| You CAN Sing! – Cathy Lard, Music Minister |
| The most beautiful instrument in any service is the sound of the congregation singing. – Jonathan Leeman There is something thrilling about being in the midst of a group of people raising their voices together in song. Episcopalians especially are known for singing during their services. About one-third of our service is sung in the form of hymns or prayers. We sing together because the Bible tells us to do so – we are commanded 50 times in the Bible to sing and make music together! But why? What is so important about it that God felt the need to instruct us to do so? 1. Singing together helps shape our life. Singing is not a neutral activity. It affects our mind and the way we understand and think of God. We do not just sing the words from Scripture; we affirm what we hold true about God and about life. And we remember what we sing. How many songs do you still remember and hold onto from your childhood? How often do you find yourself humming a hymn after the service is over? Our brain holds onto these things and what we sing shapes what we believe and the direction our lives take. 2. We demonstrate and build our group identity. Songs have long been the means by which people have created or celebrated their identity. What we sing together unites us. When we hear others singing with us, we are reminded that we are not alone, that we are part of the one body of the church. Our individual voices – high and low, sharp and flat, young and old – they all blend together into one unique voice singing to the one who made them. We sing together to remind ourselves and each other of who we are. 3. Because we can. Yes, that means you! God has commanded us to sing – 50 times! – and God never asks us to do what we cannot. The church presumes all people can sing, no matter their perceived skill or background. Congregational hymns are designed to be participatory, sung by the gathered as a unified expression to God. God believes that we CAN sing a new song together! |
| Mark your calendars for THIS Sunday, August 27. Stay after worship for a parish meeting and lunch. Worship every Sunday at 10am is a service of Holy Eucharist and is in person and livestreamed |