The third sermon in the ‘Liturgy for Life’ series.
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-17
Introduction: In this teaching series, we’ve been thinking about how our Sunday liturgy can guide us in our everyday liturgies. Just as our faith in Christ extends beyond Sunday mornings, the things which we practice in service should extend into our day to day lives. Consider the habits in your own life. This might include doing a devotional, checking your phone before you get out of bed, watching the news at a specific time, buying the same drink, exercising in the morning. Ask yourself why you do the things you do? How is this liturgy directing or shaping your heart?
These day to day liturgies may seem insignificant to us, but “our liturgies are formed based on what we value, seek, consider important, and our liturgies have the power to re-direct/re-shape what our hearts value, seek and consider important.” In this sermon series, we’re not simply trying to gain good habits and feel accomplished. This understanding of Christian liturgy lacks depth. We implement liturgies such as worship, confession, assurance, and singing into our day to day lives so that we can more greatly honor, glorify, and enjoy God. Our liturgy has to do with remembering who we once were when we were far off from God and resting in who we are because God has brought us near by the blood of Christ. These liturgies also give us practical ways in which we can let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16)
Everyone has a unique relationship with singing; Some enjoy doing it, some enjoy hearing it, some enjoy leading it, some enjoy performing with it, some don’t enjoy doing it. The Bible has some things to say about singing, one of the main ones being that when followers of Christ get together, they should sing!
What is singing? Singing can be defined as a) a short piece of music with words meant to be sung or 2) a poetic composition meant to be sung to music. In short, singing is words and music, put together in order to move the heart. In scripture, the word ‘heart’ refers not only to feelings/affections but represents the control center and core of our being. Unlike simply reading poetry, a song does something powerful inside our hearts.. Think of a song that has moved you in some way, whether it be to tears, joy, hope, empathy, or anger.
There is singing all over the Bible! In Psalm 108:1-4, David says “My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.”
Why do we sing? We can’t help it. Every culture and people group sings. Singing relieves stress, boosts immunity, releases good brain chemicals, it has a myriad of helpful benefits. For the Christian, singing is not only all over the Bible, but also commanded of us in many places. What is important to realize is that both the Bible and our own observations confirm that singing is an important and natural part of our lives.
While it is enough to do something if God tells us to do so, the fact of the matter is that we are enriched in singing if we know why God wants us to sing! Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16 that we sing so that “the word of Christ would dwell richly among you.” This means that we sing so that we might be assured of the truth of Jesus’s message such that we can receive it and rest upon it. The word of Christ here refers not just the things that Jesus said - it refers to the message of the gospel (the message of all Jesus has done, is doing and will do). Sometimes we can hear true words but be in such a state of sorrow or pain that we have a difficult time accepting them to be true. Likewise, sometimes the importance of the gospel can be lost on us because things are going well. Singing can reach us in situations like these in a way that words sometimes cannot, they can help us both understand and feel the truth of the gospel.
Since singing is a vital part of our spiritual health, it is important that we sing even when it is hard. There are many reasons that might be the case. It can be hard to sing if we have experienced trials, but sometimes singing just isn’t our thing. When we experience trials, we must remember that worshiping God in song includes singing songs of lament. When we don’t feel like singing, we must remember both that God has commanded us to sing and that he delights in our singing. He wants us to sing for our own benefit, but also because he enjoys it. He enjoys hearing your voice.
When we sing? If we had to choose the most important time to sing, it would be when we are gathered together as a church. We see in Scripture that Christians sang when they gathered together, and they have sung together ever since for thousands of years. For Christians, singing is a communal event which we do to glorify God, build one another up, and witness to the world. When we sing as a church, these are our three audiences! Above all, God is our audience, and we sing to him because he deserves it and because he desires us to. We are also audience to our own singing. When we sing together, we are receiving and resting upon the truth of God’s word together as one body. Finally, when we sing as a church, the whole world sees. It's not as if everyone is watching us when we sing, but when we worship together we are making a statement to the world that our God is worthy of praise and that we are his people. Singing is a form of testimony to one another to strengthen our faith but also the whole world to proclaim that God is worthy to be praised.
Singing together is important, but the reality is that there really is never a bad time to sing. In the highs and lows of life, when we are alone, when we are together, it is always a good time to sing God’s praise, it is always a good time to remember his promise. Singing can lift us up when we are down, it can humble us when we are proud, it can help us deal with everything we encounter in life. Singing is a great source of comfort for us. May we be a church who sings more and more in every station of life.
What do we sing? Paul says in Colossians that we should sing “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” As was said in there sermon, There is some debate as to what these three kinds of songs are, but what we can know for sure is that we should sing a variety of songs. Because worship is first and foremost about God, sometimes we will have to lay aside our preferences and sing songs that might not be our first choice. Paul tells us in Romans 12:15 to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Sometimes singing as a church family will mean singing alongside people who are weeping when you would rather rejoice or vice versa. This can be difficult, but it is an important spiritual exercise to come alongside one another in life, but also in song.
Even if there are times when we do not sing or cannot seem to find the right words, God is signing. All our songs are a response to the song he sings over us in Christ. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God rejoices over his people with gladness and delights in them with singing. Through the work of Jesus God has taken away our sin and defeated all our enemies. To do this, Jesus had to be willing to sing the song we’d never want to sing in our place– a song of being forsaken and forgotten by God (see Psalm 22). By singing the song we deserved to sing Jesus took the punishment our sins deserves and defeated all our enemies – all our singing is a response to the reality that it is God who first sings over us.
REFLECT OR DISCUSS
What is your relationship with singing, is it something you look forward to? What level of importance would you say it has in your life?
What kind of songs are easy for you to sing? What kinds are hard? What do you think someone can learn from singing songs that they do not prefer?
In what ways could singing together strengthen/build up the church? Have you been built up by singing?
How can singing cause the “word of Christ to dwell in us richly”? as individuals? how does singing do this for a church as a community?
Do you have a favorite psalm, hymn or spiritual song? What about it speaks to you in a way that normally spoken words might not? Look it up online and share with the group. Pick a few to sing together.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-17. What difference would it make in your life if you knew God was singing over you with delight?
YOUR DAILY LITURGY
In this series, we will be encouraged to “take ownership” of our daily liturgies (patterns, habits). Saying, “I’m so busy”, “I go with the flow, “I just go about my day” are examples of not taking ownership of the shape and structure of our lives. How can the shape and pattern of my daily life be built around the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Are there any times outside of Sunday morning when singing, either alone or in a group, would be appropriate and encouraging in your life? How might the songs we sing on Sunday be a part of your weekly liturgy?
How can regularly singing help you grow in your spiritual life?
Are there any kinds of worship music that you would like to learn to enjoy or appreciate?
Some ideas include – Listening to music/singing in the car on the way to or from work, Singing at the dinner table as a way to pray before the meal, singing at community group, humming a song when it comes to your mind, reading the psalms, creating worship playlists for different occasions like joy or mourning.
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