Why Music in Worship?
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! (Psalm 100:1)
Saint Augustine proclaimed, “He [she] who sings prays twice.” I believe Augustine for two reasons. First, when you sing a song, you memorize it much faster than trying to learn the words alone. Second, singing uses more than just our mind but includes our whole body. When I try to hit high A, I even spread my toes!
King David sang and danced before the Lord. Our Lord, Jesus, blessed the Psalms and used them in worship, prayer, and preaching. Most of the psalms were sung poems that could speak to the human soul in ways our rational intellect cannot. In Beauty Matters, Stephen R. Turley, PH.D., points out, “By learning to sing, [we] learn how to live in a harmonious relationship with the cosmos redeemed in Christ.” Preaching and teaching are beneficial, but singing reinforces the divine truth in ways the spoken word cannot reach.
Dr. Turley suggests, “Singing harmonizes not merely the environment of the student, but the students themselves, bringing them in harmony with one another.” When you sing in harmony, you must listen as much or more to others around you. Singing harmony means your beauty is possible only when in sync with all the other voices. Even those singing the melody are deeply enhanced by the other voices layering their harmony on top and underneath. Turley continues, “Singing in parts helps the students to understand themselves as embodying the unity in diversity in the fellowship of the Trinity.” The wholeness of the Godhead is fulfilled when all three parts work in harmony with one another.
As God’s children, we only work harmoniously with God when we are in tune with one another. Church singing is about “making a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Notice, it does not say to make a “beautiful” noise unto the Lord. Religious singing is not about making a sonorous sound, but what makes beauty is when joy is present. We all sing hymns together, rather than just let the “good” singers sing, because when we are all included, there is joy in the sanctuary and delight in God’s heart! Sing loud and sing joyfully!