The Power of Music.

Let me preference this blog with this statement I'm a WELS Lutheran, and I like it that way, this not an attack on my synod or even my church and certainly not my pastor...this is simply the way I see music and how I think it could be used better.



Today is Palm Sunday, while in church today my Pastor said something that made me smile.
"Because of Jesus, even little children singing praises, have more power than Satan." Just think about that...this big scary devil running around ruining lives, confusing peoples hearts and minds, has less power then my 4 year olds singing Jesus Loves Me or Hip Hip Hip Hippopotamus...

It's a celebration a way to share the joy and hope of Jesus, It can ignite a fire inside people..

All the people in this world that practice magic and draw power from channels other then Jesus, have less power than than my 3 year olds belting out Jesus Loves the Little Children. I mean just WOW..

Music...

Singing is so much more then just worship, it's a way to say thank-you

Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. ~2 Samuel 22:50~

It's a celebration a way to share the joy and hope of Jesus, It can ignite a fire inside people..

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:23~

Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Psalm 96:2


Paul and Silas sang in prison, In prison they sang praises...just think about what the jailers or the other prisoners are thinking then...What hope what a testimony, what a way to LIVE your faith.

[ The Philippian Jailer Saved ] But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ~Acts 16:25~


There is so much power in singing, you are suppose to sing to children to help them grow, and preschoolers to help them learn, and the sick to bring comfort, it can bring rest for your soul, renewal to your faith, and joy...

Music the universal language...that fact alone has got to make you think about the power.

The Bible contains over 400 references to singing and 50 direct commands to sing.  Bob Kauflin)We're commanded twice in the New Testament to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). 

Sometimes I think conservative churches get it wrong. When sometimes for the sake of being biblical we cheat the music, and more modern churches for the sake of being trendy lose a little of the teaching in the repetitious praise. Both of these examples have their strengths and I'm not saying they are bad, repetition if a great way to learn, a great way to reinforce, a great way to draw people in so you can teach them the more complicated messages you often find in old well written hymns.

It's very rare I find a church that can take the two extremes and find the middle ground. To often at my Church I feel like I'm at a funeral, it's beautiful words and poetry, and such a great message but you lose the urge to PRAISE the Lord with song. There is no feeling no passion in the melody while the words are so full of meaning. (Not all of them but the ones that do both are so rarely sang at my church).. I also know you are praising God when you sing but the joy that comes with uplifting music is sometimes/ most of the time missing.  

There is a place for the beauty of different melodies... Harps, and beautiful songs are often mentioned in the Psalms, I'm not saying you have to rock the house to have passion... but a majority of the verses encourage joyful song.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. ~Psalm 98:4

Makes me think that praising God should be a party, "Break forth in song"...like a musical...maybe the Pentecostal throwing themselves on the ground filed with the spirit, the southern gospel swaying and clapping are on to something.  They have so much feeling in their songs, so many old tried and true hymns that don't seem to be touched anymore in Lutheran churches, sometimes I think we try too hard to find hymns that fit the message of the day we lose the novelty of what singing really is...

In a recent service we were re-taught that you don't go to church to be entertained, your not there to learn something new, your there to get the word of God. Your not there to hang out with friends (though there is something to be said for fellowship with people at the same walk in life as you, a fact I'm more aware of now after St. Marcus). Though it's all true, there is an element of necessity in these things. You need to draw people in and since music is the most powerful way and part of worship why not use it the tools God gives to work with the message? 


I left church feeling guilty that day that my feelings about the power of music, or the longing I have to fellowship with people my age is wrong... that it should be enough to simply get the word of God and I was selfish for wanting more from church. It makes me think about the people who don't go to church because they can get the same thing at home, or in nature....I can just as easily open the bible sit by a lake and get the word of God.  So while I see where this message is coming from, I don't think I agree.


Heres a WELS article on the subject..
http://www.wels.net/news-events/forward-in-christ/august-2000/why-dont-you-go-church
Here's the part of the article that says what i'm trying to say a lot better.

Grab a Bible, open it right around the middle, and read Psalm 95.

God's people come to church to worship him. We come because God is "the Lord our Maker," who holds "the depths of the earth" in his hands. We come because of who we are: "he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
We come because, frankly, we can't help ourselves. What God has done for us in Christ makes us want to "shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation" and "extol him with music and song." We come to church because most of us would feel pretty silly doing these things at home alone in our living rooms. But singing God's praises with other grateful Christians at church is the most natural thing in the world, and we wouldn't miss a chance to do it.

"But singing God's praises with other grateful Christians at chruch is the most natural thing in the world." 

The first reason he gives it to worship him...with SONGS....it's natural.

Granted we do sing songs, and yes now and again we sing that tried and true hymn that everyone knows and loves and everyone sings. But if you a play a song simply because the words reinforce the sermon... in my opinion that takes away from the point of "bursting into song" because you are so full of joy...

The power of music.

I'm not saying you need a live band, and rock music to get people excited. Amazing Grace on a piano excites me just as much as the band SKILLET excites me in my car or at their concert... Or Konie at St. Marcus...

I'm not saying we can't ever try new hymns, how do you know if your congregation likes them or not if you don't try them.  But maybe just one and the others the tried and true and loved hymns...because that is one thing I'm almost sure people won't mind repeating... Why does it have to fit the message perfectly? when the point is to Worship God?

Also, another fault I find in some churches, Is the lack of standing to sing...The honor the respect you show by standing...it changes the feeling in the music as well. Sometimes it's all I can do not to stand on the last verse of Amazing Grace or any other powerful hymn...that's OVERFLOWING with joy.. Or maybe I'm just weird.  Yet Lutherans stand up and sit down constantly....why not for song? Singing and dancing and praising God....

I love music, I listen to hymns all the time, and we will sing his praises forever in heaven..I mean if that's our soul purpose in heaven to sing his praises why wouldn't it be one of the main reasons we go to church here on earth?

So sing, even if your voice isn't great, even if your old, because like on that day long ago when the religious leaders tried to shush the crowed and the children...if we don't the rocks will...one way or another God will get his praise.  It can calm your fears...

Singing gives you power over Satan...even the children...

What power...what joy...what a blessing!!

!!!SING HOSANNA!!!