are not standing in a big room, disconnected from all the people around us. We sing together and our singing has an affect on those around us. When we boldly declare the truths of God's Word through song we are encouraging, building up, ministering to, and even teaching and admonishing one another. This is why when we come together to worship, we do not simply sit and listen to those who are on stage sing and play instruments. Sitting and listening is ok too, and we do that from time to time, but our emphasis needs to be on participating in the singing, rather than just being spectators.
This is why, as your worship pastor, I consider it my primary responsibility to help you sing, and I am constantly looking for ways that I can do that effectively. In Christ we worship together as one body, and when we do so, His church is built up and strengthened. When we sing, we each play an active role in ministering to our brothers and sisters.