‘Music makes the
world go ‘round’ says the song. David advised us to ‘make a joyful noise to the
Lord’. (Psalm 95, 98, 100) Singing or other music is a wonderful way to refresh
our souls.
Even if we aren’t
musically talented, we can (and do) sing along in the car or in the shower. We
may never get up on stage at the Metropolitan Opera or play a solo at Carnegie
Hall. Maybe we’ve been told we ‘can’t carry a tune in a bucket’. It doesn’t
matter, we can still enjoy and participate in music!
Music itself is in
our core being. From the very earliest times, humans have produced music.
Drumming on logs, making musical pipes from reeds, chanting in worship
ceremonies are all musical ways to express ourselves.
Like laughter (which
we looked at last time), music has health benefits like reducing stress and
anxiety, it boosts heart and brain function, reduces pain and aids in recovery
from surgery! You don’t even have to be actively involved in producing the
music. It has been determined that babies in the womb can hear and respond to
music-and they certainly aren’t singing opera yet. Listening to music from
simple ditties to grand opera and symphonies is good for us.
There are many
Biblical citations that remind us to make music as we worship, and even as we
live each day.
Ephesians 5:18-20 “be filled with the Spirit, speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to
God, even the Father…”
Psalm 147:7: “Sing to ADONAI with thanks, sing
praises on the lyre to our God.”
Colossians 3:16: “Let the message of Christ dwell
among you richly as you teach and
admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the
Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Psalm 98:4-6: “Shout joyfully to
the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the
sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before
the King, the LORD”
What kind of music do
you like best? Listen to it, sing or hum along, I personally prefer songs from
musicals, older country-Western songs, and contemporary Christian music-any
song that tells a story. I will listen to nearly any kind of music, though,
because even in the most unusual places you can get an inspiring message. For
instance, Katy Perry’s song Firework,
includes the encouraging message that each of us will find the “[door} you could open…that leads you to the perfect road. Like a
lightning bolt, your heart will glow and when it's time you'll know…’Cause,
baby, you're a firework. Come on, show 'em what you're worth.”
If you have been a
reader of this blog for any length of time, you know I refer to music,
sometimes bits of a song, sometimes a whole download, to make a point. I’m not
the only one. A friend, who also writes a weekly message for the Women of the
Diocese, recently used an old Carly Simon song, “Let the River Run”, to
illustrate her final meditation in a Revelation series.
God is telling us all the time,
too. “Let your light shine…” Remember the little song that most of us have
sung: This Little Light of Mine.
Music helps us shine! Listen and make music!!
And…happy Mother’s
Day to those who are mothers. Mothers come in all shapes, sizes, and
descriptions. They don’t have to have given birth to be a mother to someone
else. Some of the most ‘mothering’ people I know have never given birth. So
celebrate the moms in your life-all of them...maybe with this cute song!
