Why Do We Sing What We Sing?

So many times we have people ask us “Why do we sing that song at Grace?” I always think this is a great question, and one that I love answering because I believe the songs we sing show the heart of who we are as a church.

First off, I would want to tell you that we are very intentional about the music we sing at Grace. We really do spend a good amount of time thinking about and choosing songs that we believe will edify our church body.  On average we try to teach about 15-18 new songs a year. 

Why would we spend so much time thinking about what we are going to sing??  Because time and time again you see in God’s Word that we are called to Sing to the Lord (Psalm 104:33) or Sing a new song (Psalm 96:1) or Sing praise to your name (Psalm 9:2).  Singing when God’s people gather together is not a new thing, but a way to express to God our affections, praise, and giving of worth to Him.

In our culture currently, we are saturated with tons of resources and new worship music, making it difficult to sort through all that is available to us on the radio and everywhere else you hear Christian music currently.  We have to be overly intentional about the songs that we sing on a given weekend.  We try hard to look for certain things that will glorify our Lord, give direction to our church, and be spiritually sound.  So here are a few characteristics that we look for when we pick new music.

1.    Is it true? Is what we are singing true about who God is, what He has done, and does it agree with scripture?  Does it come directly from God’s word? Does it reference scripture passages? If it’s not directly from scripture, does it still represent God correctly? We strive hard for this. I’ve listened to several songs that I love the way they sound, but the lyrics are not biblically sound… so we have to pass.

2.    Is it our style? Needless to say, pretty much every current church has a style of worship music that seems to represent the congregation of the church.  Personally, I don’t see a problem with this because I think Scripture gives us a lot of freedom on this issue.

3.    Is it easy to sing? This is very important and often overlooked. We try hard to pick songs that have sing-able melodies and you can remember the words during the week.  I always enjoy hearing someone say, “I couldn’t get that chorus out of my head this week!”  I feel like that is a big win for our church.  I mean, what could be greater than you working during the week and humming to yourself, “You are our God, and we are your people! And we will be with You forever.”  These are such great words that we sing directly from Psalm 95.

4.    Does it draw us in to a realization of who God is and His promises for us?  For instance… recently, we taught a song called “God of the Redeemed”.  The song begins with “We belong to you Father…” we are redeemed.  The chorus then goes into a great time of praise as we sing “We lift up, the name of our God above. Hallelujah, to You God of the Redeemed.”  Basically… Praise You God!  For You have paid the price for us… You have redeemed us by the blood of Your son Jesus!  Through these words I can hopefully understand that God says I belong to Him, I am no longer alone, I am living for His glory here on earth until he returns. And my response? To praise Him.  What a great summary of the gospel!!!

5.    Does it mention the name of Jesus?  I know that not all of our songs do, but we strive to make sure that most of our songs talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I will admit that my favorite song that we sing is called “The Name” by Aaron Ivey.  It talks about all the things that Jesus has done for us.  It also gives us plenty of times to sing the name of Jesus.  I believe there is something special about proclaiming and singing the name of Jesus.  I love how the song speaks of Jesus through the whole beginning, and in the end… All glory and fame, be unto the One who reigns! Yes You reign! All heaven and earth, rejoice at the sound of Your name!

There are other things that we look for also, but hopefully this will give you a little insight into why we sing a particular song.  For lists of our weekly set lists or to find original music, please log on to http://www.gracechurchsc.org/ministries/worship

I enjoy our time together singing as a gathered church. I believe it honors God in a special way and He is given worth through it.  Church, let’s do our best to come with a humble heart ready to sing to our Lord when we gather together each weekend. I look forward to our time together.

Worship Well,
Matt Kelley