Many years ago, I was approached by a congregant who asked me, "why can't we just sing songs directly to God? Why do we have to sing songs about him? We're not telling him anything he doesn't already know."
Perhaps it's a valid question, but only if one makes the incorrect assumption that worship is only about what "I" do or what "I" say TO God. For example, one worship leader's post I encountered on a FB forum perfectly reflects the over-privatization of worship, and of bringing our 'closet time' into our gathered worship, saying...
"I actually don't sing when in corporate worship. For me, it's my alone time to be with God and meditate on the words being sung, and what God is saying to me through the songs. I lift my hands, close my eyes, and just focus on Him."
To be sure, we need to sing TO God in our worship, but Sunday worship has a communal aspect that comes through powerfully in many biblical texts.
The Psalms are written in such a way that at times there are Psalms which contain multiple speakers, such as the priest, then the people, or maybe God and then the people or the psalmist. It's a dialogue or liturgical drama that is played out as the people meet with God.
In the New Testament, Paul goes out of his way to underscore the "one another" aspect of gathered worship. In two epistles (Col. and Eph.) he encourages us to sing TO one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Why would he do that if we were only supposed to sing to God when we come together in worship?
Consider, also, the Song of Deborah and Barak in Judges 5. Deborah is raised up by God to lead the armies of Israel to victory over their enemies in order to make Yahweh's power and sovereignty known to the Canaanite peoples, and to fulfill his promise to Abraham.
"On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord! “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song." (v1-3)
The story of the victory over Sisera is recounted, including his graphic death at the hands of Jael with a tent peg through his head. But the song continues with the instructions,
“You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider the voice of the singers at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel." (vv10-11)
A major part of the way we worship is to remember God's deeds in song when we gather together. The Greek word used in 1 Cor. 11:24 is anamnesis - the opposite of amnesia. It's a lot like being at a family reunion, which is usually full of recounting memories ... "remember the time we ____ ..."
This is why Peter Leithart of Theopolis Institute writes:
"Watching a worship team turns a congregation into an audience. To be formed as a liturgical body, we must sing with and sound through one another."
Tweet from July 24, 2024.
Gathered worship exists in the horizontal, as well as in the vertical. That is why we need to encourage the congregation to sing out and participate physically so that they are not only listening, but sharing in the task of "one anothering" in the company of saints and in the presence of Almighty God.
Dr. Johnny Markin
Photo by Pedro Lima courtesy Unsplash.
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