Yesterday my devotional pointed me to Psalm 149:1, “Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song” (from the Book of Common Prayer as quoted in Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals). Upon reading those first two words I began to quietly sing “Alleluia Sing” from David Crowder*Band’s CD. The lyrics of the chorus are simple, memorable and singable:
Alleluia majesty
Alleluia king of kings
Alleluia angels sing
Alleluia sing!
Later in the day, sitting at my desk with my iPod in shuffle songs mode, I became aware that I was listening to “Alleluia Sing.” The song brought me back to my morning worship. I recalled the prayers I prayed, the Bible verses I read, and that moment with the Divine. I had the sense that God might be playing with me, whispering in my ear, reminding me that he was here and available at times other than those few minutes at the start of the day.
This is evidence of the power of a song. The scripture reminded me of the song; the song brought me back to the Psalm and that time with God.
As we use more and more series in worship, I am experimenting with attaching a song to each series – what some would call a “theme song.” During our last series on family systems our pastor and I were hearing stories about difficulties in relationships that people were working through. After introducing “Our God,” we had the congregation sing it each Sunday. My hope is that the song will remind many of the strength available when going through difficulty and maybe a helpful image or two from the series. I also hope that when remembering the sermon series one might also remember the song. I’m not sure I can do this with every series, but I think it may be a powerful tool when appropriate.
Do you have a song that reminds you of a particular sermon or series? Do you mind singing the same song every Sunday for a few weeks? Worship leaders, do you use “theme songs”?
I forgot my iPod today, so I’ve been listening to Pandora while writing this. Guess what song I heard as I was finishing this? Dear God, thank you again for the reminder of your presence at all times and in all places, and of your playfulness with us.