Subject: why do we sing?.... How can I keep from singing?
Complement: we sing – we celebrate -because he has done so much for us... how can I not sing!
Text: Psalm 137
Introduction:
Every 7 days I join a choir of voices to sing unto God. I’ve been doing this for over 50 years now... however I’ve never been called a “singer” ... I don’t ever describe myself as a singer... but it is something extremely meaningful to me.
My friend Pete had throat cancer a couple years ago... he also loved to sing... now he can’t... he laments the loss of his singing voice.
My son Joel joined his first worship band when he was 14(?) – as a drummer. A gentleman in our church saw him wandering over to the drums after church on Sunday’s and (after asking permission) gave Joel a drum kit for Christmas...
Since then his young upstart worship band recorded an album... and he (Joel) has written two songs and received radio play in Ontario.
A major part of “the church gathered” is spent singing praises unto God and celebrating the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection – and our having been united with Christ.
And so we –the gathered church - are described as the temple – according to Ephesians 2:22, ... the place where God dwells by his Spirit.
Gathered Christians says E Peterson, “worship with a conviction that we are in the presence of God. Worship is an act of attention to the living God ....”
Outsiders, says Peterson, observing these acts of worship, see nothing like that. They see a few people singing unpopular songs, sometimes off-key, someone reading from an old book and making remarks that may or may not interest the listeners, and then eating and drinking small portions of bread and wine that are supposed to give nourishment to their eternal souls in the same way that beef and potatoes sustain their mortal flesh.
Who is right?
“Is worship an actual meeting called to order at God’s initiative in which persons of faith are blessed by his presence and respond to his salvation?
Or is it a pathetic and sometimes desperate charade in which people attempt to get God to pay attention to them and do something for them?
P. 59 (Reversed Thunder)
“The act of worship rehearses in the present the end that lies ahead. Heaven is introduced into the present. It also conserves the past and acts as a stabilizing force, but it's dynamic function is anticipation: a community planning it's future in the light of its charter... the church at worship is centered and gathered at God’s throne, receiving the revelation of Christ, singing the great hymns, affirming and being affirmed. P. 70.
We may ask a basic question... “Why does Christian worship include so much singing?”
Every Sunday morning, all around the world…for the past 2000 years, believers in Jesus Christ have gathered for worship. In that weekly gathering, we Christians believe that Christ meets with us. It's Sunday – the day that marks the day of Christ’s resurrection. We are in his presence, and with the family of God. Though God has promised to never leave us, there remains a special and unique sense of his presence when the community gathers. We call it “church” or “having church”… we celebrate salvation…we sing to him...we listen to Him... we give to Him... we serve for Him...we welcome the stranger in his name … we may cry or even laugh…we pray to Him…
and yes sometimes the doing of church seems very ordinary and even tedious to some. The songs are too new or too old…… instead of singing out of a hymn book we now sing off the wall!
…the technology is fantastic –allowing people around the world to join in (facebook or web-casting)… but it may sometimes be out of sync and the mic might even squeal occasionally. At times we may even mutter “this is why I don’t invite my friends.” The sermon may appear dry and lacking eloquence or be seen as out of touch with modern sensibilities. The delivery lacks energy and charisma. And generally speaking it may appear difficult to sense God’s presence or hear his voice. Our collective worship may appear to be a modest or even a mediocre witness to the greatest news on earth.
And so the church struggles with its identity and style – are we too modern or too traditional? Why do we sing these songs and not the ones I like? Why is the service so long -- or so short?
And we worshippers, struggle in the tension between giving worship to our redeemer and acting like consumers at a restaurant. I like this – I don’t like this. The service was disappointing – so the “tip” will reflect my dismay and send you a message that my needs and expectations were not met.
It’s a wonder that the church has survived this long!
Yet by conservative estimates every 7 days – usually on Sunday morning about 1(?) billion people around the world gather to sing, to listen, to celebrate and to serve.
“I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Psalm 84: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.…
2500 years ago God’s people were in exile in Babylon... 70 years it lasted. I read now from psalm 137...
