song — Messages from our Priest — St. John's Anglican Church

In Morning Prayer (BCP p 9) we sing with joy ... O Come let us sing unto the Lord, let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Psalm 104:33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will praise my God while I have my being.

Psalm singing ... THE VENITE

First, we sing Psalms above all because it is well-pleasing to God. God requires Psalm-singing. "Sing and make melody in your heart, in Psalms, and hymns and spirit-songs," St Paul writes. The Psalms are God's own hymns which He commands us to sing. Moreover, the Psalms are not only commanded by God, they are also PLEASING to Him. He delights in our praises, and He particularly delights when we praise Him with the songs He has given.

Second, we sing the Psalms because our Psalms provoke God to act for us. God does not forget; His throne in heaven is surrounded by the rainbow (**see Genesis 9 and Revelation 4). Just as God acts in response to prayer, He also responds to our "Psalm-singing". In the Psalms, we remind God to act in accord with His promise. The book of Chronicles tells us that song is a memorial before the Lord, and as we sing of God's great acts, we are calling on Him to remember to act on our behalf again. The Psalms celebrate the gift of manna in the wilderness, and we remind God to provide for our daily bread in the same way; we sing of David's many dangers and many deliverances, and we remind God of His promise to deliver us from evil.

** Genesis 9:12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ... 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth ...

** Revelation 4:4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne ...

Third, the Psalms prepare us for spiritual battle. It is simply a fact that vigorous singing heightens our spirits, increases our energy, makes us ready for action. Armies throughout the centuries have known this, and every great army has had fight songs, sports teams know this principle too. SINCE THE SIXTH CENTURY, the Venite has been the Church's fight song!

Fourth, Yahweh urges Israel to “go forth from Babylon” and “flee from the Chaldeans,” He exhorts them to sing and shout (Isaiah 48:20). The songs of deliverance are not merely expressions of joy, though they are obviously that. They are also declarations of Yahweh’s redemption. The text in Isaiah uses three verbs to describe what Israel's singing is to accomplish. By singing, Israel is to:

announce (nagad),
“cause to hear” (hiphil of shama), and
“cause to go forth” (hiphil of yatza’).

The message of deliverance announced, heard, going forth, is that “Yahweh has redeemed His servant Jacob.” In other words, singing is evangelism.

In today's reading in Living Lent:

Isaiah 49:13 Sing O heavens and be joyful.

Caroline Divine Anthony Farindon writes: If love be the sun, joy and delight are the beams which stream forth from it. If love be as the voice, joy is the echo; for joy is but love in the reflection. ... Worship is indeed a time to be full of joy. Lancelot Andrewes saw each major festival as expressing this joy. For example, Christmas "is news of joy", Good Friday is "the joy of our salvation" and Easter is the day of "joyful tidings." ... Our joy should abound in recognition of His birth, death and resurrection. ... When the priest says to the penitent, "Go in peace, the Lord has taken away your sins", there is always an overwhelming joy. ... Of course every day brings its own joy if we but choose it ... Being joyful in our worship, faith, attitude and work starves inertia and disappointment. Without joy our souls will wither ...

JSH+

I woke up early this morning singing the words of Psalm 51: O Lord, open thou our lips. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise! (BCP p2 in Morning Prayer)

The Book of Common Prayer was first published in English in 1549, but its pages did not produce a new way of worship. Its forms and words have guided the Church through the ages, from the time of Christ to this very moment. In the Prayer Book I am connected to the Apostles and early Church, the Coliseum, the catacombs, the Church Fathers and the Councils. I am walking in the footprints of St. Paul, St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Martha, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, St. Columba, St Bernard and Lancelot Andrews.

On days when my faith is weak and prayer is difficult, the Prayer Book leads me to the throne of grace. On days when my thoughts are clouded by care and sorrow, the Prayer Book leads me to the mercy seat. On days when I am close to God and rejoice to seek and praise Him, the Prayer Book leads me to the glorious throne of God’s kingdom. In each and every situation the Prayer Book leads me to worship God in Spirit and in truth because the Prayer Book prays the Holy Scripture. The more I use it, pray it, and worship by it, the more the truths of Holy Scripture lay hold of our souls.

Now, back to Psalm 51: O Lord open thou our lips, and our mouth shall show forth thy praise ... In MP we begin with Confession, Absolution and the gracious words, "Our Father," in the Lord's Prayer ... Now we are ready to sing, to show forth God's praise.

In Psalm 51 ... David had refused to confess his sins ... God, through Nathan, brought David to repentance. Despite the overwhelming sense of his sin and guilt — David said that God had crushed his bones — David is brought to praise the God who forgiveth all our sin, for his mercy endureth forever! After David confesses his sin, he is fit to receive the good graces of God ... it is then that his “heart overfloweth with a good matter .... His tongue the pen of a ready writer” Psalm 45

When David's unconfessed sins had taken hold of his soul, he was unable to sing.

THE SINS OF ISRAEL AND THE LACK OF SINGING

When Israel’s sins were such that God finally had them exiled from Sion ... they wept bitter tears:
Psalm 137 ... By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remembered Sion ... For there our captors demanded of us songs, and tormenters mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Sion.” But how can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

REMOVED FROM GOD’S PRESENCE IN THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM THEY WERE RENDERED SILENT

The world glorifies God, sings its praises to its creator. But God is not enthroned on the praises of creation, but on the praises of his people ... who gather together to render thanks for the great benefits we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise. Man is created “Homo adorans.”
God’s greatness, our sin, God’s mercy .... When we open our lips we sing: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost ....As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen, BCP p.3.
Often called the lesser doxology ... In this one-sentence prayer, time and eternity are combined in a compressed expression of doxology, praise of God. In the Ancient Church, as in the BCP, the Gloria Patri was always sung at the end of each Psalm.

Sola Deo gloria ... It is from this principle: that glory belongs to God alone, that we offer up this prayer and praise. Glory be to the father ...

After confession, absolution and the "Our Father," we are ready to sing ... O Come let us sing unto the Lord, let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation!

This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

JSH+