The Church Sings

I asked the youth at SPX the other week what reasons they could think of for why Christians sing. We had a great discussion afterwards. But there’s another answer, a deeper answer, that I was struck by later. The church sings because we’re a mixed congregation that has been brought together.

An orchestra includes all kinds of instruments, and all sorts of musicians. Not every brass player is brazen, and not every violinist is highly strung. Together, however, their music weaves its magic, the volume rising and falling, the pace changing from piece to piece.

And then you add the voices. For many people, hearing the massed choir join a top-flight orchestra for Handel’s Messiah is a joyful ingredient of the Christmas season. For others, it’s the amateur but heartfelt crowd at the football belting out a national anthem or a local team’s song.

In the church, God brings together people from all walks of life. There are different ages, different personalities, different gifts, all working together as God’s people, all working together to serve one another and to proclaim the gospel. It’s not merely music without lyrics, though: we are people of the Word, and we have a message to adorn.

Look around you. Who are the percussionists - working in the background, steadily tapping out the rhythms of church life each week? Who plays the bass line, providing support to the weaker instruments? Who is the gentle piccolo, knowing just when to come in?

We make beautiful music - and not just because the composition is so exquisite. Don’t forget: we also have a master Conductor!