The Fifth Voice

"As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him" Psalm 103:13, RSV

"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from they presence?" Psalm 139:7, RSV

Why We Sing, Part 2
by Reggie M. Kidd

Song shapes our love for him and makes us "there" to his "thereness." That's why he asks, "Do you love me?" ... because he delights in our pleasure in him.

Barbership quartet singers claim that when their voices blend just right, they hear a "fifth voice." That aural illusion created by harmonics is, I believe, a divine whisper of something that is absolutely true of our singing when we gather in worship.

For the Bible says that in the church Jesus is singing hymns to the Father (Hebrews 2:12) and that, in fact, he is our Worship Leader (Hebrews 8:2, literally "Liturgist").

We sing so we can sing with Jesus.

When Paul tells his churches to "let the word of Christ dwell ... richly" among them by means of "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Colossians 3:16 NIV), he's inviting them to do more than use music as a "warm-up" to the sermon.

The song is not ornamentation; it is participation in the very redemption of all creation. It plays its own role in God's showcasing his saving power before humans and angels (Ephesians 3:10).

From Key Life Magazine, Summer 2006 (21.2)