Pastor’s Message

It was 1735 when John Wesley left England to cross the Atlantic aboard the schooner Simmonds. Nearly halfway to Georgia the ship encountered a terrible storm. The sailors dropped the sails and ordered the passengers to hold on for their lives as gale force winds pounded the ship. test

In the middle of the storm Wesley heard something. He thought it was music, but the idea of someone playing under the circumstances seemed unlikely. To his surprise, what Wesley found was a group of Moravian Christians gathered together singing hymns. Certainly they were as afraid as the others, but their hearts were calmed by the singing of hymns.

In the New Testament we read about Paul and Silas chained together in a Philippian jail. Although their circumstances were different than that of Wesley’s, their hearts must have been filled with the same sense of fear. So what did they do? They sang hymns. These two men had no idea what was to become of them come daybreak. But the singing of hymns calmed their fearful hearts and lifted their spirits.

Most Christians know the words of the doxology. We sing it almost every Sunday during worship. Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Nearly twenty years ago these familiar words were sung in the most unlikely of places. It was October 1988, the fifth game of the World Series. Just before this happened, a young pitcher named Orel Hershiser had pitched another shutout inning against the favored Oakland A’s. Over the past few weeks he and the Los Angeles Dodgers has clinched the National League pennant with a dramatic seven-game series victory over the New York Mets. Now Orel was feeling the pressure of the World Series and the likes of Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and the mighty A’s.

Between innings Orel sat quietly with his head resting against the dugout wall. With his eyes closed, he softly sang praises to God. Ironically, three days later, following the Dodgers winning of the series, Orel was on the “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” singing The Doxology to millions. Once again, a fearful heart was lifted through the singing of hymns.

How important music is in our lives? Nothing stays in our memory more than a familiar tune or jingle. Nothing makes scripture easier to memorize. Walter Savage Landor said “Music is God’s gift to man, the only art of heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to heaven.”

Perhaps it is not so much the singing, or the music, as it is the joy of worship that is produced. Beethoven’s Ninth or “Choral” Symphony was his last and generally considered his greatest work. It was inspired by a poem titled “Ode to Joy” written by his friend Friedrich Schiller, and took him six years to complete. It has always been a mystery to musicians to comprehend how Beethoven could conceive this work, as all of his work after he was thirty years old was composed with him being stone deaf. The account is given that when the Ninth Symphony was initially performed in Vienna, in 1824, the soloists had to come down from the stage and turn Beethoven around so that he could recognize the thunderous ovation he was given.

Music is one of the most important parts of our worship. Choir practice is on Tuesday night.

You think about that! 

"In HIS Grip"

David