Music Sunday Messages

                                                    

On this Pentecost Sunday we are reminded that (Rom 10:17 NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.   God’s word whether spoken or sung, can change the hearts and lives of people. Through the word the Holy Spirit creates faith in Christ and brings the blessings of salvation Christ earned to the human heart. This faith in Christ has caused God’s people over the history of the Christian church to produce art, music and songs to the praise of the Savior.   

 

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

 

There's a place in central Ethiopia called Lalibela, named after King Lalibela who reigned eight hundred years ago. At his instruction, eleven Christian churches were built. Well, they weren't so much "built" as they were "cut" out of rock. The tops of these subterranean churches are at ground level. There are no ladders or staircases down into them. They are freestanding, solid rock buildings that are accessed by tunnels, also dug into the rock. They are so remarkable that the 15th century Portuguese explorer who first wrote about them said, in effect, "It pains me to write any more about them because you'd never believe it anyway!" The Holy Spirit of God has dug Himself into the hard rock of our hearts and created a new thing there, a strong faith---a church, and filled it with treasures---light where there was darkness, grace, truth, power, and peace. You can look at pictures of those churches in Ethiopia, but it is more exciting to experience it. So it is with Christianity I'd go on describing it, but you've really got to experience it for yourself.

 

 

How many teachers do we have at Salem? By word and example we are all teachers. Parents teach a child how to safely cross a street. A child teaches a parent how to trust. Your presence here teaches your neighbor the importance of God. Your absence in church teaches . . . well, I'll leave that to you. We have all had positive and negative teachers from whom we have learned.   What a blessing it has been when we have a teacher that cares enough to correct us also. What a blessing when admonishes us and we grow in our Christian faith and life!

 

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10

 

The Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of Wisdom.   Without his working all the truth of God’s word is foolishness. We preach Christ crucified here at Salem. This is foolishness to some, but this is the message of wisdom. As Paul writes: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--  but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” Today we celebrate because the Spirit has brought us to know the wisdom from on high. 

 

 

 

The book of Psalms was the hymn book of the Old Testament. King David was privileged to write many of the Psalms. He also personally knew how important the Holy Spirit was in his life as a sinner. One of the Psalms is his personal story. We have sung it often here in our services: (Psa 51:10-13 NIV) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. {11} Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. {12} Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. {13} Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

 

"I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:1-3

Can you imagine what Christmas or Easter would be like without the hymns of the season? We drive down the road with the hymns stuck in our minds, singing the words throughout the day. The hymns have captured the great truths of the our Lord’s work of salvation. They contain the great truths which we confess Sunday after Sunday. God has given the church people with special musical gifts which have built up God’s people. Poets, musicians, composers, all have added to the worship experience we enjoy today. 

 

 

I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. I Corinthians 14:15b

Why the distinction: psalms, hymns, spiritual songs? Psalms, of course might be set apart from hymns because they are taken directly from Holy Scripture, whereas hymns and spiritual songs are not. But why the three? [pause]

 

[reader extends the left hand] "This tastes good."

[reader extends the right hand] "Mmmmm!"

[reader extends the left hand] "It hurts."

[reader extends the right hand] "Ouch!"

[reader extends the left hand] "I'm happy and amused."

[reader extends the right hand] "Ha! Ha!"

[reader extends the left hand] "I'm surprised."

[reader extends the right hand] "Oh!"

[reader extends the left hand] "Hymns"

[reader extends the right hand) "Spiritual songs."

Words can fail when the heart has something to say.

 

 

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18

God’s word challenges us. In this sinful world there are times we struggle to give thanks. At times it is even hard to have a song on our lips.   What a blessing when God’s people who have gone through the most difficult challenges still could find a song to sing. We might think of the Apostle Paul in prison who in chains would still be singing. We also have another hymn writer who made an impact on our songs. There was a great American lady named Fanny Crosby, an author, poet, and hymn writer of the nineteenth century. She is the author of many well-known and beloved hymns. To her credit, many people do not know or remember that she was blind. She wrote:

 

O what a happy soul am I Although I cannot see.

I am resolved that in this life Contented I will be.

How many pleasures I enjoy That other people don't.

To weep and sigh because I'm blind --- I cannot, and I won't.

 

 

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him! Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:1, 5

 

"Te Deum" --- a Latin title very familiar to many of us . . . is two thirds of the title, really. "Te Deum Laudamus" is the whole thing --- translated "We Praise You, O God."   Colossians 3:16, the outline of our festival today, may not be the official inspiration for this ancient song of the church, but it does conclude with the words, "Te deum" --- "to God." The "Te Deum," having taken its place in the Order of Matins/ Morning praise through the ages, has been set to music time and again. There are probably more "Te Deum's" written than any other hymn of the church except perhaps for the Magnificat. That is not an accident. Every hymn is a "Te Deum" in that it is sung "to God." And while our renditions today of the hymns might be glorious and praiseworthy, the glory and praise expressed here are indeed "to God." May every hymn be a "Te Deum."   May every song we sing, religious or secular, be worthy of the title: "Te Deum." May every day be a "Te Deum."   May every deed, every thought, every goal, and every one be a "Te Deum."

 

 

Adapted from “Creative Worship” Special services, Concordia Publishing House.