Sing! | Papers

Sing! | Reflection Paper

Singing together as the church should be done in such a way that it impacts all of your life, (Getty xxii) not just your Sunday morning or the times you’re with the body. “We are commanded to, ‘Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.’” (Getty 14) [Ps. 149:1] We should sing truth and sing it as though it is true. (Getty 98) Singing is not just for our benefit but also for those around us. “...it is vital that we sing together. The songs we sing together are lifelines that draw each of us back to the heart of the King we serve and to the priorities of the kingdom we are members of.” (Getty 98) As a music leader in a church body one should focus not on performance but on how you helped the congregation sing. (Getty 132) Further, the book looked at these five things: why we sing and the joy and holy privilege that comes with singing, how singing impacts our hearts and minds and all of our lives, cultivating a culture of family singing in our daily home life, equipping our churches for wholehearted singing to the Lord and one another as an expression of unity, and to inspire to see congregational singing as a radicals witness to the world. (Getty xxiv)

We were created to sing. God made it so music helps us more easily remember truths and moves our hearts with depth of feeling and emotion. (Getty 2) If we view singing correctly can see this more clearly. We know we are to be in relationship with God and “Our singing is not like a prayer—it is prayer.” (Getty 8) If we view our singing as communion with God then we cannot just stand there during the music at church while those around us raise their voices in prayer to God! In singing together we are proclaiming truths together and “our hearts are knit together in praise.” (Getty 4) We are also joining with the rest of God’s wondrous creation when we sing. (Getty 9) [Ps. 19:1] Those who cannot sing well are still created to sing. “Christian singing begins with the heart, not the lips.” (Getty 3) [Eph. 5:19] We should sing because we love our creator, regardless of our love or dislike of singing. (Getty 10)

We are commanded to sing. [Col 3:16, Ps. 47:1, 6] “There are more than four hundred references to singing in the Bible and at least fifty direct commands.” (Getty 14) The Bible proclaims that singing is mandatory and it is also concerned with where, what, and how we sing. (Getty 15) It should be important to us and “something we are to take seriously, to value, to set aside time for.” (Getty 15) I love that. I’ve never understood people who don’t enjoy the music part of a worship service on Sunday but I’ve always been passionate about music so it comes easy to me to value it and enjoy it. One thing I wasn’t always comfortable with was prayer in front of others. Loving pastors and fellow christians came alongside me and taught me through example how to pray with others. It was powerful and I started to love doing it because I felt it connected me with my fellow believers in a way other things did not. Now I love praying with people. Just as I have grown in prayer over my years of being a Christian I want to exhort others to grow in their love of singing to God. Not only doing it at church with others but throughout their week too. We should rejoice in God! If Moses and the Israelites sang after God saved them from Egypt [Ex 15:1-2] we should sing for the salvation that has come to us through Christ! If we value singing “we should be picky” (Getty 16) in our song choices. The lyrics should “bring a wonderful, thoughtful, deep expression of Scripture to every singer.” (Getty 17) Singing should be modeled, encouraged, and taught to be done in a “robust and enthusiastic” (Getty 18) way out of the love and thankfulness to God in our hearts. Jesus even sang “as he walked toward his arrest.” (Getty 19)

We should sing with the local church. When we come together and sing “we are forged together.” (Getty 72) [Ep 2:22] We are reminding each other of the truths we hold together. If we think of singing in the local church as something we do for the others around us “we will happily compromise when it comes to the style of music, the instruments used in the music, and so on.” (Getty 76) When we see our singing as an act of service not only to God but to others it changes how we view worshiping him with music in our local body. When people are singing biblically rich songs in an authentic way it “helps teach the gospel as something that is credible and powerful rather than cultural and optional.” (Getty 78) Our faces should be filled with joy and/or gratitude while singing for the great work God has done on our behalf in the person of Jesus. [Ps 95:1-2] When the body sings together in unison of heart through mouths of varied ages, valuing community unity over personal preference, it makes “a powerful and attractive statement to those who yearn for community more authentic than can be enjoyed online.” (Getty 79) [Ex 15:1-2] This cannot be achieved when visitors come in and see a bunch of people standing around, or with their lips barely moving, instead of joining together in song in an authentic way. Our singing together should be full of life because we have received the greatest treasure in Christ of anyone in all the earth. If you’re a follower of Christ you should sing as one who has been saved. “Sing yourself strong. Sing the church strong. Show up and sing up.” (Getty 83) What we sing is also a legacy we leave for the next generation. “May it not be on our watch that good congregational singing is taken from or given away by the congregation or that we do not carefully watch over what we sing.“ (Getty 80)

I have always enjoyed and been touched by worship music. I had even come to a place where I believed that no matter how bad the music was God still deserved to be praised and so I should sing to him even if I don’t like the music. However, I have never thought of singing as something that is also for those around me, that it’s commanded, or that it is as important as I’ve come to understand from reading this book. I have heard on a Sunday morning how we are to sing to each other but it didn’t really make sense until I read this book. I have often thought of the blessing singing is to me when I hear others in a congregation but I have never thought of my impact on others. Now I see how my singing to God is a witness to others. My authentic relationship with God should be apparent in the way I sing to him when I come together with the body on Sunday morning. This has never been a problem for me but I’ve sometimes toned it down with the idea that I might be a distraction for others around. Now I think that if they are distracted by me then they themselves likely aren’t worshiping with passion and maybe I can point them to God in the way I sing to my creator from a place of genuine passion. This teaching has freed me to worship as one amazed by the love and grace of his creator to raise my hands and sing out. I’ve never thought about how my singing could bless and build up others in the body. Now that I know singing isn’t just something we should do if we truly love God but also something the Bible commands us to do I believe it should be taught. I believe a pastor should be intentional in teaching and modeling singing to God, and the importance of it. A pastor should value it and make time for it. God willing when I am a pastor someday I will make sure that biblical teaching on singing will be taught. I will teach that it is important, it is for those around you, and it is commanded. If we are in Christ we are singers to the Most High. [Psalm 7:17]

Scriptures References

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!  - Psalm 149:1

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  - Psalm 19:1

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, - Ephesians 5:19

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. - Colossians 3:16

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!  - Psalm 47:1

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  - Psalm 47:6

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:22

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  - Psalm 95:1-2

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. - 1 Timothy 4:16

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.  - Exodus 15:1-2

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.  - Psalm 7:17

Works Cited

Getty, Kieth and Kristyn Sing! Nashville, Tennessee: B & H Publishing Group, 2017. Print.