Theme: Sing It to Bring It!
Growing up in a first-generation Italian home, we carried on many traditions brought from my parents’ and grandparents’ towns in Southern Italy and Sicily. Many of these traditions centered around the dinner table, especially on Sundays and Holidays. Most often these meals were large affairs, including aunts and uncles and others. The scene would include a large dining room table that could seat at least ten or twelve people, with another table for the kids. These weekly dinners often took hours as it came in waves of food and drink, with noisy conversations trying to solve the problems of the world. In many parts of Italy, it is believed that in order to fully prepare yourself, and fully enjoy the main dinner, one must prepare your palate. So, while the main courses of homemade pasta, meats, polenta and more were being prepared, an antipasto was placed on the table, along with wine, chestnuts, and various cheeses. Wine was brought up from the barrels in my grandfather’s wine cellar. This was even given in tiny portions to the children, mixed in 7-up, and just enough to turn the soda pink. All of this, as said, was designed to prepare the palate and allow the main meal to be more heartily enjoyed. This was not just eating, but a time of unity and love designed around the meal.
I thought of this as I listened to Pastor Dan speak the message this past Sunday. The larger, main course, meal of spiritual sustenance is more heartily enjoyed and absorbed when one opens the appetite with songs of praise to our Father, who is preparing our spiritual nourishment. As Pastor taught, we are to “sing it to bring it." Bring what again? The Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts to His word and allows us to fully rejoice in the presence of God. This is true in our corporate worship and even in our solitary meals. We have other ways of preparing our palates and hearts for the main course of Bible study, prayer, service, and worshiping together, but is there really any better way than lifting our voices, no matter how bad or good they are, in song to the Lord? Song prepares the room, creates unity in God, and brings the Holy Spirit to join and guide us. Without song, whether in church or in our cars, our spiritual palate is not fully prepared. As in our meals growing up being more than eating, our worship preceded by song, as Pastor Dan stated, creates a state of truly living rather than just being alive.
Scripture: Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV)
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Prayer:
Father place in us the desire to sing boldly your praises from our hearts. As your children, Lord, let us fully realize who we are in Jesus Christ and the magnificence of living in your Grace. Father, create in us a desire to be outrageous in a world that is merely alive. Let them see us as so unique, living life to the max, singing, hugging, laughing, and loudly proclaiming that it is all from you. Thank you, and we sing praises to you in Jesus’ name. Amen