Here at St. Anne’s, blessed with daily Mass in our chapel, our residents have ample opportunities to sing praises. Some sing loudly, and others you can barely hear.
Do you ever wish there was better participation in liturgical music?
Below, enjoy a little reflection on the topic by one of our apartment residents, Betty Canavan.
Why do we sing hymns in church? We all probably have a favorite. How do we feel when we sing it? And, how do we know God hears us? The answers are right in your Bible.
Singing is a command, not an option. Ephesians 5:18-19, “….addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.”
“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…..singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16. Paul, the Apostle, tells us to teach and to sing. So, Colossians 3:16 is telling us singing is just as important as the sermon in filling us with God’s Word.
Also, when you sing, you lift other’s spirits as well. Remember, Ephesians 5:18-19 said, “….addressing one another….”? Along with the Colossians verse, it signifies bearing problems with each other, forgiving one another, loving and being at peace as one body of Christ, teaching His Word.
When we sing together in church, we share each other’s confessions and hear each other’s testimonies. As a church family, you also impact those who do not know Christ. Psalm 105:1-2, “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him, tell of all His wondrous works.”
In Colossians, Paul also challenges us to wage war against sin. It is the attitude and habits of the believer that eliminates sin. It’s very hard to lie, be greedy or look at something inappropriate when singing a hymn. So, a singing heart is one at war with the power of sin.
Now you are prepared for trials. Although we always remember to sing when we’re happy, being able to sing when we’re facing the trials of life helps us get through them. I refer to Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas are imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. What do they do? Sing! Throughout history, persecuted Christians are strengthened by song.
God designed this pathway to lead us to joy. I refer to Psalms 5:11, 9:2, 51:14, 59:16 and 63:7. Don’t forget James 5:13, “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
Aha! You are saying…..sometimes singing creates joy and other times joy creates singing! But, you can’t seem to have one without the other.
When you sing you glorify God, all these things: obedience, understanding the Word, building up others, fighting sin, perseverance and finding joy in God, are each of our purposes in life.
God is the object of our praise. With all of life’s distractions, singing helps us to focus all of our attention on Him. So, sing loudly, don’t mumble. Sing to join the angels. Sing to our Heavenly Father. Don’t worry if you don’t know the words – we’re all imperfect. Don’t worry that you can’t carry a tune – God doesn’t listen for the errors, he takes pride in our wish to please him. Sing joyfully and loudly, be proud you’re a Christian.
Finally, Revelations 7:9-10, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” The Apostle John describes eternity, with a multitude of people of different languages and nationalities singing before the Lamb.
Since we all hope to be in that multitude, the time to practice is now. Sing the songs of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sing His praises.
What’s that fork lift doing outside the St. Anne’s third floor windows? There are plenty of stairways, after all.
Don’t forget—Christmas isn’t over yet! In fact, we’re still within ‘the twelve days.’
We have a lot of loose pennies in ‘the Monk,’ our little piggy bank (in the form of a monk) for loose change in the office here at St. Anne’s.