Think of your favorite hymn or worship chorus. Got it? Now imagine the whole congregation singing robustly every verse and chorus. I believe there are few things that do a soul better than engaging in unified worship of this kind. Now imagine another situation. Right after your favorite song, the leader begins a song you find quite distasteful. Perhaps a brand new song from the radio, perhaps a dusty old hymn that has words you don’t understand. What do you do? Sitting down is too obvious and people would notice, so you roll your eyes, stand statuesque, and endure until you get to sit down. This is not a time to point fingers; we have all been there, myself more than most I’m sure. As I have led worship in churches for over a decade, there have been many songs I’ve chosen with which my heart did not full engage, or even that I didn’t like, frankly. However, the reality is that my preferences will never fully align with another individual, let alone an entire congregation! For God’s people whom I am called to serve, my job is to facilitate their ability to “fully consecrate all of [their] faculties to His glory” (Dr. Schmutzer). John Wesley, 18th century theologian and brother of the great hymn-writer Charles Wesley, gives five observations about healthy congregational singing which are still valid for us today, over 250 years after he penned them.
1. SING ALL. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.
2. SING LUSTILY and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you are half-dead or half-asleep, but lift up your voice with strength.
3. SING MODESTLY. Do not bawl (to bellow or thunder) so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation— that you may not destroy the harmony— but strive to unite your voices together so as to make one clear melodious sound.
4. SING IN TIME. Do not run before nor stay behind it… and take care not to sing too slowly. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us.
5. ABOVE ALL, SING SPIRITUALLY. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward you when He cometh in the clouds of heaven.
Each church member is an individual part of the Body of Christ, and while the opinions of the “hand” and “foot” will certainly differ at times, our self-sacrifice and obedience to Jesus and His word brings unity to the Body. Every member comes from a different place, whether it be age, country of origin, family background, money, social status, etc. We are all under the headship of Jesus Christ, and our worship to Him is the unifying factor of the church. The teenager owes it to the senior saints to “sing lustily” to the great hymns of the faith, and our beloved elders should demonstrate a heart of humility and Christian brotherhood to sing out the contemporary choruses with the youth. As has been the case with me, I believe the more singing you do, the more you come to appreciate all kinds of musical styles. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!
