Psalm singing is not a natural or first choice for human nature. Our nature likes songs that put ourselves central, but the Psalms put God central. Singing about rich human faith experiences is much nicer than singing about our sins, God’s justice and salvation, God’s wrath, or the unrest of …
Read MoreAuthor: Frank Ezinga
Silence in Church
Some time ago, a discussion after church raised the topic of silence, as we usually don’t have music when the elders distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper. The question was, “Why we can’t have music to break the silence?” And it gives people something to listen to while they …
Read More“Reformed” in the Name
In our communities, many churches have generic names, such as Fellowship, Community Church, or just Christian Church (𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 “𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯”…). Why do our churches have “Reformed” in their name? Dr. Michael Kearney makes valuable remarks in the Nov/Dec 2024 edition of Outlook: “It is fascinating …
Read MoreWhere did the Canticles go?
Calvin’s first bundle of Psalms (1539) was called “Aulcuns pseaulmes et cantiques mys en chant [Collection of Psalms and Canticles for singing].” When I open the Book of Praise, I see Psalms and Hymns, but what happened to the Canticles? Canticles are songs with lyrics taken from Scripture, and, as …
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Christmas Carols
Christmas is an interesting time. The biblical truth and human imagination are mixed into a sweet punch. In our Christmas Day sermon, we heard about “We Three Kings” that Scripture does not refer to the wise men as “kings” and that their number is unknown. Is it bad to sing …
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God-Intoxicated
In my study, I have to read a lot about Psalm singing. It is familiar to the Reformed churches, but Psalm singing is foreign to most North American churches. Singing Scriptural songs is counter-cultural. I can’t use all I read, but sometimes I see interesting stuff. “The psalms call for …
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Always Praise?
Sometimes, people tell me that worship should be praise to God. Most Sundays, we start corporate worship with jubilant praise. But often, our minds are not with it, no matter how much praise there is, because our hearts are troubled. Keith and Kristyn Getty write about why we need to …
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Relevant Worship
“The problem also arises from the congregation’s lack of instruction in the liturgy, so that the worshippers fail to understand the relationship of the various components of the service, even when these components might be well selected and in a proper sequence. “ If not, that’s exactly the problem!! “Expressing …
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Drift away from Psalm Singing
Dr. Richard Joiner, a retired Baptist music professor, makes the following observation about Psalm singing in the past, worship in the present time, and the impact of a return to Psalm singing. “Our Psalm singing since the days of the early church and the days of post-Reformation Baptists has gone …
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