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| SONGS AND MISSION |
| by Joyce D. Sohl |
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God’s mission is enabled by God’s song;
God’s songs are inspired by God’s mission;
God calls each of us to involvement in mission,
as we sing God’s songs!
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Joyful singing could be heard as the women walked down the path. One of the girls ran ahead and discovered that Rachel had a new baby. Women came out of their homes, children stopped their play, and all joined in a song of thanksgiving for the coming of new life.
This was not an unusual event. The Hebrew people, especially the women, sang about the happenings of their villages, about birth and death. They sang in captivity and exile, at religious ceremonies and celebrations. They sang because God commanded, |
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O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! (Psalm 95:1)
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Their “joyful noise” often included tambourines, lyres, cymbals and trumpets, and the sound of dancing feet.
Through the centuries, stories of singing women became legends of great religious importance. An early story was of Miriam, the sister of Moses, who led the women in a song about the parting of the Red Sea: |
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Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. (Exodus 15:21)
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Children liked to hear Deborah and Barak’s song about the killing of Sisera. This early Hebrew poem was told around campfires and ended with the words, |
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So perish all your enemies, O Lord!
But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might. (Judges 5:31)
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At times, prophets became upset with singing in the temples and at religious events. Amos railed against pomp and insincere singing: |
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Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:23-24)
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| During captivity in Babylon, the people did not want to sing. |
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How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:4) |
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Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew these songs, especially the song of Hannah, the barren wife of Elkanah. Hannah had prayed for a child and offered her prayer/song of thanks to God when her son, Samuel, was born: |
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My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory. (1 Samuel 2:1) |
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| Mary’s song, known as the Magnificat, is reminiscent of Hannah’s song: |
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“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed. (Luke 1:46-48) |
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Indeed, Mary has been called blessed by generations of Christians. She sings of a God who is on the side of the oppressed and the poor: |
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He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53) |
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The early church continued to sing psalms and created new songs to praise God and tell stories of Jesus Christ. Fragments of hymns are found throughout the New Testament.
Through singing, music, and dancing, Israelites and early Christians participated in worship. We, too, worship with songs of praise, prayer, and commitment to God’s mission. We sing hymns that express our faith, challenge our understandings of justice, motivate us to action for others, and enrich our spiritual life. On this website, we explore the relationship between mission and music, for we believe |
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that God’s mission is enabled by God’s song;
that God’s songs are inspired by God’s mission; and
that God calls each of us to involvement in mission,
even as we sing God’s songs! |
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| Download printable version: .PDF or .DOC |
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