During COVID-19, all gatherings of any size over 10, or 2, or the size of your immediate family are banned. Sporting events are canceled. Concerts have been canceled. Gasp! Bands, singers, promoters, scalpers – they are losing their income! Join the club, says millions of other citizens.
So, what to do?
Let’s do living room singalongs! Singers around the world have opened up their homes and studios to live singalongs! As they try and keep our attention off of the isolation we all feel, they are also hoping you will remember them when the times allow them to travel again.
There are singers I still enjoy that are doing just this. Is it perfect? No. There are still many distractions to this process. Will we ever get past this banishment? Who knows?
Yesterday, Bill Gates, yes, the Microsoft Guru, stated on a CBS interview that we should probably not have large gatherings until we get a vaccination. Imagine this. We may not have sporting, concerts, parades, or even church, until a vaccination has been provided.
So. What I’m doing today, sharing this thought about Jesus may be the best way we have to connect! Am I ready? Are you ready? I may sing a song with you and it will be far from perfect, but as someone said to me yesterday, “Your brother sings better than you…” and I would agree wholeheartedly.
Singing is important to me, even as my hearing fails. Hence, old songs are much better than new songs. I know them, and hear them in my mind. Give me my old songs! Click To TweetBut sing, I must. Why? It’s part and parcel of my identity. I grew up singing, listening to my dad sing, participating in groups singing at church and school.
What is singing?
Well. Many of us know that we do not have the voice or ear for music performance. Singing is simply “to utter words or sounds in succession with musical modulations of the voice; vocalize melodically.”
Notice the key words. Musical modulations. Vocalize melodically.
For most of us, we know that singing requires some inherent or trained ability. If you cannot hear the music through your ears or in your mind, then the results may be plain weird.
For Israel, the book of Psalms is essentially a songbook of words that can be put to music so that we can sing. “Singing is known to release endorphins, the feel-good brain chemical that makes you feel uplifted and happy. ” [Source]
Perhaps, for all of us, some form of singing actually makes us feel better than we did before we exercised our vocal chords.
Singing stories are the primary purpose of most songs. Pause a moment and read some of the lyrics you sing, and you may find the rhythm of a poem merely put to music sounds. Fast. Slow. Medium speed. Range of notes, key assignments, multiple notes on the same beat.
How about it, are you ready to sing?
Jesus Sang
There is only a single occurrence recorded where Jesus sang and it is recorded in two gospels (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26). It was toward the end of his ministry, and it follows just after the Last Supper.
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
(Matthew 26:30 KJV)
This brings me to a few questions.
- I wonder what his voice was like?
- What hymn did they sing? The original Greek word is translated better as “hallel” which is simply a reference to the Psalms 113-118. These were the “hallelujah” words used at the close of Passover. These were the recordings of their history and they recited and sang them to remind themselves where they came from and how God delivered them.
- Did they harmonize, or sing parts? How elaborate was their song? Did they ever create new songs, or were they simply reciting century-old lyrics?
The Apostle Paul is described as singing praises unto God when he and Silas were imprisoned. (Acts 16:25) The same questions above apply to this situation. He teaches the early church that singing (psalms and hymns and spiritual songs) was the making of a melody within the heart to the Lord and that we should sing with grace. (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:6) In fact, in Colossians, he tells us that these psalms and hymns are instructional!
The writer of Hebrews describes singing praises to God in the midst of the church. Hence, we have a major portion of our church service dedicated to singing.
Even Without A Voice
My dad had a voice to sing. Acapella. No Music. Just perfect key and a resonance of tone that made it a joy to hear.
Equally, I’ve been around people who cannot carry a tune in a bucket.
With my hearing issues, a friend knows that he cannot sing the way he wants to if he is standing near me because it throws me off every time. I don’t hear parts, and I don’t understand baritone versus tenor. Let me simply sing the melody. And that’s where I am today.
1 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!
2 O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to trust his cleansing blood;
and in simple faith to plunge me
neath the healing, cleansing flood! [Refrain]
3 Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
just from sin and self to cease;
just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace. [Refrain]
What Do We Do?
The Carpenters sang a song back in the ’70s…
Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud, sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
Sing, sing a song
Let the world sing along
Sing of love there could be
Sing for you and for me
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
Just sing, sing a song