The Reasons Why We Sing

Episode 1: Introduction and other matters

Have you ever heard a song or melody that touched your soul? When is the last time you memorized a sermon word for word? Or how many Bible versus or chapters can you recite? What do you believe about Jesus, Christmas, faith, sin, forgiveness, or dare I say, God? More importantly, why do you believe these things? Who taught you? When did it happen? How did they do it exactly? Why is this person asking me so many questions?!

Well, I’m glad you asked. If you have been in or exposed to Church for sometime the answer to all of these questions may have a great deal to do with music. Most of us don’t memorize entire sermons or bible chapters, but we learn hymns and songs quite well. Don’t believe me? Ok here’s a little quiz. Complete these lines.

Amazing grace …___________

Precious Lord…____________

Holy, holy, holy…___________

There’s a sweet, sweet…________

Stop! In the name of…______

With any luck you passed with flying colors! Number five was a little odd, but you get the idea. Hymns and other songs have the ability to impact our deep memory and shape what we believe. For example, many people strongly believe that three wise men came to visit baby Jesus based on classic songs like “We three kings of orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse a far…”. (Note: The biblical text describes three gifts, not three people.)

More importantly though, reading and singing the poetry in hymns allows us to worship God with a community of saints from across the globe and across centuries of time. Many hymns were birthed from the deep personal experiences where the writers experienced our amazing God in various ways. To our benefit, they carefully penned words and music that can speak to our own personal and communal experiences. One reason gold, diamonds and other precious minerals are so valuable is that we understand their origin. Much like hymns, if these extraordinary gifts could talk they would tell us fascinating stories of their lives.

Over the next few months, I’ll be re-telling these very stories! If you’ve ever wondered what’s behind these words and melodies we know so well, get ready. These stories will be available in print on Sundays at certain churches, and online at dalanvanterpool.com. If there’s a particular hymn you’re curious about, please submit the title and/or first line via the contact form at dalanvanterpool.com.

I pray these inspiring stories will fuel your fire for singing, and help us know even more about the reasons why we sing!

 

In Jesus the Christ,

 

Dalan Vanterpool