“The Christian Church sings. It is not a choral society.
Its singing is not a concert.
But from inner, material necessity it sings.
Its singing is not a concert.
But from inner, material necessity it sings.
Singing is the highest form of human expression…
What we can and must say quite
confidently is that the church which does not sing is not the church…”[1]
I can still recall the Christmas Carol, “Bethlehem Ranthleng chu rawn belin Hring fa te dam nan a lo piang ta”[2], at the dead of night on December 15 in the year 2006. This song raised my spirit to once again really feel the purpose of His coming and sense the spirit of Christmas. And another Christmas music, which has always been with me and reverberated in my ears (due to its distinctiveness), is the Christmas carol of the Assamese Christians of Jorhat in 2006; the song was “Ji lele Ji lele aio aio ji lele”[3]. From these two contradicting songs sung by so-called believers at Christmas I was led to make inquiries -Is the actual singing of a song more significant than the song itself? What, why and how do people sing? Or what is the theology and place of singing in Christian worship?
Christianity is a singing faith and the church is a singing church. The people of God have much to rejoice in and singing is a natural expression of that joy. The people of Israel , after evading the Egyptian armies and crossing the Red Sea , sang a liberation song. Singing became part of Israel
Music and song keep on playing a vital role in the life of Christians today. Contemporary culture and modern technology offer new possibilities and new challenges to the music ministry of the church. Today, Christian lives are surrounded by music television, radio, CDs, etc. The church also has greater access and has shown greater openness to a greater variety of music- from classical hymnody to Christian rock and choruses. Such diversity is to be welcomed and celebrated; it reflects the diversity and richness of God’s creation. However, this variety of options in music calls for greater acumen and care in planning and implementing the music ministry of the church. The people of God sing; what they sing and how they sing are important issues.
This paper proffers some reflections on the theology and place of singing in Christian worship. In our reflections six avenues will be explored: Music is a gift of God and our God is a singing God; singing belongs to the Church; singing is for the glory of God; singing is an emotional and spiritual power; singing is preaching and hymns are theology. And in seeking a healthy and vibrant singing (as it is vital part of Church’s ministry), the paper closes with some proposals in order to assess and select music for the Congregation’s worship.
1. Reflections on the Theology and place of singing (music) in Christian worship.
1.1. Music is a gift of God and our God is a singing God: Martin Luther often referred to music as a gift of God and accorded it the highest place and greatest honor after theology, “next to the word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions. For whether you wish to comfort the sad, to terrify the happy, encourage the despairing, to humble the proud, to calm the passionate, or to appease those full of hate- what more effective means than music could you find?” From its inception, when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy, to its consummation, when every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and sea, and all that is in them will sing to the lamb on the throne, creation is musical. Human music making participates in the music of creation and reflects the order, beauty, and diversity of God’s creation. As music is a gift from God, our God must have been a singing God. According to the Acts of St. John (apocryphal text), Jesus Christ sang the hymn and danced with his disciples. Jesus asked his disciples to hold the hands to form a circle. Jesus also spoke about the impact of this dance, “he who does not dance, does not understand what is taking place”.[4]
1.2. Singing is a ministry that belongs to the Church: Singing is not an option for the people of God; it is one of the essential ministries of the Church. The congregation is always the primary choir. The role of professional or volunteer choirs is to aid the church in its worship. However, congregational singing is essential. Listening only to solo is not enough. The order of worship, which does not regularly include the opportunity for all the members of the congregation to join in song, will be impoverished worship, and the life of the church and the faith of its people will suffer.
In worship, singing is especially corporate. Indeed, it is the art form most suited to expressing the church’s unity in the body of Christ. Different voices, different instruments, different parts are blended to offer a single, living, and unified work of beauty. Congregational singing is helping the Church express and experience the unity of the Church, the body of Christ. The human tongue was created to proclaim the praise of God, both through singing and speaking, “the chief use of the tongue is in public prayers, which are offered in the assembly of the believers, by which it comes about that with one common voice and as it were, with the same mouth, we all glorify God together, worshipping him with one spirit and the same faith”[5].
1.3. Singing is for the glory of God: The main direction of congregational singing is to the Lord (Psalms 96:1). As music is from God, it is first of all to the Lord and only secondarily to each other. Music communicates and expresses a sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God; it should lead our thoughts toward God rather than ourselves. Beautiful songs can glorify God and spirits may be uplifted by a pleasing melody and song has great force and vigor to move and inflame the hearts of men to invoke and praise God with a more ardent zeal. But it is important to know that it is only the joining of the tune to a text that only gives meaning to Christian songs. In other words, the tune must serve the text, because music is always the servant of the word. “Songs as have been composed only for the sweetness and delight of the ear are unbecoming to the majesty of the church and cannot but displease God in the highest degree”.[6] Similarly John Wesley offered instructions: “above all, sing spiritually. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself… see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you…”[7]
1.4. Singing is an emotional and spiritual power: Music, apart from its text, is capable of evoking powerful emotions. Music prepares the heart for worship and commitment. Music is the greatest mood activator of all. Calvin has rightly pointed out “song has great force and vigor to move and inflame the hearts of men to invoke and praise God”. Music can indeed excite piety and depending on its mood, more individuals to penitence, and some melodies may move people to tears. The quality of songs is gauged not by their beauty or truth content, but the emotional effect and appeal they have upon the masses. Singing really revives the believers and revival empowers songs as well. The black movement has been inspired by and accompanied by singing and dancing. Even more in Mizoram, any movement was motivated by and associated with appropriate songs and singing.[8]
1.5. Singing is Preaching: The intent of hymn singing is not only to alter moods or create atmosphere, it is to massage the emotional state of a worshipper into a posture of spiritual openness, and to deliver the gifts of Christ. Singing is preaching, a return of God’s word to the people “speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph.
