Why Do We Sing So Much & Why Do We Lift Up Our Hands?

The worship service at Christ Church revolves around the recognition, confession, praise and worship of Jesus Christ. To that end we strive to be faithful in worshiping God musically in "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." We believe that music is an important and central part of worship. In fact, so vital was music and so culturally invigorating that King David made sure that musical instruments and songs of praise were constantly offered up before the Lord in the sanctuary. In 1 Chronicles 23:5 we’re told that “four thousand praised the Lord with musical instruments,” and further in 1 Chronicles 25:1 David separated out for service many “who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals” and these appear to have been a musical elite “who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, [and the number] was two hundred and eighty-eight.” Many Biblical scholars believe David implemented a 24 hour a day, seven days per week musical praise offering in the tabernacle with the Levites dividing into many shifts as a part of their duties. Of course, an entire book of the Bible is dedicated to songs of praise, dedication, worship, repentance, spiritual warfare, testimony and remembrance of God’s great historical works and more (The book of Psalms). Musical instruments and singing “praise choruses” to God has been at the center of all worship, as seen in the celebration service dedicating the temple:

Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. . . And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets--indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,"
that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. [2 Chronicles 5:7-14]

We too place a strong emphasis upon music in worship and our Worship Pastor, Ed Gillies, works with our musicians and singers to lead our congregation into a full-bodied, theologically sound time of corporate worship proceeding from personal experiences with God. In a typical worship service our worship team may direct the congregation into an awe-inspiring anthem such as He Reigns! followed by Shout To The Lord. Songs proclaiming God’s grace and mercy such as Better is One Day in Your House, Come, Now is The Time to Worship and other powerful musical expressions of our worship are offered up as a “sacrifice of our mouth” with “the fruit of our lips” giving praise. You will also sing one or two songs directly from the Psalms, some of which have been arranged with our own musical compositions and on many occasions we musically declare that This is My Father’s World and A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. 

Our congregation lifts hands to the Lord for two reasons. First, it is a natural response to the King of Glory: “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.” “Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands towards Your holy sanctuary.” Second, it is visible way to demonstrate our commitment to Christ and to “worship the Lord with all of our body” as well as our mind.

We invite you to join us in the great cacophony of praise that is ever lifted before the throne of the Triune God:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."