Thursday, April 16, 2009
How Can We Keep From Singing
Watch this video. I love that Steven made this of the band hanging out before a youth service. Its hilarious. And for the record, I would never stuff an 8 year old girl while she is shooting a basketball.
What have I been doing lately? Preparing for a sermon I am giving on Sunday. That's right, I'm preaching and not singing. Sort of ruins my Friday and Saturday day off. I can pick music and rehearse and pretty much breeze through the rest of the week before Sunday. However, writing a sermon takes me hours and hours and hours to prepare. I really want to teach our community about the importance of singing. I came up with this one line definition that I think will really help us.
Singing unites God's people to respond to His glory out of the authentic affections of our hearts.
1. Unity: Singing allows us to unite and proclaim the Truth of God like nothing else does in community.
2. Responding: Singing gives us the freedom to respond to who God is and what He has done.
3. Authentic Affections: We are able to express our deepest emotions through singing.
I am really excited about Sunday. God has provided me with wisdom when I wasn't sure it was going to come. Praise be to Jesus who calls us and equips us.
Also, the book of Exodus is a great read! I can remember most of the story of Moses but love recalling God's rescue of the Israelites at the Red Sea , etc. Did you know that when the Israelites created a god with their golden earrings (Exodus 32), they were not trying to create a new god, but were trying to form the God, The LORD, into an image of there own. Too bad its impossible to take an infinite Being and make Him finite. Plus it was a huge law-breaking of the second commandment ("Do not make an idol of any form..."). However, I felt pretty convicted of my own manipulation of God into the songs I sing and the thoughts I have of Him. He is not the culmination of my songs nor the definition of my thoughts...He is more and more and more!
May our strength be found in Him and may our thoughts of Him be worship! God bless you all!
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2 comments:
Can't wait to hear it, Mark. That's a great definition to start off with.
I know that I feel a stream of emotions surface when I sing out loud with all my hart that otherwise would have been kept quiet. Sometimes so much so that my voice cracks and it's just embarrassing. It's a release that everyone needs and most of us need a leader of worship to give us the words and the beat. You do a great job at that.
Break a leg, Mark!
-RB
Ten years later and your words still inspire me.
Songs can put words to our feelings our hearts couldn't find the words for. Not to mention singing can unite an entire congregation into one purpose, praising a LORD worthy of everything we can give him and so much more!
You'll do great, Mark!
-Jenny Rodgers - Cabrera
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