Diocesan
Life Columns
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Bishop Paul's writes a monthly column for the Diocesan Newspaper, Diocesan
Life, edited by Communication
Minister, Bill Lewellis.
For more features from the life of our diocese, check Diocesanlife....ONLINE; and Bethlehem
News.
Rusty Baritone Bishop Says: Sing
Anyway
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Diocesan Life, October 1999
Neither of my children ever had a singing class in public school
-- that's in two states, one school district rich, the other poor.
They had computer classes and other practical studies, all of which
is very good, but the basic human skill of singing was left out.
That they can sing (better than their father, I assure you) is
a result of their going to church and of their joining voluntary
singing groups at school and in the community. Keep those junior
choirs going? I say this for more reasons than one.
There has been a steady disconnect with singing in our country
throughout the second half of this century. People are more withdrawn
than ever. From the Christian point of view, this is regrettable
because even the most shy, quiet, and private person finds his
or her soul drawn out when we sing the praises of God together.
When I look out over a congregation and see the people who not
only do not sing, but aren't even following along, I wonder what
other means they use to express or discover the depth of their
joy in the Lord God.
My reason for bringing this up is not to make non-singers feel
guilty, but to introduce a fact that amazes me. A hundred years
ago, even in the Episcopal Church, people would write about the "social
use of hymns."
When I first encountered the phrase I had to do time in the library
to find out what it meant. Many of what we would call gospel, folk,
or informal hymns, as well as the old standards, were routinely
sung in families or after dinner with friends, and so on. People
praised God and sang about their religion for fun - without being
members of the choir. Normal people just sang.
We had a little taste of that as a diocese at our Hymn Festival
last spring. Another opportunity presents itself on Sunday, October
10, at 4 p.m. at St. Stephen's in Wilkes-Barre, at our Diocesan
Ultreya. Ultreya simply means "upward," or "onward," and is part
of the Cursillo vocabulary. For those who may not know, Cursillo
is a renewal movement that has been going on since before World
War II, and which has had some success in this Diocese.
This event is not for Cursillo people only, however. Although
Cursillo concerns are a part of it, I see the event as offering
everybody in the Diocese a chance to enjoy praising God in music
that is perhaps more "social" in the old-fashioned sense I have
mentioned. There will be scripture, some talking with each other,
and refreshments, too, but I am especially eager to sing.
Especially if you don't think of yourself as a singer, come sing
for the pleasure of it, and see if joy does not break through.
If I were concerned about professional sound, I would never open
my mouth, but that's not what God is listening for; so I praise
my maker while I have breath.
Singing connects us to God. You may also be surprised by how much
singing connects us to other people as well. It's natural: breathing
together, making the same sounds, matching each other's pitches,
all seem to create a sense of unity. In this country we might think
of "cadences" sung by recruits marching or running in the dawn
light.
One thing that makes Japanese industry so effective is that factories
start the day with everyone, from the CEO to the newest line-worker,
together singing the company song. The videos I have seen of this
ritual are fascinating. I just cannot imagine the same thing at
a large American plant. But I can imagine it in Church. This cannot
be entirely explained by pointing out that singing produces chemicals
that make us feel good, although that certainly is the case. Those
who have ever taken part in contemplative singing, such as the
chant we do when the names of the dead are read at Convention,
know that there is more here: singing can be a tool of the Holy
Spirit.
The earliest secular references to Christianity for the most part
mention the Christians as singing. It comes with the territory,
as the Psalms say many times over. Until our own time, I know of
very few Christian groups that did not sing, whether in or outside
of the liturgy. There simply has to be something essential here
-- if not part of the essence of the faith, certainly part of the
complete experience of the faith. Ours is in some ways a troubled
church. I was astounded recently by the perception of one well-intentioned
group seemingly firing olive branches from howitzers without discussion.
When all that starts to get me, I find that about the only effective
medicine is song. Singing to the Lord and in the Lord.
Words are usually about information. Music by itself is usually
about feeling. A hymn or song of praise brings these two powerful
aspect of the human experience together in a way that has to be
experienced to be believed.
Please sing with your children. You will give them treasures that
will pay dividends all their lives. If one or two people who do
not sing now, but try it after reading this, and discover a new
dimension of joy, this will be ink well-spilt. I hope to see many
of you on Sunday, October 10.
********************* Sunday, October 10 (4 pm) at St. Stephen's
Pro-Cathedral 35 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre Join Bishop Paul
and people from around the diocese for Christian fellowship, joyful
worship, singing and an opportunity to renew our call to discipleship.
No previous experience with the Cursillo program is required.
(return to Bishop Paul's Columns
Index)
Please direct any
questions or comments to the webmaster@diobeth.org
