Keep On Singing

Based on Ephesians 5:15-20

Our summer road trip continues through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We have covered a lot of ground. Earlier in our journey, we visited a few glorious scenic outlooks that gave us a glimpse of how awesome God is and how beautiful is the harmony of relationships that God makes possible. The past few weeks, we have been reviewing some of the rules of the road that help us live in ways that build up beloved community, that make real that unity in Christ that God has provided for us. We have been on this road trip for a while. We actually have only a bit further to go until our trip through Ephesians comes to an end, which will be next Sunday. 

For anyone who has been on a long road trip, it is likely that at some point along the way someone started one of those road trip songs. When I was growing up, my family belonged to a large church located near downtown Oklahoma City, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. We had a large youth group, so much so that the church purchased a full-sized school bus for us to use when we would go on trips, including snow skiing in Colorado during spring break and mission trips to various locations across the country during the summer. The bus was painted white with a big blue stripe along the side. When we were on one of those long trips, someone would get us started singing songs. We might sing church songs like “Pass it On” or “Kum By Yah.” But we also made up a song that went like this, “We all ride in a blue and white bus, a blue and white bus, a blue and white bus. We all ride in a blue and white bus all day long.” Then, there was the classic, “100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles of beer on the wall.” Ah, yes. Singing together can definitely help pass the time when you are going down the road.

I thought about traveling songs when I first turned to this passage in Paul’s letter where he encourages us to sing. The more I have reflected on this passage, the more it is becoming one of my favorites. I love how Paul names and encourages us to fill our lives with singing. Whether it’s singing in the shower, humming or whistling a tune while you are out for a walk or listening to music while cleaning the house, music throughout the day really helps get through the day, doesn’t it? Music is such a gift. It can lift our spirits, make the drudgery of the day not so tedious and can bring people together. For me, that might be the most important thing music can do and one reason why I think Paul lifts it up. Music brings people together who otherwise can be divided in so many different ways. Music has the capacity to unite. That’s what we are going to reflect on today, both how music brings us together and how music can help us do the other thing Paul teaches in this passage, which is to give thanks to God in every situation and for everything. We are going to need to talk about that one.

First, let’s talk about singing. Paul invites us to have the Holy Spirit fill us as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs among ourselves. As United Methodists, that’s right down our alley! The Wesleyan tradition of which we are a part has always had an emphasis on the singing of hymns. Hymn singing has been and remains a vital tool, not just to express our hearts to God but also to teach what we believe. If you want to study the theology of John and Charles Wesley, you go to John’s sermons and letters and you go to Charles’ hymns. Charles Wesley published over 6,000 hymns. He wrote around 600 hymns just on the topic of Holy Communion.

Wesley’s hymns are a great tool to teach theology, without the use of technical words but with the rich language of poetry. Hymn singing is also a powerful group experience. It is something our tradition has always treasured. Any of us who have gone to a hymn sing know what I mean. In fact, we have talked now and then about having a hymn sing and inviting our community. We need to get that scheduled. Whether it’s just a handful of people gathered around the piano or thousands of people gathered at Annual Conference, singing hymns, praise and worship songs together uplifts the soul.

Group singing is a great way to express unity. Each person participates with their own unique vocal sound. Some voices are deep, some high, some in between. Some are soft and some are strong. Some are right on pitch and others are a little off. And some aren’t even in the ballpark. But it’s ok because in the act of group singing, especially when the song is well known and loved, it all comes together. The other great thing about group singing is that there is always room for one more voice. As I’m sure any choir director will tell you, you never have too many singers. The singing circle can always be opened wider. In fact, the more people who sing, the easier it is for those who are less confident in their singing to join in. Their uncertain voices blend in with the stronger voices around them. One more thing about group singing as opposed to singing solos or smaller groups: there is a lot of grace. You can flub up the words, take a breath whenever you want, stop singing for a bit, it doesn’t matter because the whole group is carrying the song. Truly, group singing is a unifying and grace-filled experience. The Spirit does fill our hearts and fill the space when a group of people are singing together.

