Read Psalm 89:1-4, 19-37, the text I was given for Sunday 10/26.Then download Sermon Audio: Psalm 89: WHY CHRISTIANS SING. (20 min)
"We’ve done some singing tonight, and we’ve heard Nathan Tasker sing. And if you come here each week, you'll notice we sing, and then we sing some more: we are a singing community. At Christ Church NYC, we don’t overdo it; we may not be stylistically what you like; no one, of course, is compelled to sing; some of us – me included – know that we can’t really sing.
But singing is one of the things we do.
Here is what I want to do in the next 20 minutes: I want to explore why becoming a follower of Jesus is vital to living life and living. And I want to do it by looking at faith through the lens of song; through the eyes of singing community.
Let me ask two questions:
- Why do Christians sing?
- What do they have to sing about?
Where can you find people singing in New York City?
- At the 7th Innings stretch of a baseball game: you are united in a love for sport.
- At all events where they sing the National Anthems: you are united in a love for country.
- At concerts and bands. I’ve sung myself horse at more than one U2 concert. We are united in a love for a band.
- You can be found singing in choirs. Which is interesting – united in their love of singing.
Let's discuss why.
Download (or right click, save as) HERE.
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Pic on Flickr by Scherbis.
2 comments:
you'd be surprised to know that many small towns have choirs & choruses, especially through their community centers and churches. it's the new trend (can you believe it?). i've been attuned to this minor "phenomenon" as america is starting to return to their old community activity such as that. you'd think, kids don't sing. kids don't go to community centers. they are on-line or want to be famous. well, that's all true too but i've learned through national organization such as Chorus America that this is actually a growing (and encouraging) phenomenon.
in any rate, i don't think singing is done for others. you say we have no one to sing TO. well, mothers sing to their babes. yes, they're not singing to an audience but to their babes. i think that signifies what singing is/can be: very personal form of communication. and in that way, i think we should sing more, as a group, at churches. and in our own rooms too! the hymns are a great mini-sermons...
unfortunately, you rare hear church choirs in a city like NYC. it's sad. but do stop by St. Thomas to listen to their boy choirs, now that we're getting closer to Christmas. it's so heavenly.
following up on this, it was nice to sing ALOTTA songs tonight, my first time at the 6 PM service. very nice. last hymn was especially precious.
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