As the minister stepped down from many years of service at the church, one of the speakers made an unusual observation. Knowing that the minister had a keen interest in congregational worship, she said: ‘Listening to the congregation today, you have clearly taught us all to sing!’
It’s a strange compliment, but after a moment’s thought, an insightful thing to say, for you can tell a lot by the singing of a congregation. There’s an old story of a king who asked his stewards to go round the towns and villages and listen to the singing of the people. If the singing was healthy and joyful, so was the town. If the singing was feeble or mournful, then the king knew there was a serious malaise within the community.
Worship the Lord with gladness
Congregational singing enables the local church to express one of the key marks and fruit of the Christian life – and that is joy. ‘Joy’, said CS Lewis, ‘is the serious business of heaven’. Joy – that is, rejoicing, exulting, and praise – is the proper expression of the human heart when it knows with clarity the magnitude, certainty and permanence of our salvation.
