When you think of a church gathering, have you ever thought about why there is singing involved? To the outside world, our church gatherings may seem strange. Why in the world would you spend time singing songs about God, songs to God, and songs to build each other up? Why would you spend time singing in general? What’s the point?
These are all very viable questions to ask about churches and why their worship gatherings look the way that they do.
Singing is something that we do. It is something that is built into our DNA. Now, you may think that you can’t sing or don’t like to sing, but when you really start to think about it, singing and music have played some role in your life. We are wired this way. When we go back to the Bible, we find that throughout the pages of Scripture, people are found singing.
Think about what is found in the middle of the Old Testament… 150 songs. That’s right… The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs. Now, if we were not wired to sing, or have music play such a key part in our lives, do you think that there would be a “hymnal” in the middle of the Bible?
We sing because our God sings. We worship because Jesus worshiped. We sing together because we are sons and daughters of the Sovereign King. We sing corporately because we desire to worship Christ in His fullness.
Look at the words the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church…
Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Ephesians 5:18-20
Congregational singing is important because we address each other with songs. We give thanks to the Lord because everything has come from Him and through Him. We submit to one another out of reverence to Christ.
We lit each other up with different kinds of songs. We remind each other about who God is and what He has accomplished. We sing as a corporate body to remind us that this life isn’t about our wants and desires, but about Jesus and His church. We sing to bring Him glory.
Congregational singing is important – individual voices wrapped up together making a melody that declares who God is, what He is doing and has done, and how we can join in with Him where He is working.
This weekend, don’t look at the moment in the worship gathering where we sing together as something to check off, or to mentally checkout. Approach it in the light that we get to join together with those in attendance in the room, and also those around the world declaring the glory of God!
Foundations 