3. Confidence in another person’s Jesus
There have been many times, even as a pastor, where the thought of singing to Jesus on a given Sunday morning seemed like a joyless chore. Due to something in my life—whether it be sin, doubt, fear or something else—I didn’t feel I was in a place where I could truly worship without being fake.
On most of these Sundays, what pulled me out of this rut was singing with the saints at my local church. A friend of mine once said in a moment of vulnerability, “Sometimes I need to borrow someone else’s faith.” That’s what happens to my cold soul on these hard Sunday mornings. While I might not feel enough confidence in Jesus to sing that morning, my brother does, and I can trust him. While I might not feel the love for Jesus I need to truly praise, my sister does, and I can trust her. There are Sundays where I walk into service feeling broken and bruised and the last thing I want to do is sing. On those Sundays, it feels like I’m singing someone else’s faith, and before I know it, their confidence and faith has become my own.
We’ve been given a blessing beyond what we deserve in the corporate nature of Sunday mornings. We should do all we can to protect that, even if it’s something as small as leaving the lights on.
Conclusion
Friends, while you might read this and be tempted to dismiss it as too small of an issue and without any need for action, consider keeping the lights on this Sunday. I humbly submit to you that a glare on the screen, a potential distraction from another member or some imperfection that may be noticed cost little compared to the tremendous gift of witnessing redeemed brothers and sisters sing to their Savior.
One last note: All three of these arguments about singing at church can be used for why it’s important to hear each other sing as well. While it might seem counter-intuitive, let’s lower the music and raise the lights.
This article about singing at church originally appeared here.
