The Bible contains more than 600 references to music with some 300 of them having to do directly with singing. We also know from Scripture that singing is to be our eternal occupation. Singing should be a daily activity of every Christian. We live in a day and a culture where we allow others to do our singing for us. But, that is not a Biblical approach. We are all trained or untrained to sing unto the Lord! Luther believed that music was one of the most powerful tools in teaching Biblical doctrine and training young people. He believed that the singing of God's Word would strengthen the faith of believers.
Psalm 96:1 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song." There are three commandments in that phrase which are found in other places in Scripture. The first commandment is simple, "Sing". Singing is not an option for believers. No one is excused for lack of vocal skill. The second command is directional. We are to sing: "to the Lord". It is an act of worship, an offering or sacrifice of praise to God. The audience is not people, but God Himself. Our song is to be directed to God while people are allowed to listen in. The third command is that we are to sing: "a new song". The newness arises out of a new life of faith in Christ Jesus. He is the new song. Because of that, we should sing the song as if it is new every time, even if we have sung it for years.
As we enter Holy Week and prepare to celebrate the resurrection, there is nothing that expresses the wide ranges of emotion and truth better than song. As our Pastor said today, Christianity is a "singing" religion. May we sing our way into the celebration of our resurrected Lord! mjm
