Singing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

We have an a cappella style of singing. We are not the only religious fellowship to maintain a cappella singing. [Most notably Eastern Orthodox churches.] The term a cappella means “in the manner of the church or chapel.” What does it mean then to sing “in the manner of the church”? Especially if we understand church to be a family of believers rather than a building or institution. Does it simply mean “without instruments?” Or does it indicate a positive and sacred view of what it means to sing and praise?

All nature praises its Creator. The goodness of the creation declares the glory of the God who made it. But out of this entire symphony of praise and thanksgiving, God created just one instrument to praise him in words: the human voice.

And those words that we use to give thanks and praise our God also communicate to each other. We teach each other. We counsel each other with a wisdom that has been transmitted over generations. Did you know that it was possible to do that through songs?

In World War 1, we learn a lot about the experience of soldiers fighting in the Turkish military through their songs. Many of those soldiers were illiterate and though they could not write their stories in journals, they composed songs.

Throughout human history, we’ve shared wisdom through songs, epic poems, anthems. Even Genesis 1 has a cadence and repetition that could be described as a song. The wonder of a song or hymn is that it has a tune, rhythm, and structure that evokes memory and thus builds a connection and unity.

A friend once told me of a story that took place at the beginning of WW2. He had just finished Marine basic training and was in San Francisco waiting to be shipped out. He was feeling lonely, worried, lost. So he found a church service there one night. As he went into the chapel they were singing a hymn that was his mother’s favorite. She had sung this hymn when he was a child. Even though different people far away were singing this hymn it evoked memory and brought comfort to this soldier.

Songs are participatory and create unity as well as memory. In the last congregation I served, the youth got into the habit of singing some of “their” songs before the worship began. They had a few adults who helped them out too. In time, there were a few of those “new” songs that were particularly captivating. And the rest of the congregation wanted to learn those songs and they adopted them. “Their” songs transformed into “our” songs and we were all blessed to share in the unity of songs old and new.

Singing then is an expression of our praise and thanksgiving to our Creator. It is an expression and participation in our unity with one another. But there’s one other phrase in this familiar text that sometimes goes overlooked: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. What does it mean to let the word of Christ dwell in us? What would it mean to dwell in the Word of Christ?

The subject of personal knowledge, or indwelling, has been hotly discussed in the late 20th century. It proposes that we do not just know things objectively and dispassionately through our senses, but that we actually know what we know some things because of our personal commitment to knowing them. (Reference: see Michael Polanyi, Personal Knowledge, 1964)

God knows us because he is personally committed to us. We know Christ when we are personally committed to him. When we sing, praise, lament, and speak the word of God to one another we dwell in the word of Christ – we live in it, embody it, and shape our lives by it.

Colossians 3
¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.