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IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SING TO GOD.
One of the subgroups in the Churches that I very much admire right from my school days is the CHOIR ! I love them but can’t join them because of their 2 to 4 times weekly practices which I can’t offer because of other religious and vocational engagements. I give KUDOS to those who have volunteered to contribute their own quota in the Heavenly race and serve God through this gesture. Continue Reading.........
Now the bigger questions are:
“these sacrifices you have been making in God’s vineyard, is it producing the desired result”? Are you doing it in the right way? What if the aim of your services has been negatively severed, can you adjust”?Music they say is the universal language of the soul. This is one of the reasons why you may not easily know when your songs do not produce the desired impacts because people nod and still gesticulate in acknowledgement, accolade and support while you sing. But the fact is, you ought to know when you have DERAILED.
NOW LET’S X-RAY IT HERE; When you sing, three (3) reasons are targeted (personal opinion);
A SONG (religious) is meant to:
1. Praise/worship God,
2. Pass a message that should be heard, understood, rightly interpreted and followed up by the congregation, and
3. To appreciate Gods gift of special voices to some people (either acquired or naturally endowed).
Point number one is specially linked to the second point because number two helps others (the congregation), to join their voices to give greater glory to God. So point one and two are more significant when songs are sang to the clear hearing and understanding of the followers/audience. The third point is important too but when the first and second point don’t preced it, it’s vain glory.
It’s good I let you know at this juncture that; SONGS(GOSPEL) ARE NOT MERE WORDS AND SOUNDS. SONGS ARE EXPRESSIONS OF THE HEART. SONGS ARE PRAISES AND WORSHIP TO GOD. SONGS ARE REVELATIONS. SONGS ARE CONVICTIONS. SONGS ARE DECLARATIONS. SONGS ARE TESTIMONIES. SONGS ARE INSTRUCTIONS. SONGS ARE PRAYERS. SOME SONGS ARE EXPRESSIONS OF MYSTERIES.
SONGS ARE WORDS RIGHTLY JOINED TOGETHER TO FORM MEANINGFUL SENTENCES TO COMMUNICATE COMPREHENSIVE MESSAGES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING MORTALS TO REALMS OF GLORY.
That is the reason lyrics of songs are released to the People.
EVALUATION AND IMPLICATIONS
It’s very annoying that most songs we hear today only achieve the third point of singers attraction of accolades, edification and fame to him/her self NOT God. Am particularly concerned about religious songs especially ones done in the Churches. When you recite or sing songs in the Churches and the congregation cannot understand/follow you, you are wrong.
When you sing the responsorial psalm and people cannot understand the wording of what you are singing/saying but unavoidably attracted to the eloquence/sonorousness of your voice, YOU ARE TAKING GOD’S GLORY TO YOURSELF and that’s dangerous. Remember that God said He doesn’t share His glory with anyone. He is a jealous God.
When you are more interested in making people to know how good a voice you have, and never care about whether they are following you or not, you have derailed.
When expressing the eloquence of your voice becomes more important to you than passing the message in the song across, you are a distraction to many in the house of God and part of the cause of People’s spiritual backwardness/stagnancy.
It’s very annoying that it’s mostly those songs of yester-years that we knew and learnt since childhood that are almost the only songs that people hear, understand and follow up in the Church today while they are being sang during Mass or service.
Does it not bother you that you ascend the Altar and after singing, nobody understood anything from what you sang?
The sonorousness of your voice is almost not needed and less in value than the message you are passing across and God’s praise.
Every song is well written. Songs are LEGIBLE, VERY MEANINGFUL AND POSITIVELY IMPACTFUL.
CHOIR SHOULD STOP USING INSTRUMENTS LIKE GUITAR, KEYBOARD, PIANO AND CO. TO MAKE TOO LOUD SOUNDS WHILE SINGING. What you are singing is more important that the sounds of the instruments. The volume of the instruments should be very low. They are supposed to form the background and not to lead in pitch and peak.
When the sounds of the instruments are too loud, your voices are lost and people can’t hear what you are singing. Hence, IT MAKES NO MEANING.
Please singing songs especially in the Churches should be targeted at SINGING WHAT PEOPLE CAN HEAR, UNDERSTAND AND POSSIBLY FOLLOW UP.
When the choir does it right, the whole congregation is taken closer to God. Songs are meant to lift up our spirits to God. Songs are capable of producing more spiritual impacts than what is obtainable today. Songs can be portal for the Holy Spirit to descend on People and medium to activate the working of miracles. Remember, most miracles that Jesus did were activated by the faith of the people that were healed. This is because faith comes by hearing, understanding and believing (Romans chapter 10: verse 10 and verse 17). Remember also that without believe and faith, no man can please God (Habakkuk 2:4, Heb. 11:6). But how can your songs activate someone’s faith when he doesn’t understand what you are singing, talk-more of believing in it?
At this juncture with the things you have learnt now, as a CHORISTER or CHOIR, ask yourselves, “is this my efforts, sacrifices and practices giving God glory that is commensurate? Have I been wasting God’s time and my time? Am I doing this the right way?”
IF NO, PLEASE MAKE EFFORTS TO ADJUST. You cannot change everyone but you can change yourself, put mouth in correcting others and they may learn from you. And by so doing, you may achieve this change. Don’t neglect what your little efforts can achieve in this.
May God bless our CHORISTERS more and more as they continue to sacrifice their time and other resources in their services to God.
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