I just don't understand why we, the conservative Evangelical, really Bible-believing Christians, don't sing the Psalms (Col 3:16). It might be hard and difficult and unpopular, but we would usually say that we don't want to give up on the Bible and go for the easy popular sold out to our culture approach.
I know there are lots of lovely excellent hymns and songs out there, and I'm all for singing them, but what about the 150 God-breathed perfect songs we have in the Scriptures? Shouldn't we prioritise them? Or at least give them a regular place?
How many Psalms do you know by heart? And how many hymns or contemporary worship songs do you know? Is that good and right and helpful? Wouldn't singing the Psalms be an great way to have the Word of Christ dwell in us richly?
So what are we going to do about it? And when?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
And not just the psalms - the Scriptures give us lots of other songs to sing. I've never sung Exodus 15, for instance.
What I suggest is that you and other like-minded people start having Psalm-sings. Invite some people to your home one evening for drinks, pudding and Psalm-singing. Isn't your wife quite good on the piano? Sing no more than five Psalms or Canticles. Teach them as you go through. This will make Psalm-singing a joy, not a burden, and if you do it regularly, it will become natural. Then you can start singing them in church.
The other thing to do, I think, as a minister, would be to introduce Psalms as you would periodically introduce any other new song in church - teach it and get the congregation to sing. When you're in charge of the music for the service, you can gradually work in Psalms so that you have one every week, and then more. Timothy Dudley-Smith has some good paraphrases in the Mission Praise.
Singing psalms is a command in the bible, and we should do it. I guess what puts some churches off is that there is the perception you have to chant the psalms, and that only a choir can lead on them. However there are many psalms that have been put to familiar hymn tunes. The Metropolitan Tabanacle have a whole section of psalms in their hymn book.
I share your concerns, Marc! I am very conscious of the need to sing Psalms regularly, and have wittered on about it at length.
I am, however, a hypocrite. I had to choose music for the All Age Service the other week, and wanted to include a Psalm version; but they are not immediately accessible, and I was concerned to present the gospel as clearly as possible on that occasion. So I chose New Testament paraphrases and 18th c. evangelical hymns instead.
I do feel a bit ashamed of myself, but I can see how easily this can happen. 'Psalms for Today' is not a bad resource, and there is a version of each Psalm in 'Praise!'. But Daniel's suggestion that we gently reintroduce Anglican chant is my preference.
It might even lead to a reintroduction of proper biblical, Reformed liturgy, such as a modern language version of BCP Morning Prayer or Holy Communion as the principal service....
Post a Comment