A Reading
Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 146: 1)
A Thought
New garage doors were fitted on Friday. Few garages are used for cars, so I needed to clear a space for the garage engineer to work in. This required moving an old pair of stereo speakers. The casing had been carpentered in the 1970’s by my father, and each was both prominent and large. Needless to say they have been in storage throughout my married life, but a moment of truth had arrived. Do they still work, or are they now fit only for the tip?
I threaded the speaker wire from our amplifier to the speakers, standing outside the front of our house. Learning what was about to happen, one of my children advised that loud rock music was the most appropriate test environment. I have no held-over breaches of the peace to worry about, so I selected a Queen CD (NB not the annual Queen’s message) and pressed play.
There is something deeply satisfying about broadcasting to the world something that is meaningful to you. Headphones have their place, but they do not deliver that pulsating in the chest that takes audio participation to a higher level. Neither do they give our neighbours an opportunity to discover what they are missing.
Surely this is what previous generations have enjoyed through singing of the psalms and hymns in large congregations. In a close environment, we can feel the energy from other worshippers. When the message is the Good News of Jesus Christ, why wouldn’t we want to sing out with a loud voice? The sounds from others drowns out any flat notes.
When we know the Holy Spirit is within us, we are driven to praise and worship the God of our salvation. Telling out, our souls, lifts us spiritually and physically, and calls others to hear the Holy word.
So, let’s turn up the volume of our worship, both indoors and outdoors.
Meanwhile, the future of my old loudspeakers is subject to a more interesting discussion than previously.
A Verse
Tell out, my soul, the glories of His word!
Firm is his promise, and His mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and for evermore!
Amen