Honoring Christ In Our SingingSample

TONE IN SINGING

Recently, I found myself philosophizing with friends over the state of singing in the church[jm1] . We talked about how the church has grown too “happy;” wherein we pop songs like worship pills and it seems to stink of inauthentic denial. 

Jesus, in his perfect, fully God, fully man state, here on earth, experienced the full tones of human emotion. He wept, he laughed and he got angry and tired[jm2] , etc. He demonstrated that a range of emotion is healthy when wisely and properly used. Songs are thus important in tone. Songs and sounds are as important in discipling and shaping our affections as they are in shaping our beliefs.  

Learn how God explores emotions in the Psalms: Laments [1] (songs of sorrow, questioning and doubt), Penitential [2] (songs of confessing) and Imprecatory (songs praying for judgment and calamity upon our enemies) [3], Thanksgiving (Todah) Psalms [4], Salvation History (songs about our story) [5], Songs of Trust [6], Hymns and Doxology (songs responding directly to deep truth) [7], Liturgical Covenant Songs [8], Royal (Kingly) Enthronement Psalms [9], Songs of Zion (Kingdom) [10], Temple Liturgies [11], Wisdom [12] and Torah Psalms (Law and Word) [13].

[1] Community: Psalm 12, 44, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89, 90, 94, 123, 126, 129.
Individual: Psalm 3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 70, 71, 77, 86, 89, 120, 139, 141, 142.

[2] Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143.

[3] Psalm 35, 69, 83, 88, 109, 137, 140.

[4] Community: Psalm 65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136.

Individual: Psalm 18, 21, 30, 32, 34, 40:1-11, 66:13-20, 92, 108, 116, 118, 138.

[5] Psalm 8, 105-106, 135, 136.

[6] Psalm 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131.

[7] Psalm 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 67, 95, 100, 103, 104, 111, 113, 114, 117, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150.

[8] Psalm 50, 78, 81, 89, 132.

[9] Psalm 2, 18, 20, 21, 29, 45, 47, 72, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 110, 144.

[10] Psalm 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122.

[11] Psalm 15, 24, 68, 82, 95, 115, 134.

[12] Psalm 1, 36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, 133.

[13] Psalm 1, 19:7-14, 119.