Sing!
One of the great joys of worship after Labor Day is the return of the choir. We’re blessed immeasurably at St. Paul’s with the quality of our choir and the leadership of Brad Hughley and Jacob Taylor. When I hear the choir sing, I think of Psalm 96:9, often recited as an opening sentence for Choral Mattins and Evensong: “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before God.”
Those of us who are not in the choir can easily misinterpret its role in worship. The choir is not performing for us, and we are not an audience passively listening. When the members of the choir sing an anthem or canticle, they invite us into a deeper awareness of God’s presence, something music can do in a way words alone cannot. When the choir sings, we worship with the choir in the same way we pray with the Celebrant even if the priest is the only one saying the words.
One principal purpose of the choir is to support the rest of us as we sing. Congregational singing —generally consisting of service music, such as the Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might”), and hymns — invites us to engage actively in the liturgy, reminding us that worship is not something others do for us but a community experience in which we participate.
Not everyone is a vocalist, of course, but everyone is invited to sing. Many years ago, before seminary, I participated in a retreat for young adults. One of them did not have the ability to match pitch, which is to say whatever note the rest of us sang, he sang something else. But instead of shrinking back during the hymns, he sang with great joy. While no one would have asked him to sing a solo, in the midst of the congregation he praised God with the rest of us.
Hymns invite us not only to sing but also to engage with their texts. Written as poetry, they express the Christian faith in ways sermons and biblical stories often do not. For example, this coming Sunday during the 9 a.m. service our second hymn is a poem written in 1977 by the Rev. Christopher Idle, a priest in the Church of England. Based on a prayer by Alcuin, a scholar and Abbot of Tours in the eighth century, the hymn invites us to focus on God’s presence within ourselves.
Eternal light, shine in my heart;
eternal hope, lift up my eyes;
eternal power, be my support;
eternal wisdom, make me wise. (Hymn 466, stanza 1)
Then at communion we will be invited to focus beyond ourselves to our ministry in the world. Inspired by Micah 6:8, the Rev. Albert Bayly’s hymn reminds us of our call to discipleship.
What does the Lord require for praise and offering?
What sacrifice desire, or tribute bid you bring?
Do justly; love mercy; walk humbly with your God. (Hymn 605, stanza 1)
I invite you to sing this Sunday, whatever your level of skill and confidence. The choir will support you. And if you don’t want to sing? That’s fine, of course. Our Episcopal hymnody is not always easy to sing. In that case, I invite you to open the hymnal and follow along. The text may invite your heart to sing even as you listen to the voices of others.