I: stanza 1
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion...(HOME)
2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (taunting…)
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? (... I’ve lost my interest in singing…)
II stanza 2
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”
III stanza 3
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
The Context… the Psalms are israel’s hymnbook – and also the churches – for it's first 1900 years.
In the psalms we learn to worship... sing and pray.
There’s a Five-book Structure of the Psalms.
1. 1–41;
2. 42–72;
3. 73–89;
4. 90–106;
5. 107–150.
Following the last psalm in each of these 5 books, the editors inserted a doxology.
1. Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen & Amen. (Ps 41:13)
2. Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. (Ps 72:18–19)
3. Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen. (Ps 89:52)
4. Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD. (Ps 106:48)
5. Psalm 150 is a comprehensive, concluding doxology
The word “Amen” occurs in each of the four doxologies but nowhere else in the Psalter - shaping the conclusion to each book.
Psalm 137 occurs in book 5...
***The Babylonian exile created a Crisis of faith for Israel…
3 pillars of Judaism…
(1) law (covenant)…
(2) land …
(3) temple
Now... All gone!!!
Who can sing in such a crisis??? – especially a crisis of Faith!
Stanza I speaks words of lament and loneliness - of life in exile –
I don’t feel like singing… what’s there to sing about here in Babylon?
People arrive at our worship gatherings in this same condition...
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?
The scene described here is a longing for the “good ole days”...
the promised land now seems like a broken promise - from a God who can’t be trusted.
It's a Lament for the “good ole days...”
It's one thing to move away from home and feel “homesick” … it was your choice afterall. It's quite another thing to be taken captive by a hostile military machine… captured. Foreign language. No freedom. Strange food and customs.
“We sat down and wept” – is in contrast to “lets stand and sing” – it seems to indicate a kind of paralysis… like... “what do we do now?
“we sat down ...and began to cry…”
Cry for home… for family… for freedom… for the familiar… for friends.
The mood isn’t exactly conducive to celebration!
Sometimes People come to church thinking... I don’t feel like singing…God seems distant.
People are deep into your own pain and brokenness... alone and lonely... wondering where God is and if he cares.
Now... try to lead them in worship...
E. Peterson: “In worship God gathers his people to himself as center...“worship is a meeting at the center- so our lives are centered in God and not live eccentrically.
Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. ... If there is no center there is no circumference.” P. 60
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion...”
“Worship sings. Singing, says Peterson, is speech intensified and expanded. Song takes the natural rhythms and timbre of speech and develops its accents and intonations into music. ...the people of God sing. They express exuberance in realizing the Majesty of God and the mercy of Christ - the wholeness of reality -- and their newfound ability to participate in it...
Moses sings.
Miriam sings.
David sings.
Mary sings.
Angels Sing.
Paul and Silas sing.
...He has put a new song in my heart –even praise unto our God!
Singing is one of the main ways human beings celebrate...
We sing “Happy birthday..”
• Montreal Canadiens – victory song/celebration = “ole ole... it usually starts around the middle of the third period...when they are winning.
• Baseball has a song – during the 7th inning stretch – “take me out to the ballgame...”
• Fenway Park (1912) is the oldest baseball park in the majors... (107 years old) ...it's a baseball shrine.
• 8th inning... At Fenway Park in Boston there’s a Song. That everyone sings ... “Sweet Caroline...” (the fans made it an anthem”)... it started a just one of the favourites of the sound person...but it caught on and the fans joined in.
o They sing it now at every game --since 2002 - win or lose!!!
o “even on the worst day the crowd still sings” (37,000-member choir...)
Then came the Boston Marathon of 2013...
o April 15, 2013 Boston marathon – 2 bombs
o 5 deaths
o 16 people lost limbs
o Hundreds injured
o A Slogan emerged “Boston Strong”
5 days later(!) ...there’s a baseball game at Fenway...
Will they sing?
Isn’t it a time to mourn?
o The Boston Red Sox invite Neil Diamond himself to lead the fans in the song...
o April 20, 2013 Neil Diamond sings “Sweet Caroline”.
o “good times never seemed so good...”
In the face of death – they decide to celebrate life- Sweet Caroline became a song of hope... a song of strength
“Hey you... sitting there by the river of Babylon – sing us a happy song... a joyful song!
