July 5 – Guest Preacher - Alan Whorton 

July 12 – Psalm 42

July 19 – Psalm 19

July 26 – Psalm 110

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I think it’s a little funny when someone lists “music” as one of their hobbies. Everyone likes music! Maybe you don’t have an extensive record collection or spend thousands of dollars going to concerts every year, but I don’t know anyone who says, “Yeah, I just don’t like music.” It’s always fun when I get partnered up with Jim when we play golf because I know he’s going to bring his portable speaker and blast some classic rock while we play. Morgan and Logan share an affinity for Celine Dion. Mary Helen loves Elvis’ gospel album and the Everly Brothers. I’m pretty certain David knows all the words to “Hamilton.” Amy is into 90s post-hardcore bands. I personally played in a pop-punk band in high school (until we moved into our “Dave Matthews phase” and switched to acoustic rock…). We may all have different tastes in music, but everyone can be moved by a great song. 

            

Music is an integral part of the human experience, and it’s no wonder that the Bible is filled with songs. God’s written self-revelation to us is not a book of rules or a bunch of instructions. It’s an epic Story filled with everything that we love and yearn for – including music. After leading God’s people out of bondage in Egypt and through the middle of the sea, Moses and Miriam led the people in singing songs (Exodus 15). When the Lord gave victory to his people in the conquest of Canaan, Deborah and Barak sang a duet to celebrate (Judges 5). When Mary learned that the Lord chose her to bear the Christ-child, she burst into singing the song we call the “Magnificat” – “My soul magnifies the Lord!” (Luke 1). 

            

But did you know there is an entire songbook in the Bible? It was the “hymnal” that Jesus sang from (Matt. 26:30, often believed to be Psalm 113). It’s the book of Psalms, of course, and it’s perhaps the most beloved book in the Bible. It’s more quoted in the New Testament than any other book. It has more chapters than any other book, including the shortest and longest chapter. It contains famous passages like, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” 

 

And because it’s music, Psalms connects with everyone at some level. It covers the range of human emotions. Abraham Lincoln, confiding to a friend, said of the Psalms, “They are the best. I find something in them for every day of the year.” The Psalms contain all the core teachings and themes of Scripture put to verse. Martin Luther called Psalms “the Bible in miniature.” When Covid hit and I didn’t know what to do as a pastor whose job is predicated on meeting with people, I found incredible comfort in the Psalms. I realized that, like a good song, certain Psalms not only soothed my weary soul, they pointed me back to reality. “God is good, God is sovereign. All shall be well,” they affirmed to me. 

 

Many churches focus on Psalms through the summer months, a time when we roll the windows down and turn the radio up. My prayer is that these sacred songs will be “the songs of the summer” for us this month. That they would worm their way into our heads and hearts as great songs tend to do. But as the very Word of God, these songs bring us more than fleeting joy. They have the power to impart the divine wisdom and spiritual growth that we desperately need. I encourage you to listen to these songs with fresh ears and open hearts as we let God sing his Song to us – the Song of grace and truth, expertly crafted and written to move us towards himself. 

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Grace and peace,

 

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