2 posts tagged “seminary”

Psalm 149:3 NKJV:

Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

Let's dance! Can that be praise of God? The Bible tells us so.

Let's sing! Can that be praise, too? Yes, the Bible tells us so.

Let's make music! Can playing instruments give praise to God? You got that right. The Bible tells us so.

A timbrel is an ancient tambourine. When I go to the Order of Saint Luke Conference Region 2 in the spring, I hear someone play the tambourine as we sing praise songs. Sometimes I believe it is overused. It can overpower the singing and the other instruments. Still, used judiciously, the tambourine helps me worship. It adds glitter and pizazz to worship.

The Old Testament man David played the harp, didn't he? There is a member of OSL region 2 who plays the harp. She uses it during one of our services of healing at the OSL retreat in the fall in northern New Jersey. It is so soothing. I can listen to the harp for an hour or more and not grow tired of it. I like harp music, don't you?

We play instruments and sing in our churches, offering praise to God. Both of our churches have organs and pianos. They are played every Sunday. One church plays taped background music for a praise song. We are a small membership church, so the taped background supports our singing and drowns out the worst voices among us.

Do we dance? If we do, we haven't done it in a while.

The Lay Member to Annual Conference and I see dancers in worship at Annual Conference in May every year.

Young women and men in black tights, flowing scarves or capes, moving to express the Scripture or songs in sacred dance. I always enjoy their polished efforts. It helps me worship and is a pleasure to watch, too.

My wife and I took ballroom dance lessons so we could dance at our son's wedding reception a couple of years ago. We took the lessons several times over two years.

You know what, I can dance, but not very well. Neither can she, although I admit she's better than me.

I may not be able to dance, but I can sing. I guess my throat is my instrument, too. I enjoyed playing the flute in high school and for a few years after my seminary education.

I did take voice lessons after I gave up the flute. One-on-one lessons. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about singing techniques until I did that. I had sung in youth choir at church, then I sang in the Seminary Singers, then in church choirs in churches I served.

After I had the voice lessons, I sang better. Getting better at anything means practicing and learning more and more about it. But most of all, it involves just doing it.

Today I will sing the praises of my God. I will appreciate the hymns and songs played in church. And maybe, just maybe, I will dance a little ... when no one's watching, but God.

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Psalm 149:1

I like to sing. I have sung in choirs. I have sung solos. I have been in quartets. Singing lifts the heart and spirit. Singing take you to a higher plane of life.

The psalmist urges us to praise Lord. How do we do that?

Sing to the Lord a new song.

When I was in seminary, I learned in worship class that altar flowers should be fresh, not artificial. "Living flowers for a living Lord." It made sense.

It makes sense that my song should be fresh and new each day, too. "New songs for a God who loves the fresh and new."

It reminds me that God's favorite activity is being creative. God's always up to something new.

We stay young and vital when we remember that about God, and about ourselves.

We're made in God's image. We're made to be creative.

So today, I will sing God's new song.

I will fulfill the purpose for which God made me.

Praise the Lord!