Karaoke

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.
Psalm 47:6

With its beginnings tracing back to Japan in the 1970’s, karaoke machines can now be found in clubs, restaurants, living rooms and kid’s bedrooms around the world. Love it or hate it karaoke is definitely a pop culture fad that has achieved world wide success. The amazing thing about karaoke, of course, is that it invites everyone and anyone to participate in singing. It got me thinking about singing in church.
I hope that our music in church is just as inviting of participation, after all, that is what the music is intended to do. There may be special opportunities for performance, but for the most part the main point of music in church should be to encourage and facilitate participation by each congregation member. We are coming together to lift our voices as we sing the truths of the faith and worship our Lord. For those of us who lead music, whether organist, choir member, guitar player or drummer (and the list could go on!), let us remember that we are there to help people recognize the presence of our God and to respond in worship! We are there not to perform for them but to accompany them as we worship together. For those of us who are members of the congregation, let us sing with all that we have. We are not there to be entertained but to worship, and our Lord deserves all that we can give.