Thought for Today
Exodus 32:17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."
Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Quick show of hands, noise, yes or no? For many of us, as we age, noise becomes a nuisance and even an irritant. What in our youth was a joyful noise at some point becomes “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Is the defining moment of our transition into being crusty, old codgers the point at which we find ourselves complaining that the music of the younger generation is merely loud, discordant noise with no discernable lyrics or melody?
I must admit that I was and still remain a fan of folk music. When Greta and I go to the YMCA to walk on the treadmills and workout on the machines, I listen to some of the groups from my own youth, the Kingston Trio and the Chad Mitchell Trio. I do have other music on my smartphone, albums by Amy Grant and even Eric Clapton. I have several albums by Phil Collins. I even listen joyfully to the music of Gordon Lightfoot and Jimmy Buffett. Sometimes I find ideas and inspirations from the music to which I listen. I have mentioned Jimmy Buffett’s song Gravity Storm in lessons and sermons.
As I have aged (note: no claim to having matured!), however, the music of the younger generations has inevitably transitioned. That is what music does. It is interesting to look at the dates associated with the hymns we sing during worship. We find hymns attributed to Martin Luther, e.g., A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. Luther is often credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation in 1517. We find hymns attributed to Charles Wesley, e.g., O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, dated to 1740. Of course, there are also modern and contemporary hymns. I wonder whether a comparison study of hymn choice verses the age of the minister or music director would show a correlation based on age. I suspect it would.
When does making a joyful noise transition into “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal?” I have known some who would allege that instrumental accompaniment to hymns crosses the line of separation. I have known others who allege that only hymns accompanied by an organ (or only by a piano) can truly be joyful noises. I have worshiped in services that were a cappella, in services accompanied by full orchestras and in various services in between. Personally, I find all voices raised in worship to be joyful noises, even the voices of those of us who are not vocally talented.
There are obvious noises that are not (and maybe cannot be) joyful. Certainly the noises associated with war and violence are not joyful. Scripture consistently associates the “day of the Lord” with loud noises. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and fires produce loud noises, none of which are joyful. As an engineer, I know that the sound of broken machinery or of machinery needing adjustment are not joyful noises.
As I ponder the question, I cannot help but think of the story of Elijah and God’s words, “1 Kings 19:11 He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’"
Our ancestors- in-the-faith found God in both the joyful noises of voices raised in praise and in the sound of sheer silence. The psalmist wrote of instrumental praise, of cymbals, tambourines, harps, and of voices singing. Simon and Garfunkel sang the beautiful Sound of Silence, one of my personal favorites.
Ultimately, the joyfulness is not in the instruments, the voices or the words, not in the sheer silence, the joyfulness is in praising God, in communing to God our gratefulness for God’s presence and God’s Creation. Make a joyful noise, relish in the sheer silence. Thank God.
Stay safe, talk to God, trust God,
Pastor Ray