Think of the experiences you have had of group singing aside from church on Sunday morning. Maybe you were gathered around the campfire, or singing Happy Birthday to a friend, or participating in a community choir. I remember attending a Promise Keeper’s Convention in Dallas back in the ‘90s. Thousands of men were gathered at Dallas Stadium for worship and to hear speakers who challenged us to live lives that honored God and cared for our families and communities. I will never forget the experience of joining over 6,000 men singing with all our might. We would have lifted the roof off the stadium if it had one! I will also never forget seeing the Indigo Girls at the Newport. The place was packed. And the 400 or so of us gathered there knew all the songs. It became one big group singalong. It was so cool, one of the most fun concerts I have ever been to. The unity and good feeling in that space was palpable. What memories come to your mind of experiences of group singing that filled your heart with the spirit of unity? Paul tells us not to get drunk on wine but instead to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Wine can cheer your heart, but music does a much better job.

Now, let’s talk about that other thing Paul teaches us in this passage, to give thanks to God in every situation. There are some things that we go through in which there is nothing to be thankful for. I am thinking of health crises, the loss of someone too soon, a natural disaster, a freak accident, a vicious assault. I could go on and on. It seems Paul is asking us to do something that just can’t be done.

I wonder if this is not what Paul is teaching us to do. Maybe what he means to say is that we are to thank God in every situation. It’s not about thanking God for the situation but to thank God in the situation. Now this makes more sense to me. In any situation, even tragic ones, we can, by the Holy Spirit, give thanks to God.

But what are we thanking God for? We can thank God for a lot of things. We can be thankful that God is with us in the situation. We can be thankful that God has given us brothers and sisters in Christ who will support us, encourage us, help us through. We can thank God for grace. We can thank God for love. We can be thankful that God will never, ever abandon us.

This being thankful to God in hard situations is not being Pollyanna. Some things that happen are just plain ugly. There are times when grief and lament are necessary. What I am saying is that in some difficult situations, giving thanks to God is an act of resistance. It is resistance to despair. It is resistance to hopelessness. It is to affirm that God’s power is greater than anything that would stand against it.

There’s this song by Chris Tomlin which has a lyric that expresses what I’m trying to say. It goes, “Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise; and when the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name. Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your glorious name.”

This is where music comes in. Music helps us give thanks to God, especially when facing difficult times when there’s not a lot to be thankful for. I have found that music lifts my soul when I am feeling down, frustrated, or anxious. Music puts me in a different frame of mind where I can see through the murkiness of whatever is going on and be able to affirm that I am still loved, that God is still with me, that I have a family and friends that love me and are there for me, that I am a part of the body of Christ, that I am not alone. And I can be thankful for all of this.

And this gets me to Aretha Franklin. The woman who has been named the queen of soul had a challenging life. She had a rough childhood. She became a mother at a young age. Being a black woman in the music business those days and not only survive but thrive brought with it indignities, betrayals, stuff that you and I can’t even imagine.

But that was the thing about her music. It has been said that you can sense her pain through her music. The collective pain of being black in America was something that infused her music but in a way that gives strength, fortitude, even a little joy. It wasn’t just her voice, but her very presence, that filled up the space she was in. She refused to be held back from being herself. Her music was the way she expressed the power of the Holy Spirit, I would say. And the Spirit that filled her blessed so many people, filling their hearts and lifting them up.

Here is a homework assignment for you. Go on YouTube and search Aretha Franklin Amazing Grace live 1972 https://youtu.be/CBKwV6oNYvw. Listen to her rendition of that hymn. The way Aretha sings that hymn is so powerful. Not only does she sing in a way that expresses her pain and her hope, but she takes the congregation with her, a congregation gathered together in California in 1972, a time of great unrest and hardship throughout the nation. I think it was the hardness of the times that provided the context for Aretha Franklin to take that pain and redeem it through the music. And that congregation was lifted up with gratitude and thanksgiving, not just to Aretha, but to God. Watching that performance, listening to the song, and imagining yourself there, you can’t help but have your soul stirred. That’s why she is the queen of soul. She demonstrates what Paul was saying when he told the church not to get drunk on wine but to be filled with the Spirit, as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts, and giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God for Aretha Franklin. Thank God for the gift of music. May all of our days be filled with music until the day comes when we gather with the saints in heaven and join that unending hymn of praise.