Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.” vss. 5-6
Psalm 98:5-9h
We know that temple rituals involved the offering of sacrifices on the altar, but the Levites who ran the temple organization were also responsible for music making and the chanting of psalms. They would have included professional musician–singers and instrumentalists who regularly would have made a joyful noise before the Lord. It’s likely that some also had responsibility for composing the psalms. Those traditions were continued by the followers of Jesus, and music quickly became a central part of worship life in the early faith communities, and that’s still true in contemporary congregations. There’s no better way to offer praise and thanksgiving to God than through the songs of joy that we hear regularly in our weekly worship. And while it’s nice to have well-practiced choirs and gifted singers and instrumentalists, it’s particularly uplifting when the entire congregation joins in the melodies. In those moments the singing is truly an act of worship by the entire body and not just a performance by a gifted few. There is no better feeling than to joyfully join the singing and not worry about being on key. As this psalm puts it clearly, what pleases God more than anything is a joyful noise, when everyone joins the choir.
Thought for the Day: How does singing enhance my worship?
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