Sing!

When was the last time you sang? Maybe you have young children and you take them to a music group each week? Maybe like me you’re a renowned shower singer – maybe you don’t realise you are, but ask the people you live with, they’ll notice even if you do it subconsciously! Lots of people sung for the only time in a long time during the European football championships last month, whether it was the people in the stadium, or just sitting on the sofa at home, joining in with a rendition of the national anthem, or “Football’s coming home”. 

I’ve heard people say that singing is what you do when speaking doesn’t convey the emotion effectively enough. Words carry a thought, music carries an emotion, a song makes you feel a thought. And maybe when you feel something so strongly yourself, it’s not enough to just say something, you’ve got to sing it! I think that might be why football matches feature the most unlikely singers of all time bursting into song, all together. And singing unites us doesn’t it? Whether it’s at a football match, in a choir, or at a party, listening to a song everyone knows, we sing together with one voice! 

A couple of weeks ago, when the Covid restrictions were lifted, we were allowed to sing together in churches again. For the past 15 months, even though we have sometimes been allowed to gather in church buildings, we haven’t been allowed to sing together, and it’s been really strange, not what I’m used to at all! Standing up, listening to a band play a song, and not being allowed to join in. And it was wonderful to be allowed to sing again last week, we were all so grateful to be able to do it. 

But why do we sing in Church? Why do Christians sing? Well I think it’s those two things I mentioned earlier – it unites us, helps us to join together with our church family, singing with one voice. And also, we sing because we can’t help ourselves! The Bible says “Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth!” Why? “For great is the Lord”. We sing, because God is great! We rejoice at what God has done for us, we think about this and the emotion flows from our heart into song. 

If you fancy coming and singing with us, come along to Christ Church Huntingdon, we meet at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at Stukeley Meadows Primary School. But wherever you are, I hope you can have a good sing today, let the words come from your heart and through your voice. Maybe even sing along with Ed now.

Matt Gurtler 06/08/21