4 posts tagged “sing”
Yesterday afternoon we had an old fashioned hymn sing at Bixlers Church. I brought my camera along and took a few pictures.
First, we were welcomed by Nova, a member of Bixlers:
We were delighted that 72 people attended this Sunday afternoon service.
Bixlers Choir started us off with a short anthem, "I Will Serve Thee."
Next, Peggy, a guest, sang three solos: "I Belong to Him," "I Stand Amazed in the Presence," and "O How He Loves You and Me."
The congregation then sang "O How I Love Jesus."
Next Nova read a piece by an 8 year old boy from Chula Vista, California. It described his humorous take of what God is like!
Nearby Meadow Branch Church of the Brethren sent their choir, which sang "Victory in Jesus."
They played several numbers and no one in the nave had a senior moment!
Somewhere in the order of music and singing I was called upon to sing a solo or two. I sang three pieces: "His Name Is Wonderful," "There's Something about That Name," and my favorite, "I'll Fly Away."
After our hymn sing, we went downstairs for light refreshments and good, Christian fellowship.
Psalm 149:5-9:
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds,
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment --
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!
In the first four verses of Psalm 149 we are called to praise the Lord with a new song, for the saints to assemble and rejoice in God, our Maker, heavenly Father, and King, with dancing, singing, and the playing of musical instruments. If we humble ourselves in praising, God will take pleasure in us and beautify us with salvation.
The last five verses of Psalm 149, shown above, also call us to rejoice, to sing, and to praise God.
Then the honor of the saints is revealed.
What is the honor of the saints?
According to the Psalmist, the saints will be given a task to do. It is to carry out God's written judgment upon the nations, peoples, kings, and nobles.
It is an execution of vengeance with the two-edged sword. It is no less than punishment. Kings and nobles will be bound in chains and fettered in irons.
At first glance, this part of the Psalm appears less than Christian. Swords? Vengeance? Punishment? Binding and fettering?
And yet, it's right there in the Bible, the same Word that our Lord said will stand forever. The same Word that Jesus said he came to keep, to fulfill, not wanting to remove even a jot or a tittle.
So what are we to do with this part of Psalm 149?
The more important question is, I think, what does it have to do with us? After all, who are we to question its wisdom?
I seem to remember Jesus speaking early and often of a Day of Judgment, of a separating of the sheep from the goats. I recall our Lord predicting His triumphant return, to establish His Kingdom on earth, as it is already in Heaven. The final chapters of the Bible, in the Revelation to John, speak of that coming Day.
What is the honor of the saints, then?
It is just this, to execute judgment on that great Day of the Lord only upon the written judgment of God.
God is a just Judge and I have no doubt that His judgments in that Day will be fair and justified.
The vengeance and punishment and written judgment of God will someday come.
This Psalm, taken in its entirety, speaks of a day of praise, a time of rejoicing, a time even of rest and renewal, before the great and terrible Day of the Lord.
Yes, I believe that our Lord will come again "to judge the quick [the living] and the dead."
The honor of "all the saints" is to participate in God's judgment.
Until that Day, let's live each day as God wants us to:
- Loving God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength
- Loving our neighbor as ourselves
- Loving one another as Christ loved us.
Come, Lord Jesus!
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!
