In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Music is one of God's great gifts to us. Dr. Martin Luther said, "Next to theology, I value music most highly." Luther wrote and used many hymns in the Reformation. It wasn't long before the Lutheran Church became known as the "singing church." And I hope that we still are the singing church. But, are we?

If we barely pay attention in the service, and mumble through the hymns, we are not "the singing church." If we sit in our seats as though we are the audience to be entertained, we do not deserve to be called "the singing church." If we've stopped giving our best effort to praise the Lord in song, and are just going through the motions half-heartedly, then we are in trouble. And if we no longer remember why we want to be singing at all, we really ought to repent. What we are talking about today is not just a nice idea. We are talking about how we praise and worship God. I pray that when we've finished considering God's Word for today, you will want to:

1. With Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs;

Have you ever found yourself humming a tune, because you just couldn't get it out of your head? From time to time that happens with songs on the radio. Sometimes it happens with a song that you cannot stand, and that is really irritating. But, wouldn't it be great if we were humming hymns of praise to God?

When I was younger, I would sometimes become afraid. One of my teachers taught us the song, "Everywhere I go the Lord is near me." My mother taught me to hum that song to myself whenever I felt afraid. As I would hum the song, I would be thinking, "Everywhere I go the Lord is near me," and that really helped. One Christian lady used to sing hymns as she vacuumed the house. That is what God's Word is talking about when it says, {19} "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." You don't have to be in church to sing hymns. Take favorite hymns with you wherever you go!

When we are here, we should not think that God is pleased if we just go through the motions. When I was a child, I knew the songs of the liturgy so well that I could practically sing them in my sleep, and sometimes, I might have done that in church. That wasn't right. But it was good to have those songs in my heart.

Before anyone thinks about throwing out the liturgy, think this through. Many congregations have at least three groups. One group wants CONSTANT CHANGE. They want us to copy some other church. Another group NEVER wants anything to CHANGE. They are just opposed to everything new, no matter what it is. And then there are those who will go along with ANYTHING. They aren't for or against anything. They have no opinion about anything. Who's right? Well, none of them, really. Instead, true Lutherans seek to keep the best of the past, while embracing the best of what's new, as long as we do not forfeit one bit of our theology. The liturgy is a great blessing, because it emphasizes the Triune God and the words of Scripture. We always have room for prayer and praise and confession of faith. Meanwhile, some of the newer hymns are very good. And some of the older ones are still good.

We need to be sure that we worship as Jesus taught us, "in spirit" and "in truth." We want to say the right words, and we want to say them from the heart. That means that we'll use the tried and true old and familiar hymns, and some of the best of the new ones. But, by all means, SING TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART!

2. Giving thanks for everything;

There is a part of us that is always asking, "Why should I?" The average Joe comes into church, sits down and asks, "Why should I sing hymns?" What would you tell him? Why not read Scripture which says, {19-20} "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." We have every reason to sing God's praises, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything." Have you ever tried to give thanks for "everything"? It's impossible for us to even remember how many things God has given us.

We should thank God for creation. He made the world that we live in and gave us our bodies and minds and all of our abilities. Pause for a moment to think of all the facets of God's creation: space and planets, sun, moon and stars, air to breathe, water to drink, ground to stand on, food to eat, and so on. You know, God could have just given us one kind of food, and that would be good enough, but God has given us more kinds of food than we can even count. We are so blessed. Just take one look around you, the next time you are in the supermarket, and just think about where it all came from!

We should thank God for preserving us and watching over us. We don't make our hearts beat, God does! We don't know our own future, but God does. God takes care of us each and every day. He provides us with all that we need, and more. He has given us family and friends. He even answers our prayers. Instead of just saying, "Lord, give me this and give me that," we should pray prayers of thanks to God.

We should thank God for his Word. Not everyone in this world has had the blessings that we have. Are we thankful for these blessings, or do we take them for granted? Truly, there is good reason to SING TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART...

3. In the name of Jesus.

The real reason for singing is that Jesus Christ has redeemed us. The one thing we should be most thankful for is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only because of Jesus that we are going to live forever in heaven. We sinned. We can't even worship God without sinning. Even our best efforts are stained with sin. But Jesus came and lived a perfect life for us. He sang Psalms. He did worship perfectly, in our place. Then, Jesus suffered and died on the cross to pay for all of our sins. He rose from death because he had won our forgiveness. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

But what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Yes, it means to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and life. But where there is faith, there will be fruits. Faith moves believers to want to worship. Faith moves believers to sing God's praises. Where there is real faith, there will be real praise "in the name of Jesus."

God's people sang God's praises in the Old Testament, often by singing the Psalms. God's people sang God's praises at the time of the apostles. Here and elsewhere, the apostle Paul urges believers to sing God's praises. But, then, much of the visible church got off the track. The priests were chanting and the congregation was just standing there, not doing much. That all changed at the time of the Reformation. The Gospel was rediscovered and proclaimed with boldness again. Luther gave the people a bigger part of worship, and the Lutheran church became the singing church. They didn't just stand there, they participated. After all, they had good reason to sing. They learned from Scripture that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. And so, there was a renewed interest in writing and singing hymns. The number of songs multiplied, probably more than any other period in history.

And the people were singing God's praises "in the name of Jesus." They now knew that Jesus had redeemed them, that they were forgiven, and that they were going to heaven by faith in Jesus. They wanted to sing. One Reformation a Lutheran professor preached a sermon entitled, "Theology must sing." Theology must sing! Indeed, it must. Believers can't help it. Good apple trees bear apples. Good lamps give light. And real believers sing. It is not so much that they must; it's just that they will. Those who truly believe that they deserve hell and yet are going to heaven because of what Jesus did on the cross cannot help it. They sing. They should. And they will. Believers will sing.

So, then, as we just sang in the hymn (#248):

Dear believers, when we are true to our faith, and consistent with what we believe, we will sing to the Lord with all our hearts. We will do it in our private thoughts. We will do it here in church. We will do it because we want to. We will do it in the name of Jesus, who redeemed us from sin and prepared a home for us in heaven. And then, for all eternity, we will sing to the Lord with all our hearts. May that everlasting song begin now. Amen.