Over the season of Lent, we joined together in a brief worship on Wednesday evenings. A recurring theme of the midweek services – as we invited members of the community to share stories of God calling them – was to sing a verse from the familiar hymn “I Love to Tell the Story.” While this song tells a certain story – or at least references it – scripture is full of instances where people break out in song, usually telling of the mighty deeds of God.
These songs often told stories in very specific ways. When the Israelites danced on the shores of the Red Sea, they sang of God’s saving work that had just happened in the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of the Egyptian forces that were pursuing them. The Psalms were the songbook of the Hebrews, sometimes sharing examples of God’s power, and sometimes crying out to God for mercy. They reminded the hearer – or singer – of who was in control. When the gospels report Jesus’ last supper – a Passover meal – the writers share that the gathered disciples sang “the hymn.” There was a certain song that was sung to remember the story of God’s saving work.
In our own lives, we also have songs that tell stories. Maybe you hear a certain song, and it reminds you of a certain moment in your life. Maybe you and a beloved have a song that is “our song.” Regardless, our brains seem hardwired to connect certain songs with feelings or memories. This even happens in our hymnals. There are songs that for some of us connect deeply. For instance, the hymn “Give Me Jesus” was a song sung by the college choir I was a part of many years ago. I still am pulled back to a rehearsal room in Iowa nearly every time that hymn is sung in worship. For other hymns, sometimes the memories aren’t quite as joyful, such as a song that reminds us of funerals and lost loved ones. But still, they are telling a story, and a part of that story is to remind us of God’s presence in our lives – both in the good times and the negative.
I’m going to invite you in the weeks ahead to pay attention to the songs you are hearing. Are there any songs that speak to you specifically? Which ones pull you closer to the presence of God’s saving power? What memories seem especially strong to you when you hear both hymns and secular music? How is your life in some ways a response to the songs that reside in our hearts every day?
Much as we experience songs telling a story, I believe how we live our lives tell stories as well – not just stories of us, but also stories of what we hold to be most dear. How does our life together tell the story of God’s love? How do our individual lives point toward a life that is deeper and fuller than what our lives alone would suggest? Perhaps – much like notes in a song – our lives are a part of a larger story, a more expansive song. As we enter into this coming season of welcoming the Holy Spirit among us, I encourage you to listen deeply to the song of the Holy Spirit – a song that reminds us of God’s bounteous love for us all, and a song that pulls us out into the world to add our own harmony of hope to the communities in which we live.
Pastor Chris