So far this year, I have been using this space to write about worship. I want to explore why we do what we do on Sunday mornings. My hope is that as we understand the meaning behind what we do, we will better appreciate it and be edified by it.
In January I started with a definition worship. It is important to understand what Christian worship is before we talk about how we worship. In short, worship is about receiving God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. In worship we receive God in our ears and in our mouths, and as we receive him, we receive all that he has done for us.
This month I would like to take a brief look at hymns and other music in worship.
The first thing to recognize about music, is that music itself is a creation of God. When we think about God’s creation, our minds probably jump straight to material things—land, sea, plants, animals, etc.—as well as light, our souls, and the breath of life. But there is even more to creation than that. We should also believe that God created the conceptual laws that give structure to the creation—things like time, physics, and music.
In the beginning, “The earth was formless and void” (Gen. 1:2). There were two absences. “Void” refers to a lack of matter. God reversed this by creating material realities. “Formless” refers to a lack of structure. God reversed this by creating conceptual realities. He built structure, order, and pattern into the creation. Think about this: God wrote the laws of physics. Scientists simply discover the order and structure that God hardwired into his creation. Similar to this, it is appropriate to see music as part of his creation.
God designed different materials to make different sounds. He designed sound waves to behave a certain way. He designed our ears to hear certain sounds. He designed our brains to interpret the patterns in music and even feel a certain way. Music is a mode of communication that God created. Composers simply discover and arrange the patterns God invented to communicate various moods and feelings. Music communicates in a way that words are not able to.
Music is part of God’s creation, and a very good part (see Luther’s statement about music, quoted on page 1 of the Ambassador Hymnal).
The Psalms are replete with instructions to sing and make music. And Paul writes to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). Music helps us teach God’s Word. It helps us remember it, and, when used properly, it helps us understand God’s Word on an emotional level.
Music also adds beauty or emotion to the words of the Church. We use music in worship to complement our words. Consider the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The tune marvelously captures both anguish and hopefulness as we wait for Christ to come. In contrast, consider the jubilant notes of “Joy to the World” as we celebrate the glorious truth that Jesus has come. Both tunes beautifully capture and communicate the emotions of the texts.
Finally, music also serves to unite the Church in her words. Some songs and hymns are prayers. Others are more like a confession of faith or a proclamation of the Gospel. When we sing together, it demonstrates our unity in prayer, confession, and proclamation. We could just speak everything together, and that would demonstrate our unity in what we say. But when we sing together, it adds depth to this demonstration of unity, because when we sing, we are not merely united in what we say, we are united in how we say it. Music serves to demonstrate the unity created by our baptisms into one common Head—Christ Jesus.
Music is a beautiful gift that God has built into his creation and given to his Church, so we join together in making music to our God. We do not all need to have majestic voices (although it’s nice when some people do). Part of the beauty of the Church’s music is that it comes from fallen and sinful creatures. So let us join together in singing our prayers, confessions, and proclamation.
The peace of Christ be with you all,
Pastor Dan