Thought for Today
Judges 5:3 "Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
Psalm 33:2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Ephesians 5:18 . . . be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I was struck this morning by the oddity of the phrase ‘make melody.’ “A melody, also tune, voice of line, is a linear succession of musical tunes that the listener perceives as a single entity, in its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm . . . “ (en.wikipedia.org) We sing songs or tunes. Most often, especially in scripture, we make melody.
Deborah and Barak made melody to the Lord after Israel destroyed the king of Canaan. The righteous and upright are told to make melody to God with a harp of ten strings. A modern pedal harp has about (?) 47 strings, a lever harp has 34, a Celtic harp has 22 and lyre harp has 10. (promusicvault.com) Psalm 33 does not have a note indicating the author, but we do know from the book of 1 Samuel that David played the lyre.
The 2 most common instruments used during most Christian services today in my experience are the piano and the organ. Some larger churches do have expanded instrumental accompaniment, some even have full orchestras in orchestra pits. And, of course, some sing a cappella, without any accompaniment. I am not aware of any Christian or Jewish faith traditions that do not incorporate melody, songs, chants or some form of music in worship.
I wrote 2 days ago about our summer tradition shared with a neighbor congregation of jointly worshiping together. Tomorrow, their choir and director are joining our choir to present choral music. They will sing a Choral Anthem of Invitation, I Believe, by Mark A. Miller. After the sermon and our prayer time, they will sing an Offertory Anthem, How Can I Keep from Singing, by Greg Gilpin. Once again this morning, I am thinking about worship, music and the title of that second hymn.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he associated music, being filled with the Holy Spirit and giving thanks to God. I wonder how many of us are consciously thinking about all of that as we sing during worship. Prior to my own being called to ministry, before I studied about the elements of worship, I just sang those “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” because I enjoyed singing them. I believe that unconsciously, I was offering them in thanksgiving to God. But, I was not deliberately and purposefully doing so. Does that make any difference?
I have never been part of any faith tradition that would describe itself as ‘Spirit filled,’ or as ‘Spirit led.’ But, every faith tradition I have been part of has made a joyful noise to the Lord (Psalm 98). Some congregations have been large enough to have accompaniment by multiple instruments. Others have only had a piano or an organ for accompaniment.
Irrespective of the accompaniment, I have always found the music incorporated into worship services to be uplifting. I have always felt a sense of joy and fulfillment as I sang those “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Whether I chose the music deliberately as an adjunct to my sermon, or whether I was totally unaware of any association between sermon and song, I have always loved singing in worship.
I am looking forward to tomorrow. Yes, I do always look forward to Sunday. Yes, I have chosen hymns and spiritual songs to compliment my sermon. Serendipitously, although I had nothing to do with choosing the Choral Anthems for tomorrow, they too are a fitting accompaniment to the sermon. I will joyfully sing along with the congregation during the hymns and during the anthems. Not that my own voice will offer any strengthening of their efforts, but rather because the music will lift my own spirits, and my singing will spring from my being “filled with the Spirit.”
Stay safe, sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, trust God,
Pastor Ray