One of the absurdities we have to live with now is the command and control by some that says that we shouldn’t sing in church, in fact there should know longer be in a public singing at all because of the virus. As I said when you live with absurdity at some point you either accept it or rebel against it. I have actually had people tell me that they will not come back to church as long as we sing. I’m not going to comment on that right now but think with me for a moment about Psalm 98.
Psalm 98
1
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2
The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3
He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5
make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn– shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
8
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
9
let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Churches need to sing. As an old Pastor said, “A good singing church is a good Spirit-giving church. We do not sing on Sundays ~ simply to entertain ourselves or to have the thrill of singing; no, we sing to one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts,” in order that we might help one another to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We sing because you cannot do less than creation (vv. 7 -9) . Why is the world singing? Because the Lord is coming, not just to judge but to deliver, to rescue His world from slavery to death (Rom. 8:19-21). The world is singing. Can we do less? For we, too, with the world, will be set free when Jesus, the Judge and Deliverer, comes. Therefore sing! Covid or not.
