While it certainly is possible to participate in faithful worship without the assembly singing together, it is not common, at least not among Lutherans. Since the earliest days, singing our faith has been a hallmark of Christian worship. But Christians didn’t invent this practice. This was inherited from our Jewish ancestors and was a practice shared by many, not just Christians.
Our Jewish roots have provided us with the earliest collection of songs: the Psalms. Today, all too often, the Psalms are simply read in worship like another scripture reading, or perhaps read by the congregation, alternating with a leader. At their best, however, Psalms are intended to be sung. Even when chanted to the simplest of melodies, a text takes on deeper character when coupled with music.
Music can be a powerful thing, especially when coupled with an honest text. Do worshipers realize that as they participate in singing the hymns and the songs of the church, they themselves are proclaiming the gospel along with the preacher and other ministers?
This message is excerpted from “Singing our faith” by Scott C. Weidler in the June 2017 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202.
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