1.6. Hymns, Songs are theology: The hymns or songs of the church are not only the sources of theology they are theological statements. They are the church’s lyrical, theological commentaries on Scripture, liturgy, faith, action, and hosts of other subjects, which call the reader and singer to faith, life and Christian practice.
Theology is doxology. Here it is helpful to remember that the primary meaning of orthodoxy is “right praise” from the Greek orthos (right) and doxa (glory or praise). Only by extension does it mean, “Right doctrine”. Theology must sing. Theology cannot remain mute words safely bedded down between the cover of a book; it must leap off the printed page, exit the mouth, and fill the air with holy sound. Theology must be given a voice. The lips, not the pen, are the best instruments of theological expression. All true theology is restless until it finds rest in liturgy, sermons and hymnody. In seminaries students learn as much theology in the daily chapel services as in the classroom or study.
Hymns are theology. They communicate the Scripture, the gospel, and the faith and church tradition. Hymns affirm a theology of the Word; hence, their language is of utmost importance. It is not a vehicle for the theological ego of a particular group or denomination, but a vehicle of God’s praise and of the human realization of God’s will on earth. Therefore, theology, which shapes the language of hymn, is of primary importance and the Christian must be concerned with its integrity.
Just for an example, let us analyze a very popular Christmas carol, “Joy to the world” to highlight its theological content and expression. The carol was written by Isaac Watts and published for the first time in 1719. It is said that the song is a paraphrase of the Psalm 98th, and has become one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time. The popularity of the song resulted in a number of revisions designed to fit the theology of those singing it. For example, in 1838 the song was revised by a group of religious skeptics, who apparently liked the song but did not want to sing about the coming of the Lord. They changed the words from “Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King” to “Joy to the world! The Light has come, the only lawful King. Let every heart prepare it room, and moral nature sing.” People who do not believe in Jesus often do not mind singing about a baby born in a manger. This song makes it very clear that Jesus did not just come to be an inspiring infant or a gentle Rabi. He came as the Lord, the King of Kings, fully deserving our praise. The last verse of “Joy to the World” reads, “He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove. The glories of His righteousness and wonders of His Love.” When Jesus came to this earth, he did not remain in the manger, he did not even remain in the cross, he rose from the dead, that he might reign over all creation. Whether people enjoy singing the words or not, Isaac Watts rightly says, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.”
Hymns are theology, and Christians tend to reflect the content and mood of their hymn in the way they think and live as a church and community. Many are limited to a select number of favorite hymns, a practice, which greatly restricts growth and development in faith. There is a need to expand the horizons and vision of the community of faith by studying the hymns of the past and present, a vast theological corpus, and developing the ability to judge what has integrity in the light of Scripture, church tradition and history. The hymns of the church are perhaps its finest commentary on faith and practice outside the Scripture.
2. Proposals for evaluating and nurturing Congregational Singing.
Since the Church sings and singing will never cease, evaluating and selecting music for Christian worship, should be carefully done. It is to be guided by theological considerations. The Church music Committee or Worship Committee should be attentive to the following proposed guidelines.
1) Theological content: What theology is expressed in our congregational singing? Is the range of what we sing representative of the whole counsel of God? Is it biblical? Is it consistent with our theology? What do our songs and hymns say or imply about the sovereignty and grace of God? About the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ? About the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature and mission of the Church, the sacraments and the Christian life?
2) Pastoral breadth: Is there sufficient pastoral breadth in our music ministry? Do we sing songs that are appropriate to the many and varied life situations in which believers find themselves? Does our congregational singing include the many moods and types of prayer, praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, intercession, and dedication?
3) Liturgical breadth: Does our congregational singing include songs and hymns appropriate to each of the seasons of the church year?
4) Is there sufficient historical, cultural and generational breadth? Does our congregational singing express belief in the communion of saints? Are all the saints present encouraged to join in singing, and do our songs also express our belief that we sing with saints throughout the ages and around the world? Do the hymns and songs include contributions from other cultures, languages, and eras? Is the language of our hymns inclusive? Do our hymns make use of the range of biblical imagery for God? Can all believers, male and female, young and old, feel included by the language of our congregational songs?
5) Corporate worship: Does the music encourage congregational singing or is it designed for the solo artist or does it come across as entertainment? Are soloists and choir effectively leading and supporting the congregation in its worship or are they merely displaying their virtuosity? Do the hymns and choruses we sing express the faith of the gathered community or do they tend toward individual and private expressions of faith?
6) Do the hymns and choruses we sing assume and encourage growth in discipleship?
Conclusion:
The true faith is articulated not only in the sermon but is also prayed in the prayers and sung in the hymns. The Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, also keeps that church with Jesus Christ in the one true faith, the one true faith that is sung. Theology must sing. So let us sing, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, unto the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
[1] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV, Part 3, Chapter 16, Par. 72, 4.
[2] The meaning of the carol - He was born in a stable of Bethlehem
[3] The song mentioned above is not a Christmas song; it was taken from Hindi Bollywood film, “Tarzaan”
[4] E. Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha Vol.2 (London: SCM Press, 1975), 227-32. And see also Seeking New Horizons, ed. Leonard Fernando, S.J (Delhi
[5] John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, 20, 31.
[6] Calvin, Institutes, III, 20,32.
[7] Austin Lovelace and William Race, Music and Worship in the Church (Nashville: Abingdon, 1976), 157.
[7] Ibid, 221
[8] K. Thanzauva, Theology of Community (Aizawl: Mizo Theological Conference, 1997), 220.
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