Thursday: Worship & Creativity
September 25
- Scripture: Colossians 3:16 — “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
- Reflection: What isn’t made better, lighter, or deeper with music? We can certainly enter into a worshipful state of mind through congregational hymns or choral performances in sacred, set-apart spaces.
Yet music belongs to the whole human experience. It enlivens our common activities and interactions, and make them more special. It alters the way we express ourselves. It changes how others perceive what we communicate.
It is no accident that the Psalms in the Bible, which are songs, so often grapple with a wide range of human experiences and emotions. Often people can find themselves reflected in those texts. Music has narrated the human experience across time.
Music is wired into our bodies and being. Did you know that some people can sing, when they cannot speak? Or that music disrupts damage done by different neurological diseases, temporarily anyway; it restores the ability of some people to access parts of their brain that allow them to speak, experience emotions, and have greater range of motion and connection, while familiar songs play. This is due to the way that music activates several centers of the brain, and bypasses the damage done by certain injuries or illnesses.
Challenge yourself to add music to your regular, daily schedule. What connections do you make, that would have been missing otherwise? - Spiritual Practice: Today, consider the concept of talk-singing. Try singing your words instead of speaking them, as you make statements and have conversations throughout the day. It is a silly and playful approach to communication. If you’re alone, narrate some of your basic tasks, such as getting dressed. Or make it a game with someone else you trust, at home, at work, in school or where you volunteer or recreate. Test it out! Have fun with it. Reflect on how it change the delivery and the reception of what you need to convey. How do others engage you?
Songs:
- Mountain Music by Alabama: https://youtu.be/M6WfM0cXWSQ?si=NtP23BWLRnt-ql3D
- 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman: https://youtu.be/XtwIT8JjddM?si=4prbugMTaf3F0AC
- Music Makes the World Go Round by the Hamilton Brothers: https://youtu.be/x1NZrCPBIDE?si=hAxoKjN0B28-jh41
- I Can Hear the Music by The Beach Boys: https://youtu.be/EqhVI1lz3ng?si=rnbG3Bkn2zjHClJP
“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” — Pablo Casals
Sept 25 Daily Devotional