Why We Sing Loud on Sundays
In this mercifully short post, Keith Getty, one of my favorite song-writers and worship leaders, gives us five reasons to sing loudly as the gathered church. While I think all five points he makes are pure gold, I want highlight two that stood out most to me.
Singing is an expression of brotherhood and unites generations.
Think about what happens on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening as we sing together. We are surrounded by people who are different ages, have different ethnicities, different upbringings, different cultures, different socioeconomic standing, and on and on and on, yet from the three-year-olds to those in their retirement, we all can raise our voices in chorus and proclaim “All glory be to Christ!”
This is astounding to think about, and it’s exactly what Paul has in mind as he exhorts the church in Ephesians 5.18–19 to “…be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…”. By raising our voices with the church, the things that separate us are suddenly trumped by our eternal oneness in the body of Christ.
Singing together completes our joy.
We haven’t fully enjoyed something until we’ve shared it with others, which is why the only party anyone ever has alone is a pity-party. There is a unique joy that comes from asking the question, “What can wash away my sin?” and immediately hearing the church triumphantly reply, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
Our singing is a prime opportunity for us to boast in the death and resurrection of Christ and our church should have no place for a half-hearted boast: Jesus lives! Death is dead! And when He returns we will be made like Him and will be with Him forever! Since these things are true we have something to shout about!
The reason Keith Getty’s article struck a chord with me is because I don’t want Cities Church to be a place that merely celebrates pretty songs sung by pretty voices. Instead, I want us to celebrate Jesus by being loud, robust, mighty, and bold. I want us to lift our voices so that our city cannot just hear, but also feel the fervor of our affections for Jesus.