Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Ephesians 5.19
I’ll readily admit, this is a “one another” that is more difficult for me. I’m not musically inclined outside of listening and being able to carry a tune (sort of). Likewise, many of us in our churches are in a similar boat. We enjoy carrying a tune and singing with others, we just can’t play a musical instrument if our life depended on it. So, what do we do?
The easier answer is write the lyrics, poetry set to music. We often pass the song writing off to those with the musical talent. However, I bet many a sister or brother, sometime in their life will have a song in need of music. So you who can play, be open to collaborate with those who can’t but have a story to tell. Also, please do not feel compelled to write a chorus that gets repeated twenty times and remains superficial, dive deep, maybe even write a new hymn!
Likewise, take some guidance from the Psalms. While many were written as praise to God, some where written as complaints to God or from a place of great brokenness. Songs that praise God are great and not to be discounted. We also need to remember that the living God became human and shared in our life and suffering. Human songs are needed that express the wide spectrum of human experience. Out of the dung that is in our lives, a flower can grow in the midst….This is the place of grace…..
