Oh No! We Can’t Sing

As a singer and music director, I'm distressed that we can't have congregational singing while at the same time, realizing that this decision made consistent with directives on the Ministry of Health on our behalf is for the purpose of keeping us safe from the COVID-19 virus.

A flood of questions entered my mind:

• "What will that be like?"
• “Now what do I do?"
• "Do I ask others to sing or play instruments with me or is that unsafe?"
• "Can we worship without singing?"
• "What is 'worship' anyway?"

When limitations are imposed on us, as they are now, it is a good opportunity for us to step back and take another look at worship from an unfamiliar perspective.

If I were to tell you of the many benefits of singing, these ramblings would be much too long. I will, however, highlight for us some of the wonderful things that take place when we sing with other people in the worship of God.

• Our heart is engaged as well as our head. Martin Luther said that when we sing, we are praying twice; once with our head and once with our heart.
• Singing enables us to express joy and pain; trust and hope using words and music that others have written. Singing draws out what is inside of us and helps us open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit.
• The ties of community are strengthened when we sing together. We realize again that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves in God's great kingdom. We each belong and we each contribute. Of course, it's not about how well we each sing but that we do it together.

Saying all these things in praise of singing makes the restriction seem even worse, doesn't it?

So, what do we do with this loss?
After acknowledging that it is a big loss, let's think about what hasn't been taken away and what we can do in the period until the restriction is lifted, whether soon or in the distant future.

What are we expressing when we sing in a service?

• Some hymns declare who God is and what He has done.
• Other songs are prayers. Some, like many of the Psalms, express petition, and thanksgiving; confession and praise all in the same piece.
• In some songs, we rejoice; with some, we weep.

If the singing is taken away, what remains? The elements of worship have not changed. There is praise, confession, reading of the Scriptures, teaching, confession of Faith, intercession, thanksgiving, and Holy Communion. All can be done by:

• active listening
• speaking the responses
• assuming a suitable posture
• standing for expressing praise sitting or kneeling to express humility in confession or meditation.
• using arms and hands to give a blessing or the sign of peace

The purpose of all these elements and their expression is to draw us to God; Father, Son, and Spirit, and grow in our relationship with Him. As we individuals do this together, we are each encouraged and built up even without singing.

Will you join me in this yet another new adventure?
The challenge for me and for all of us is to lean into worship without corporate singing. (I hope you are singing a lot on your own.)

Can I worship with you without singing? I think I can. It will be different, and we will have some awkward moments along the way. There will be a few of us singing, some of the time, and there will be instrumental music.

God hasn't changed; only our circumstances have.

Shalom