Hello,
I was watching a nationally televised Cub’s baseball game the other day. Having grown up a Cubbie fan, I still find myself rooting for the Cub’s, maybe not as devoutly, and certainly not when they are playing the Pirates. But in the days when Wrigley Field didn’t have any lights and all the home games were day games, I found myself often in front of our black and white TV watching the perennially 2ndplace or worse Cubs.
I grew up when Jack Brickhouse was the main announcer and, he was famously followed by Harry Carey. Harry was noted for his big black rimmed glasses, his sloppy articulation, and his leading the crowd at the 7thinning stretch in singing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. Even though Harry passed away several years ago, his singing goes on as he occasionally appears on the Big Screen slobbering into the mic with gusto. But the game that I watched the other did not feature Harry Carey singing at the 7thinning stretch. Instead the singers were a couple of Black Hawk hockey players.
They were terrible singers. Far worse than Harry Carey. Their rendition of the melody was remotely similar to the written tune. When they held a note it sounded like a turn table that could not keep a constant speed. Their tone was bellicose. And they kept looking down on the table for the words. Yet, when they sang, you could tell that they were having fun. And as terrible as their singing was, when the camera panned the stadium, there were smiles on everyone’s face, as the crowd bellowed out the song with them.
You know, Christians sing every Sunday morning when they gather for worship, and depending on the congregation the joyful noise that is made sometimes can sound like the Wrigley Field singers. Truth is, that public group singing is a seldom occurrence in our day. It wasn’t unusual a generation or two ago for people to gather around a piano and sing songs together. But not now. People might sing along to a CD or have fun doing karaoke, but to public ally sing songs accompanied by a piano or organ…..well, I think it only happens in one place in our society; in church.
I know that there are many reasons that people find themselves not going to church, but if you asked people the honest truth, I bet a bunch would say, “I don’t like to sing.” Still, non-singers would come to church, but when singing time came many in my congregations (usually men) would stand silently, arms folded and not sing. Nowadays, when the social pressure to go to church has decreased, I find fewer non-singers in my congregation, their dislike for singing keeping them home.
Thing is, I doubt many, if any, stayed home from the Cubs game that I watched because they knew they were going to be encouraged to sing at the 7thinning stretch. And, as they panned the crowd…a crowd of 40,000 people…..I can’t say that I saw many arms crossed, mouths shut non-singers. It seemed like everyone was singing….and why? It was fun. It was fun to get caught up in the excitement of the game. Fun to add a voice to the crescendo of delight. Fun to vocally thumb a nose at the visiting team, especially with the phrase, “root, root, root for the CUBBIES (or PIRATES).
And although the songs that we sing in worship may not be as familiar to some as “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”, we sing our songs in church for the same reason. It is fun. Fun to get caught up in the excitement of the biggest victory in history, Jesus victory over the cross. Fun to add a voice to the crescendo of delight, as we together watch sin and death slump away with their tails between their legs. Fund to vocally thumb our nose at the world that thinks it can hold our joy down, especially when we come to phrases like, “Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia!”
So, let me invite you this Sunday to come to church. The seating is limited so get there early, and bring your singing voice, even if you sing worse than Harry Carey, because you and I are on the winning team. What fun to sing with all the gusto you can muster, “Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!”
Have a great week!
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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