Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Psalm 96:1-2
Psalm 96:1-2
"What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinky sound?A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toyIt's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy”
Every time I think about a slinky I get this jingle stuck in my head all day. Advertisers know the powerful effect that music can add to their efforts. There is something about music that helps things stick in our minds. I wonder if this is one of the reasons that scripture calls us to sing and that singing has played such a key role in the church over the generations. I was always amazed when visiting chronic care wards and senior’s residences that even those residence who could no longer even hold a coherent conversation, would sit up and sing every word of an old hymn from their youth. There is something powerful about music, especially when partnered with deep truth.
As well as a great encouragement to keep singing central to the faith, I think there is also a challenge for those of us who have the privilege of writing or choosing the music that our churches sing. What we want people to hear, sing and have planted deep within them are the truths of the faith. When we write music, are we concerned about honouring God and presenting biblical truth about who He is and what He stands for? Are we diligent about keeping our lyrics scripturally accountable? When we choose music for a Sunday morning, do we pick our favourite songs or do we reflect on the topic and scripture that will be used for the message? Will the songs help the truth being preached sink deep into the hearts and minds of our congregation? Are we diligent about checking the theology of the songs we are asking our people to sing? These are just a few questions I have been asking myself.
Every time I think about a slinky I get this jingle stuck in my head all day. Advertisers know the powerful effect that music can add to their efforts. There is something about music that helps things stick in our minds. I wonder if this is one of the reasons that scripture calls us to sing and that singing has played such a key role in the church over the generations. I was always amazed when visiting chronic care wards and senior’s residences that even those residence who could no longer even hold a coherent conversation, would sit up and sing every word of an old hymn from their youth. There is something powerful about music, especially when partnered with deep truth.
As well as a great encouragement to keep singing central to the faith, I think there is also a challenge for those of us who have the privilege of writing or choosing the music that our churches sing. What we want people to hear, sing and have planted deep within them are the truths of the faith. When we write music, are we concerned about honouring God and presenting biblical truth about who He is and what He stands for? Are we diligent about keeping our lyrics scripturally accountable? When we choose music for a Sunday morning, do we pick our favourite songs or do we reflect on the topic and scripture that will be used for the message? Will the songs help the truth being preached sink deep into the hearts and minds of our congregation? Are we diligent about checking the theology of the songs we are asking our people to sing? These are just a few questions I have been asking myself.
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