A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.  Proverbs 17:17 NIV

Have you ever wondered why we sing as part of our worship?  Part of it is because it is biblical.  Psalm 100:1-2 says, Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!  In Psalm 95:1-2, we find, Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul tells the Colossian to [l]et the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And to the church at Ephesus: Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

But there is another reason we sing.  Read closely:

A recent Cornell University study has found that, while the average Facebook user has 130 “friends,”   Americans have, on average, only slightly more than two confidantes, down from three 25 years ago.  The good news is that the size of our “circle of friends” has stabilized since 2004.  It seems the same statistical analysis was used to determine that the average family size in 2014 was 2.54 people.  I don’t think any of us would like to be considered a “slightly more” friend any more than we would to be a .54 person.

The truth is that we were all created to be in fellowship—friendship, if you will—with God first and then with one another.  In the Genesis creation story, we find that there was only one thing that God said was not good about all that He had made and that was that mankind should not be alone (Genesis 2:18).  In short, we need one another.  We need friends, and we need to be friends.  So, how do we go about expanding our circle beyond the “slightly more than two?”  Would you believe, singing?

Another recent study, this time at Oxford University, suggests that singing is an effective way to make new friends because it helps us bond quickly with others. Having sung in choirs, choral groups and even barbershop quartets most of my life, I believe this to be true.  I never thought much about it at the time, but, looking back, newcomers were assimilated and friendships made very quickly in those groups.  Perhaps that is why so much of our worship, especially our gathering together, involves music and singing.  We know from Scripture that King David was both a musician and singer and that many of his songs (psalms) have become a part of worship for centuries.

For the study, led by Eiluned Pearce, Ph.D., researchers looked at participants, ages 18 to 83, in adult education classes organized by the Workers' Education Association in the UK. Eighty-four participants were enrolled in one of four singing classes; 51 participants were enrolled in one of two creative crafts classes or a creative writing class.

Over a period of seven months, the classes met weekly. During the first, third, and final months, researchers asked participants to indicate how close they felt to their classmates.

Results showed something surprising. Although participants in all the classes felt closer to their classmates by the study's end, participants in the singing classes developed that closeness much more quickly.

As for why exactly singing facilitates fast group bonding, the researchers say one possible reason is that everyone does it at the same time. Compare that to creative writing or crafting, where everyone is working on an individual project. Another potential cause, according to the researchers, is that singing involves muscular effort, which triggers the release of certain molecules [endorphins] that can make us happier and more willing to cooperate. The takeaway here is that singing can be a great icebreaker among large groups of strangers (remember office karaoke night?), which can facilitate individual friendships down the line.

"Really close relationships still depend on interactions between individuals or much smaller groups," Pearce said in a release, "but this study shows singing can kick start the bonding process."

You may be saying “That’s all well and good, but I can’t carry a note in a bucket.”  I’ve got good news for you, based on my own observation.  Mine is not at scientific as Oxford’s, but maybe it will help you.

When I began seminary, our liturgical music professor, Dr. Russell Schultz (who, by the way, was one of the editors of our own 1982 Hynmnal) “auditioned” each of us to determine our singing ability.  Those with good voices were invited to become members of the Seminary Chapel Choir.  Those with awful voices were also invited to join a choir, the St. Jude’s Choir (St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes).  His purpose, of course, was to help those with little or no musical ability to increase their skills and gain confidence.  Looking back on it, I can tell you that the St. Jude’s Choir never sounded very good, but they had a camaraderie every bit as great as the Seminary Chapel Choir.  Which tells me that the Oxford research was right.  Singing, even bad singing, draws people together.

So, if you want more friends, find folks to sing with.  It’s a theologically sound idea. 

If you think you would like to join one of our music teams, contact David Horn, Director of Music, and he will help you find a place.  In the meantime, when you come to worship, …let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 

A prayer for friendship:  You have blessed us, O God, with the gift of friendship, the bonding of persons in a circle of love. We thank you for such a blessing: for friends who love us, who share our sorrows, who laugh with us in celebration, who bear our pain, who need us as we need them, who weep as we weep, who hold us when words fail, and who give us the freedom to be ourselves. Bless our friends with health, wholeness, life, and love. Amen.

Finally, if you would like to join our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, please contact me or send in your reservation.  Space is limited, and we are filling up fast.

Blessings,

Steve+