The Importance of Song

For many of us, singing is our first memory of church. From the young child’s rhyming finger play, “Here is the church; here is the steeple; open the doors and see all the people,” to “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” we begin to build our earliest understandings of God and our place in God’s kingdom. The simple, repetitive words and the pleasant tunes instill in us a sense of security, confidence, and joy until we indeed know deep our hearts that Jesus loves us.

As youth and young adults, songs sung with simple guitar chords around a campfire reinforce our faith. “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore” and “Pass It On,” as well as more contemporary songs like “Our God Is an Awesome God” or “The Trees of the Field,” work to connect what we have learned about God in our heads to what we feel about God in our hearts.

Most adults expect to sing almost every stanza of three hymns in traditional Presbyterian worship. For many generations the education hour prior to Sunday worship was opened with a gathering that included a joyful hymn sing. It was easy to find at least one piano player in any church gathering, and there was nothing like gathering around the piano and singing favorite hymns to open up any Bible study or fellowship time.

The importance of song in the expression of faith is nothing new. Miriam, Moses’ sister, sings of wonder and praise when the Israelites cross the Red Sea. Hannah sings of God’s amazing goodness when she learns that she at last is pregnant. King David plays instruments and sings to God from his throne. Mary gives voice to God’s glory in what we know as the Magnificat when she learns that she has been chosen from all women to bear the Son of God.

Now our denominational curriculum for children, youth, and adults, We Believe: God’s Word for God’s People, is adding a new music resource to the curriculum for children. Beginning with fall 2007, every quarter of the children’s curriculum will include songs that can be found in the LifeSongs Songbook or on the LifeSongs CD, volumes 1 and 2. A simple melody line and the words to the song are printed in the songbook. The CDs provide both a recording with voices and a recording that is purely instrumental. These great resources are made available through our partnership with Augsburg Fortress Press. They can be ordered through the Presbyterian Distribution Center in the same way as curriculum and other resources. A LifeSongs Leader’s Book also is available. The leader’s book provides a full accompaniment, good ideas for teaching, and ideas for building extra activities.

In the fall 2007 quarter for older elementary students, session 2 focuses on part of the Joseph story from Genesis 37:1–36. During that session the teacher is encouraged to teach the song “Come! Come! Everybody Worship!,” which is in the LifeSongs Songbook and on the LifeSongs CD, volume 1. In the Leader’s Book there is a brief introduction to the importance of both gathering for worship and keeping the Sabbath. The leader can read the lines of this song for the students or invite volunteers to read them. After each line, invite students to give the main point of that particular stanza (or verse). For example, the third stanza includes the words, “Worship and remember your blessings great and small. Give to God an offering; show your thanks for all.” This stanza reminds us that giving God an offering is an important part of worship. The teacher can talk with the students about what an offering is and help them to understand that an offering is not only money but also an offering of our time, energy, and talents to God’s work in the world. In addition, the Leader’s Book suggests teaching students to sign particular words in this song and includes a guide for those signs.

Regardless of the age of the students, music is a significant part of faith formation. It helps us put sound and feeling to those things we are learning about God. There are adults in worship today who know the name of Jesus’ disciples because they learned the song “There Were Twelve Disciples” when they were young. There are youth who are growing into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that they learned through the words of the song “Jesus Loves Me.” There are very old men and women who may have a hard time remembering the name of their adult children, but who can still sing a line or two of “The Old Rugged Cross.”

Whether a teacher, a worship leader, a church musician, or a participant in a fellowship activity, we need never forget the importance of singing our faith as well as speaking of it. As Fred Pratt Green writes in the hymn “When in Our Music God Is Glorified” (no. 264 in The Presbyterian Hymnal), “Let every instrument be tuned for praise! Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise! And may God give us faith to sing always: Alleluia!”

For more information about LifeSongs, contact Judy Hockenberry, associate for curriculum development for children, at (888) 728-7228, x5483.