Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sing Like No One is Listening

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sign psalms to him.
- Psalm 95:1-2
I love to sing. No, I'm not in the choir, and I'm not a particularly good singer. I don't even really like anybody else to hear me singing. But I love music, and I love songs about Jesus, about much He loves us, and how much I love Him. Songs like that really move me, and I can't help but sing along, whether it's a Christian rock song on the radio, or a hymn at mass.

Do you join in the singing at mass? Why do we sing anyway? Singing as a form of worship is a tradition that goes deep into the past. The psalms are songs that were written and sung many hundreds of years before Jesus came to Earth. After His death and resurrection, the disciples continued to include the singing of psalms in their worship services. They probably even sung them at the last supper, which is the model for our modern mass.

St. Augustine said that song is the language of love, and that when we sing we pray twice. Think about all the songs you hear on the radio, or have in your collection. How many of them are about love? 90%? A romantic dinner wouldn't be complete without music. A wedding wouldn't be as joyful without singing. And what kind of party doesn't have a good soundtrack to create the right mood? The mass is all of these things: a romantic dinner, a wedding, a celebration. Music and singing help create an atmosphere where we can let our love flow during our worship.

Sometimes I can't always find the right words to express how I feel. But I can always find a song that does it perfectly. And often that song will find me just when I need it, either on the radio, on my iPod, or during mass. Music moves me, and the right combination of music and words can lift my heart and bring tears to my eyes.

God gave the gift of music to the musicians and cantors and choirs who join us each week. He didn't give that gift to all of us, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how bad your singing voice is. Lift it up in song and prayer anyway. To God it sounds as sweet as the angels.

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Check out some of these songs which have really touched me:

Josh Wilson - Before The Morning
Mark Schultz - Back in His Arms Again
tobyMac - City on our Knees
Chris August - Starry Night
Rebecca St James - I Thank You
newsboys - I Am Free
Tenth Avenue North - You Are More
MercyMe - I Can Only Imagine

Also check out K-Love radio - 107.3 in the Pleasanton area.


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