Why I’ve Missed Singing Together
Photo by Zack Smith on Unsplash
Church family, I have missed singing with you. Many of you have expressed to me that you miss it too. As we have been unable to gather together, it has felt like something substantial is missing from my life. Singing corporate worship songs to a camera is exhausting. And singing along with myself via video is, frankly, an experience I never had a category for. So, why do we miss singing in worship together?
That leads me to consider another question. Isn’t it strange that we sing at church to begin with? Every week, Christians—all across cultures, traditions, and beliefs—get together and sing. Have you ever wondered why we even do it? I have, and I sing all the time! (Ask my wife, coworkers, or any stranger who waits in a line with me.)
Singing is a vital part of life as the people of God. When we read the Bible, we see that God’s people have always been and will always be a singing people—from the crossing of the Red Sea to New Jerusalem. In his word, God commands us to sing. Why? I have three reasons I want to put before you.
We sing because we need it. “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting” (Psalm 147:1) We often operate out of a misconception that we sing because God needs it. This could not be further from the truth. While God delights in the praises of his people (Psalm 51:14-17; Zephaniah 3:17), he doesn’t need them, or anything, from us (Amos 5:23; Acts 17:25). It is us who need him. We need him more and more, every day. And, in the day-by-day highs and lows of life, we need regular things in our routines that turn our attention away from ourselves and our circumstances, and toward God in his glory and goodness. Then, with fresh vision, we approach our lives in the presence of God.
Not only do we need to sing to God ourselves, we need brothers and sisters to sing to us. When Paul encourages the church to sing in both Ephesians and Colossians, it is within a corporate context. They are to “address one another” in song and “teach and exhort” one another in song. Likewise, Psalms frequently use language like this: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done…. tell of all his wonderful acts” (Ps 105). Many Psalms are totally comprised of exclamations about great things God has done, in order to remind the reader or singer. We sing to remind, not just ourselves, but our brothers and sisters how good God is. This is why it is so important that when we gather to sing together, we in fact sing together! There’s no space for idle hearts in the congregation of a glorious God.
We sing because it forms us. In the language of the Bible, singing is often closely connected to a heart or attitude of worship. Psalm 51 says, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit...” Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” And Paul, in Ephesians 5:19, uses the language of “making melody to the Lord with your heart” in describing what a wise and Spirit-filled life looks like.
In other words, according to the Bible, singing has a way of connecting God’s truth to our hearts, drawing our affections and the deepest parts of us into a life of worship. Singing, then, is a way of participating in the Great Commandment. When we sing, we bring our hearts before God, and he then forms them to be like his. Only as God forms us, can we love him with all of our mind, heart, soul, and strength. Singing reorients our hearts and minds around the things of the Lord (“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”), so that we may grow more into the likeness of Christ. Is singing in church uncomfortable or uninteresting for you? It often has been for me. Maybe there’s a hesitation to bare your heart before God. Maybe there’s a fear of letting God impress his truth on you deeply. Or maybe there’s a fear of being vulnerable before God and his people. I encourage you to bring those things to the Lord and to press into bold participation in corporate worship.
Finally, we sing as part of the greatest rehearsal. Singing does not just form us inwardly. All of our lives belong to God. Obedience to Christ during the week looks like these things: Loving God by rejoicing and delighting in him, repenting from sin, pursuing holiness, and proclaiming the gospel. Look over that list again. Don’t we do all of those things when we sing? This is what we mean at Mosaic when we say that we gather on Sundays to “remember and rehearse the mighty acts of God.” When we sing on Sunday, we proclaim anew our confession of faith and practice the life in Christ we desire to live Monday–Saturday. Singing together is a rehearsal for life today—for Life with God, Life on Life, and Life on Mission. And singing together is a rehearsal for life in eternity: “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” (Rev 5:13)
I say all this to give credence to what you feel if you are missing corporate worship. It’s been a joy for me to start singing with some of you again, but it’s not the same. I also say these things to impress on us the great value and beauty of corporate worship. I hope you’ll consider, with freedom and wisdom, attending one of our in-person gatherings this summer. I also encourage you to have times of worship with your GC, family, or roommates during these days. As we do gather this summer, both to rejoice and mourn, let us do so eagerly, knowing that God is forming us. And let’s do so with hopeful expectancy for the days when we will worship together forever; uninhibited by masks, yes, but also doubt, shame, and heartache.