15Be
careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16making
the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Do not get
drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19as
you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and
making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20giving thanks to God the
Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Martin
Luther once said that “Next
to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the
world”It is amazing what music can do to us. It is said that music can sooth the savage beast…
and it can definitely help to cool us down.
It can make us want to dance or sing, it can help us to celebrate, to
cry, or to exemplify our love for another person. It can tell us how another person is
feeling. For instance, if you hear me
singing “If I had a hammer” you know I’m probably having a bad day and it may
be best to avoid me for a little bit. If
however I am singing a hymn, I’m probably very happy and it would be a good
time to ask me for a favor.
Also,
music can help us learn. After all, how
did many of us learn our alphabet? Was
it not through song? “ABCDEFG… etc…” And our faith is taught to us in much the same
way as a child. “Jesus loves me this I
know, for the bible tells me so. ..” “Jesus loves the little children, all the
children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in
his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” We first know that God loves us through
songs, and not only that God loves us but that God loves EVERYBODY, no matter
where they come from. And we learn the
importance of our scriptures through song, since it’s the Bible that tells us
about God’s love for us. We also learn
of our importance and our mission through songs as a child too. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it
shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of
mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” We told that we shine, that we carry the
light of God, and that it is through us that God’s light shines throughout the
world, and that we should not hide that light under a bushel, nor let Satan
blow it out, with the cares of the world and self-importance.
Music
plays a vital role in our formation as Christians, more so than many other ways
of learning. For instance, sermons. They play an important role in the church, as
it is a time for the spoken word of God to come through. Yet, by a show of hands, who can tell me what
the sermon was about last week? What
about the week before that? And before
that? So within just a few weeks, it is
lost us what a sermon was directly about, unless it is something that we talk
about and repeat to others and ourselves.
Now, the message may still be there inside you and help to form your
faith, but I also know that if I were to start singing a hymn, you could
probably join right in with me. That is
the power of music. It’s helps us to
understand that God loves all the children of the world and has grace, even for
us wretches.
And
that is why we sing together, and when we sing we can feel empowered as
well. When we sing together, we are
filled with the Spirit, and when we are filled with the Spirit we may feel like
we are filled with spirits instead, because we lose the fear that we might have
and instead focus on the present and the joy of music. We are united as a community when we sing. Our voices meld together to form one joyous
sound that is an offering to God and a testament of our faith.
In
fact, I’m tired of talking about the many benefits of singing together, so lets
sing together instead. Now I’m going to
need a volunteer…. What is your favorite hymn?
Ok, let’s sing it….
(This turned out to be Amazing grace…)
See? When we
sing together, we give thanks to our God and we rejoice and celebrate. So be not afraid of singing off key, but
instead just celebrate in the goodness of God, and may we learn together about
the love and mercy of God through our music each day of our lives. Amen.
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