A Never-Ending Musical
I had mixed feelings when I first saw comedian Tim Hawkins’ “Beginners’ Guide to Hand Raising at Church.” As I watched Hawkins imitate worshipers and name their hand positions things like “carry the TV,” “goalpost,” and “wash the window,” I laughed because I felt the tension of being tasked with the sacred honor of worshiping an infinite, perfect God while I’m living in a finite, imperfect body. If you have ever felt this awkwardness during corporate worship, you’re not alone.
A pastor I knew once pointed out that there not many contexts in our culture in which sober adults stand up and sing together. We live worlds away from the musically rich culture in which the Psalms were written. So why do we continue to sing together on Sundays?
We know God wired us spiritually for musical worship. From foundations of the earth, when “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) God’s creation and especially His people have been singing to Him. The Bible is a lot like a musical, with characters so moved by God’s goodness and power that they burst into song- Most of the time we associate music in the Bible with David strumming his harp or dancing before the tabernacle in his underwear, but music fills the whole Bible. In the Old Testament, for example, Miriam and Moses couldn’t hold back after experiencing God’s deliverance from Egypt:
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
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)
And in the New Testament, Paul repeatedly gets so excited that he bursts into songs we call doxologies, for example:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
Paul commands what he models, calling the Ephesian church to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). In this sense, our lives are designed to be like musicals in which our hearts fill up with God’s goodness and respond in song.
If the thought of living in a never-ending musical makes you cringe, consider this: God also wired us biologically to worship through singing. Singing releases chemicals that make us happy, such as dopamine and endorphins. Singing in a group activates mirror neurons, which are powerful agents that bonds groups of people together and help create a group identity. Singing together is a healing activity that can rewire our brains to decrease anxiety, improve executive function, and increase neuroplasticity. We benefit more than we know from our Sunday morning songs. When we sing together, we strengthen our bodies and our spiritual bonds, literally strengthening and unifying Christ’s body, the church.
Our character also benefits; worshiping together in song cultivates humility. As the psalmist writes, “Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:9). Biblical worship places us in a humble position before God, orienting our hearts to His greatness and goodness. It also places us in a humble position before those around us, particularly if music doesn’t come naturally to us. It forces us to remember that we live in finite bodies with finite abilities. Anybody ever been that person who thought you knew the song and then, in a moment when everyone else was silent, it turns out you didn’t? I know from experience that it’s a fast track to humility.
But with humility comes honor (Proverbs 18:12). Singing together allows us the honor of imaging God. When we sing, He displays His beauty through our voices, and beauty compels us in a special way. When we humble ourselves and sing together, we beautifully declare our belief that our Creator delights in us, welcomes our praise with joy and even sings over us Himself (Zephaniah 3:17). We affirm that He is present and honored in our praise (Psalm 22:3). We remember that we belong both to Him and to each other, and we owe it to one another to encourage each other in this way (Ephesians 3:19). We demonstrate to our visitors, who may never have experienced the Holy Spirit before, the love of our surpassingly great God who humbles us, heals us, and honors us.
Sure, it’s challenging to sing in public, especially in a spiritually intimate way. But after all, God gave us these voices to sing to Him, hearts to be compelled by Him, minds to be captivated by Him, hands to lift to Him. Ultimately, we worship through singing because God is good (Psalm 136) and He has designed it and commanded it (Psalm 149:1). So all you Sunday morning listeners, lip-syncers, and self-conscious worshipers, be encouraged to take the brave step and sing to your good, good God. Maybe even carry a little TV. God is worthy of our praise (Psalm 145:3).
Scripture for meditation: Ephesians 3:19-21, Psalm 136