No ...I’ve hung up my harp... I can’t sing.
There it is... “how can I keep from singing!”
**Note: Toronto – has no song! – stuck in Babylon I guess.
F. Dostoevski ... “So long as man remains free, he strives for nothing so incessantly and so painfully as to find someone to worship.”
Here in Psalm 137… if exile isn’t enough… “our tormentors demanded songs of joy” (verse 3)
The first stanza ends with a question… how can we sing “the Lords song” in a foreign land?
How can we sing… the answer comes in the second stanza…
Stanza II: A call to “re-engage” in worship…
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
Sometimes we draw from our history, past victories & memories to sustain us…
The poet writes... I won’t forget Jerusalem – city of David – city of God – foretaste of the new Jerusalem!
The psalmist is really saying – no matter what -- “I won’t forget God!”
the psalmist determines now to rise above the mockery and the grief and self-pity…
I choose to remember Jerusalem… I choose to celebrate God… I choose to sing!
In our gatherings... A worship leader helps people to change the focus of worship from “me” – and my circumstances-- to Him...and in doing so I am now refreshed and strengthened.
“if I forget you may...My right hand forget it's skill...” (or left if you’re a lefty)…
Your dominant hand is essential equipment – I depend so much on my hands – the poet is saying now that worship is essential behaviour!... as essential as his right hand!
He continues… if I can’t sing…what’s the point of having a tongue… communication and speech is essential to life…
but speech & music toward God and using my tongue to praise him is more essential !!!
...I won’t forget you, Jerusalem ... I won’t forget you O God!
In the bible we find words like...
Sing – 158 x
Sang – 21x
Song – 110x
Praise -- 363x
Worship – 254x
Total: 906x
Stanza III: A Prayer For Vengeance and help/divine intervention… we may need an attitude check…I’ll worship when I see results!!!
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
“Babylon” = represents the enemy of Jerusalem – see Revelation = and also the kingdom of darkness
***In the NT, “Babylon” signifies the world and its forces in opposition to God. It is often contrasted with “the new Jerusalem”, in which God will finally reign supreme.
Revelation 18:2
With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
Therefore …worship is victory shout – proclaiming the victory of the cross.
In worship we announce the reign of God over evil – the triumph of God over Satan…
Around the throne in heaven the 24 elders cry out “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty”
Revelation 5: 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Once more I quote Peterson:
The act of worship rehearses in the present the end that lies ahead. Heaven is introduced into the present. It conserves the past and so acts as a stabilizing force, but it's dynamic function is anticipation: a community planning it's future in the light of it's charter... the church at worship is centered and gathered at God’s throne, receiving the revelation of the preached and preaching Christ, singing the great
hymns, affirming and being affirmed.
author and renowned preacher, Fred Craddock… in a sermon on worship, simply calls worship “doxology.” … (Gk; doxa = glory/glorify)
...while on sabbatical in Germany a few years ago I was taken by friends to a small hotel near Salzburg, Austria where we had dinner and heard a young woman sing. She was Julie Rayne, a Judy Garland type singer from London. Her songs were English, German and American. During her performance Miss Rayne sang one number of unfamiliar tune but familiar words;
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”
I asked to speak to her after the show… “Why in the midst of popular songs did you sing Psalm 121?”, I asked.
She answered that she had made a promise to God to include a song of praise in every performance.
“If you knew what kind of person I was and what I was doing and what has happened since I gave my life to God, then you would know that Psalm 121 was the most appropriate song I sang all night.”
“How can I keep from singing!”
I visited “The Miller Center this week... someone is dying...ready to “go home”
Singing is one of the best ways to mark the passage...
When My father in law was dying - When I started singing... he responded...
Irving whit... when terminal... singing was a source of great comfort.
(Psa 40:1-4 NIV)
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. {2} He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. {3} He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Psalmist/Singer:
Psa 149:1-4 NIV) Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. {2} Let Israel rejoice in their Maker, let the people of Zion be glad in their King. {3} Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. {4} For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.
We are released from a narrow, selfish outlook on the universe by a common act of worship. (Peterson)
