One of the hardest parts of this pandemic has been not being able to sing. Singing in church is such a vital part of our faith that it leaves a gaping hole when we don’t get to do it. And yet singing can increase the possibility of virus transmission through droplets, and so, following the restrictions put on us by those in authority over us, we choose to not sing.
But this begs the question – how do you worship without singing? Does no singing mean we can’t worship? And not singing through the year is bad enough; not singing at Christmas is huge. How do you still worship in a meaningful way without opening your mouth?
I will admit that there are no easy answers, but I’ll attempt to give you two to help you to think about this for yourself. To worship without singing, you need to 1. Savour the words and 2. Let your heart sing.
Savour the words
Often times when we sing, we’re so focused on the melody that the words just pass us by. I remember years ago asking a faithful gentleman at our church what he thought of a song we had sung earlier in the service. To me, it included words that were borderline heretical and yet they went right by him. He was so focused on singing that he wasn’t processing what he was singing.
And at Christmas time especially, when we’ve sung these songs so many time before, it’s easy to go into autopilot and just ‘Glo-ooooo-ooooo-oooooria’ our way through the words.
But this pandemic gives us an opportunity to really savour the words. To think long and hard on the words that go with the notes and to reflect on the theological truths that they express. These carols are more than ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer;’ they tell us about who God is, how deep His love for us is, how He miraculously entered into His own creation to redeem it.
We need to savour those words. We need to actively process those words with our inner voice so that we can really embrace the truths that they express – ‘Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!’ ‘Born that man no more may die!’ ‘God and sinners reconciled!’ Let those realities wash over you as you savour the words and then…
Let your heart sing
Admittedly, this is easier done than explained, but I’ll put it like this. When I played the drums on worship teams, I could only sing so much, because I was focused on what my hands and feet were doing. But I could still use my eyes to follow the words. And so I let those truths wash over me and inspire in me a great love for God. I would sing inwardly, with my inner voice and my mind and my heart, and from there, my spirit would overflow with gratitude and joy and affection for God. At that point, it’s your heart that’s singing, recognizing God’s marvelous works and honouring Him with your innermost being.
I can’t give you step by step directions here, but I think it’s something to do with embracing what is true about God and letting your spirit soar in response. Pay attention this year to how your spirit responds to the words of the carols and let your heart do the singing.
There’s no doubt about it; Christmas will be very different this year, but the Christmas story won’t be, because the God who wrote it doesn’t change. He will always be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will always be worthy of our praise…
So, come, let us adore Him – Christ the Lord.