Make a Joyful Noise!

I LOVE congregational singing!  

My first memory of congregational singing was watching my grandpa, John Riner, stand at the front of our little one-room country church, leading the hymns with gusto, with his sweet mouth twisted a bit to the side.  There was no piano accompaniment, but little need for it when you sang from the heart like Grandpa always did.

My daddy, John Jr, loved hymn singing as much as his pa, but for reasons known only to him, Daddy never officially joined his family church.  However, he always maintained a deep, abiding love for God and Jesus and each Sunday evening that rolled around would find him tuning in his old tabletop radio to hear some good ole time gospel music.  “How Great Thou Art”, “Just as I Am”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, and “Rock of Ages” were among his favorites.

Shortly before Daddy died he went into respiratory failure and was put on a ventilator.  I drove up from Florida to visit him in the hospital for a few days and since it was December, I took along my Christmas cards to address while sitting with him.  I also took along a church hymnal so I could sing those gospel songs that he so loved so well to my daddy.  And sing I did, hour after hour until my throat was raw.

I was with Daddy as they took him off the ventilator and watched anxiously as he slowly started breathing again on his own.  In gratitude, I began another hymn.  My sweet Daddy then turned toward me and rasped, “Honey, that’s enough singin’.”

Good thing I have a sense of humor! I returned to quietly addressing envelopes until about half an hour later when he opened his eyes and said, “Okay, honey, you can sing again.” And so I did, gladly.

Years ago a family vacationing in Florida came to our church meeting and sat in the pew in front of my family.  One of their sons had Down’s Syndrome; when the opening hymn began, that young man began to sing … quite loudly.  He didn’t know the words and his singing was totally off key, but I’ve rarely seen or heard anything as beautiful as that young boy praising God in song with his whole heart and soul.  I wept, grateful that I was there to witness it.  Recalling that sweet moment still brings me to tears.

All of my children have sung in choirs both in school and at church.  It is a gift I’ve been delighted to share with them.  My good husband, on the other hand, is one who absolutely cannot sing on key, but he still has a great appreciation for good music.  Like the boy with Down’s Syndrome, my husband’s inability to carry a tune has never stopped him from singing in church with his whole heart.  I’ve always appreciated that about him.  

After all, the Psalmist didn’t say, “Sing in perfect harmony unto the Lord”; he said, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”  This is just what that young boy and my husband do.