“I can't seem to stop singing wherever I am”
Not the words of St Cecilia, although they might have been, nor are these words from our scripture readings this morning
They were uttered to a Reverend Mother in a certain abbey in Salzburg, by a novice….. who would never become a nun.
If anything sums up the power of song to praise and glorify the Lord, that opening scene of the Sound of Music does.
Today we celebrate the feast of St Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, one of the so-called virgin martyrs of the third century, during the brutal persecution of Christians in Rome.
She was a noblewoman who swore to dedicate her virginity to Christ….a significant demonstration of resolute faith, as it entailed giving up all she had to live on, her livelihood and her place in society, preferring instead to entrust her life to God and his providence.
She hosted worship behind closed doors in her own home, just as today, still, there are Christians forced to worship in secret.
Today, 1 in 7 Christians are being persecuted worldwide. Last year on average thirteen Christians were killed each day.
For standing up for Jesus
Cecilia was murdered, horribly, in fire, for standing up for Jesus. So they beheaded her, making several attempts to do so. All the while, legend has it she was singing praises to God.
For standing up for Jesus
Whose side are you really on? Brutus asked us to ask ourselves last Sunday
Azariah, from the depths of the furnace, knew without hesitation.
Azariah and the other two Hebrews stood up for God. In the midst of the furnace. They knew that this ruler would not be around forever, that rulers would come and that rulers would go, because there is only one true and sovereign Lord who rules over us all.
Something to hang onto in modern times.
Daniel relates the story of Nebuchadnezzar who ruled, who had all the power, and had decreed that whenever one heard music one was supposed to bow down and worship the golden statue. Anyone who refused would be hurled into the fiery furnace. And, as you guessed, the Hebrews disobeyed. They sang alright, but their own hymns, to the one true God
Blessed are you O Lord…to be praised and exalted for ever
words repeated and repeated and repeated.
In the fire they stand up for God
So the question I pose to us all this week is
Do you stand up for Jesus?
Can we proudly declare our faith?
Not just today but every day.
Today we will do just that in church as we welcome Louis for baptism, as he begins his journey of faith
We will stand as a family to make vows
We will stand as a community to affirm our faith in God
We will stand to sing praises to God.
In church
But faith is not always easy in the world outside….in the world of everyday. It can be hard work. It is a journey, with mountains to climb and valleys to cross. There may be times in our lives when we cannot hear God, when we wonder where God is, when we feel abandoned.
But there are also times when we are filled with the power of the spirit, with love, and simply wonder at the glory of God.
Brutus spoke movingly a couple of months ago about the comfort of the rhythm of the liturgy, how the simple repetition of familiar words bring calm, can still our distracted minds and focus us.
Focus…that is what unites the characters in our service this morning. Absolute focus on Jesus and his word by Mary, absolute focus on praising God by Azariah and absolute focus on her love of Christ by Cecilia.
When we cannot find that focus, when we cannot find the words, whether in grief or joy, music may do it for us. Just as the liturgy sweeps us through the familiar ritual, so music can focus us completely, from our very core, to express our deepest emotions and help us to meet God.
Caecilia may have had to sing in her heart, but we have always been a singing church. Music has played a major part in most religions and our own heritage goes back thousands of years, to the cantillation of the Hebrew scriptures, the great Hebrew prayer which was and still is, chanted not just said….
Shema Israel Adonai eloheinu, Adonai ehad.
Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one
There are many references throughout the Old Testament to joyous, spontaneous singing, and of course we have the Psalms. The music of lament, of celebration, of mourning, of joy ..of emotions that words alone cannot express.
There is evidence of music and singing in the early church …we have letters from Pliny describing weird Christian practices…..the rise before dawn to sing a hymn, as to a God
The earliest known Christian hymn is named the Oxyrhynchus, after the archaeological site in Egypt, in which fragments of a Greek manuscript were found, dating to the 3rd century, the period of Cecilia.
Of a hymn which invokes silence in order to praise the Holy Trinity
We glory in the rich history of church music, from O Come O come Emmanuel, thought to date back to 1000 years BC and now a Christmas hymn…. from Gregorian chant of the monastic tradition, through the mass settings, to anthems, solo voices, full choral masterpieces, to Taize chants and familiar family hymns. The first hymn in our service this morning dates back to the 8th century..a beautiful choice!
Music never fails in some way to transform us, to lift our souls even to the highest roof of any cathedral, bringing us closer to God
Bach signed all his works Soli Deo Gloria…for the glory of God alone
Music can focus our faith, support our faith, be our prayer when we have none. Express our anguish when we cannot.
Make our hearts swell with joy when words are not enough.
Some hymns make us cry. They take us back to a sad memory, they reawaken past pain, they touch our very soul.
Augustine said that to sing is to pray twice. ….and he also said that to love is to need to sing. We need to sing, together, to express our love for God
Of course it is not just in church that we pray…or try to pray
At home, every day, music can help when we cannot find the words. Music can help us focus on God
Music can be our prayer.
We can listen to our own personal choices of music …we can listen while we pray, we can listen to pray
Thank God for Spotify!
Paul commanded the Ephesians to be filled with the spirit as you sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts.
Let us stand up today for Jesus
Let us celebrate the baptism of Louis
Let us celebrate the love of God together
Let us stand up every day for Jesus, let our hearts sing and spirits soar in songs of love and praise, wherever we are.
Amen
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