Last Sunday, I had the honor of going to our UCC church in Stamford to help officiate the installation service of their pastor, Rev. Nestor Gomez.
Pastor Nestor was born in Medellin, Columbia, and several of the songs at his installation service last Sunday were in Spanish.
And, he said to the congregation, “Even if you don’t understand the words, please sing along and feel the joy.” And, we certainly did!
And, it reminded me when I went to a service at a Hindu temple a few years ago. The music during the service was known as Kirtan. Someone was playing a musical instrument called a harmonium, and we were all chanting along in Hindu.
And, of course, I didn’t know what I was singing, but I could feel the vibration and the energy of the shared human experience of joining our voices as one.
One body. One voice.
Music is a universal language of the sacred. Across cultures and religions, people sing and chant and drum as acts of devotion.
It connects us to something greater.
I think that’s why the Bible gives us instructions to “lift up our voices together in song.” In our Scripture reading this morning for “Music Appreciation Sunday,” we hear Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which he instructs them to “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” with gratitude in their hearts.
There are so many references to “music” in the Bible…over 1,000, believe it or not.
For example, Psalm 150 instructs us to praise God with instruments, namely trumpet, lute, harp, and cymbals.
In the Book of Exodus, Moses and Israelites sang after crossing the Red Sea.
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus’s mother, Mary, sings a song called “The Magnificat,” after learning she is pregnant with Jesus.
And in Matthew 26:30, we hear that Jesus and the apostles sang a hymn together after the Last Supper.
And, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Silas sing hymns together while they were imprisoned for their faith.
And, of course, the entire Book of Psalms in the Bible is a collection of 150 songs. The psalms are songs!
You know, back in Biblical times, there weren’t printing presses, and most people couldn’t read or write.
Songs were a way for people to pray without having to read. They could learn the words by heart.
I think of the songs that I know by heart. Songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Jesus Loves Me.” Those songs come to me when I am need in comfort.
Music gives voice to our grief, our longing, our hopes, and our joy.
Music is a Divine gift…one that we have been given since the beginning of Creation.
In the Bible, we hear that “In the beginning was the Word.” Capitol W! The Word, however, wasn’t a word — letters in a book. It was a sound!
Before God created anything, there was a sound…the Divine Voice or vibration that brought everything into existence.
When we sing in church (especially when we sing together), we are uniting (we are aligning) our voices with the Divine Voice.
So, we vibrate as One!
That’s why music uplifts us. Lifts our spirits.
I think that’s why Saint Augustine once said, “When we sing, we pray twice.”
Music is not just decoration in our worship. It is prayer.
When we sing together, we are forming community. We are aligning our breath, our bodies, and our spirits.
And, singing is not just for trained voices. Not just for those with perfect pitch. But for all of us.
And, so, today, we give thanks, for the gift of song.
In your bulletin today, you’ll see the full list of names of all those who have participated in our Music Program this past year.
Nearly 60 people took part in our various choirs just this past year alone.
That is absolutely extraordinary!
Throughout this past year, our choir has provided us with such beautiful and inspirational music, which has made our worship services so very meaningful each week.
Week after week, they rehearse, they show up, they blend their individual voices into something greater than themselves. They remind us what it means to be the Body of Christ—many parts, one song.
And, we give thanks for our handbell choir, whose music quite literally requires cooperation, trust, and attentiveness.
Each bell, on its own, is just a single note. But together, they create something intricate and beautiful. What a powerful image of community—each person essential and needed.
And, we’re so very grateful for Rachel Dorset, the director of our Handbell choirs, and to Ellen Dickinson, our Director of Music.
How blessed are we to have two directors of such enormous talents.
Rachel’s handbell career started in college, and (before coming to the United Church of Rowayton) she has rung with Southport Congregational Church and the Jubliate Ringers.
And, Ellen holds a Master of Music from Yale School of Music, and she is the director of the Carillon Program at Yale University, as well as the Artistic Director of Music on the Hill.
Ellen and Rachel’s work is often behind the scenes, but their impact is felt in every note we hear and every song we sing.
So, right now, I’d like to invite Ellen and Rachel to come forward to receive a token of our appreciation.
My friends, on this Music Appreciation Sunday, let us not only appreciate music—let us participate in it.
Let us allow music to open us up —to each other, to ourselves, and to God.
May we it be so. Amen.
Here are three follow-up questions for reflection and/or journal writing:
- The sermon describes music as a “universal language of the sacred.” When have you experienced a sense of connection or unity through music—even when you didn’t understand the words—and what did that moment reveal to you?
- The message suggests that singing together aligns us with the “Divine Voice” and forms community. How does participating in music—whether in worship or elsewhere—shape your sense of belonging or spiritual awareness?
- Reflecting on the idea that “when we sing, we pray twice,” in what ways might you approach music not just as listening, but as an active spiritual practice in your daily life?