16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. [here follows a long list of musicians and the instruments they played] 22. Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.
Music is such an important part of what we do at First Christian that I always love seeing Scriptural passages that uplift making music. It’s not just that we love singing as a congregation, which we do. It is also that so many of our special events and gatherings revolve around music - the cantatas at Christmas and Easter with singers from more than a dozen local congregations, classical music performed by students and professionals, a gospel band, opera singers, mariachis, choirs from local schools and Teen Challenge, and more. We enjoy the mostly brass Raisin Tooters performing on 5th Sundays, the Pentecost Band, and not infrequent guest appearances by a variety of musicians who just show up and start playing along with the piano and organ. Our congregation includes a number of people who teach music, lead choirs or bands, have advanced degrees in music, perform on stage in musicals and concerts, and some who make their living as singers and musicians. Making a joyful sound is what we do!
So to learn that congregational singing, choral singing, and even instruments that are blown into will be disallowed whenever we do get to gather together again is quite a blow. Even humming behind our masks is frowned upon, because apparently humming is the slippery slope that leads to singing. *sigh* And quite frankly we are just not sure how to deal with that.
Maybe we will revert back to a variation on harps, cymbals, and lyres, (piano, percussion, and guitar) with Choir Director Keneniah Kenneshae in charge of the singing, because she is skillful at it. Whatever we do when we get back, there will be music because Music is what we do.
In the meantime, while we are still worshipping in our own homes, we can make a joyful sound and sing as loudly as we wish.
Creator God, who made the universe sing, we thank for the music that accompanies all the stages of our lives, in celebration and in sorrow. Even when we cannot sing with our mouths, we will raise up the songs of our hearts to you, for this is a blessing you have given us that we can joyfully use as worship. May we always sing your praises. Amen
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