When Paul tells his churches to “let the word of Christ dwell…richly” among them by means of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16 NIV), he’s inviting them to do more than use music as a “warm-up” to the sermon.

The song is not ornamentation; it is participation in the very redemption of all creation. It plays its own role in God’s showcasing his saving power before humans and angels (Eph. 3:10).

The singing Paul talks about is more than a duty. It’s more than a warm-up. It’s a sacred activity, by which God’s life and ours interpenetrate.

When we sing, we are not alone. We join a song our Savior is singing, and our singing is a sharing in his reclamation of our lost race.

I believe that much of the difficulty we face in the church stems from the fact that we think it’s all about us—our tastes, our preferences, our principles. So we debate styles, genres, levels of participation, and levels of volume. When we factor in the other Singer as well—this Singing Savior—our conversations, I submit, will take on a different tone.

from With One Voice: Discovering Christ’s Song in Our Worship

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Gender-neutral version:

When Paul tells his churches to “let the word of Christ dwell…richly” among them by means of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16 NIV), he’s inviting them to do more than use music as a “warm-up” to the sermon.

The song is not ornamentation; it is participation in the very redemption of all creation. It plays its own role in God’s showcasing God’s saving power before humans and angels (Eph. 3:10).

The singing Paul talks about is more than a duty. It’s more than a warm-up. It’s a sacred activity, by which God’s life and ours interpenetrate. When we sing, we are not alone. We join a song our Savior is singing, and our singing is a sharing in his reclamation of our lost race.

I believe that much of the difficulty we face in the church stems from the fact that we think it’s all about us—our tastes, our preferences, our principles. So we debate styles, genres, levels of participation, and levels of volume. When we factor in the other Singer as well—this Singing Savior—our conversations, I submit, will take on a different tone.

from With One Voice: Discovering Christ’s Song in Our Worship