“Don’t get your stimulus from wine (for there is always the danger of excessive drinking), but let the Spirit stimulate your souls. Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of God! Thank God at all times for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5: 17 – 20 J. B. Phillips New Testament)
Hmmmh!
For many people the passionate Preacher is meddling here. He’s comparing apples and oranges or something even more extreme like “Ding-dongs” and Hockey Pucks.
“Don’t get your stimulus from wine,”?! People all over the world, droves of them, wouldn’t know what to do without their “wine.” A lot of folks equate it – lots of it – with pleasure. You haven’t really begun to “have fun” ‘til you’ve gotten a “buzz on.” And, of course anybody knows that there’s nothing like a “drink or two” to “loosen you up,” free you from your “inhibitions.” Ecstasy awaits just beyond a “pint or two.” Popular opinion tends to hold that self-restraint and pleasure are antithetical. “Christian fun” is an oxymoron!
Truthfully, when you first read it to, “Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of God,” could have a Monastic grayness to it. But, “there is always the danger of excessive drinking.” As Eugene Peterson puts it, in the MESSAGE, “Drunkenness cheapens your life.”
Alcoholism is rampant in modern Society and its ravages are felt across Cultural lines.
The alternative this Preacher offers actually enriches life. “Joy,” for him is a most winsome, “stimulating,” way of life. “Singing” is not an exclusively religious thing. In widely unique circles of Family, Friends, Colleagues, even adversaries “music is the language of the heart.” It involves far more than the “monastic” or “churchly.” The “Psalms” in Scripture are about life. God is seen, in these Ancient songs, and prayers as the “Cosmic Benefactor.” He’s the “Defender” of His people. He avenges those He loves. His discipline is celebrated as corrective; self-improvement. He is worshiped and celebrated as the source of all “goodness.” Life in these Ancient Communities of Faith was highly “festive.” Interestingly their songwriters saw clearly the connection between the religious and “Joy.” They were realists certainly. They knew and celebrated that living with God did not rule out hardship. But, they insisted, in His way of life, “Joy comes in the morning.”
People understand that today. I’ve actually had drunken Friends ask me to sing for them. They’ve specifically asked me to sing Hymns. Most often they’ve asked for “Amazing Grace,” or “The Old Rugged Cross.” Then they’d begin to lament the painful turns in their lives. They’d remember a “good” person and even weep as they recalled the ways in which that person brought light and hope to them. Later, these same men would tell me how comforting all of this was to them. They’d even say how much they longed for the depth of life they saw in me and other “Church” people. Longings they’d been medicating and anesthetizing with beverages and pills were, if only for a moment, satisfied by the stuff of hymns.
“Spiritual songs” are “heart” expressions. They inspire things such as love, joy, and peace. Singing them we experience genuinely heartfelt pleasure. We’re inspired. “Making music in your hearts for the ears of God,” is the “song in the shower” for some of us. It’s the audible expression of heartfelt delight with life. And it isn’t exclusively the sort of song we might think of as “Church” music. Josh Groban’s “You lift me up so I can stand on mountains,” is most inspiring. And those words are actually from the prophetic message of a Jewish Prophet named Habakkuk. Do these lyrics look familiar to you? “ I hope you never lose your sense of wonder … never take one single breath for granted . I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean. Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance I hope you dance.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance . Never settle for the path of least resistance. Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking. Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth making. Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter. When you come close to selling out, reconsider. Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance.” This Lee Ann Womack hit has rarely been listed among the top 10 “spiritual songs.” But it’s as much a song of faith and inspiration as I’ve ever heard. It is the voice of the “heart.” The language of the “Spirit,” for it embodies essential truths of our Faith. I’ve been stirred by what you call “secular music,” many times. Abba’s “I Have a Dream,” is one of them. This line, “If you see the wonder of the Fairy Tale, you can face the future even if you fail,” reassures me that “happy endings,” are more than mythical. Through Christ, the Lord of life and death, “glory” awaits all who trust that He can bring “Joy in the morning.” I still smile when I see the “Convent Chorus Line,” in the movie, “Chorus Line,” dancing and singing, “I will follow Him wherever He may lead. There isn’t an ocean too deep, a mountain so high it can keep me away … I will follow Him wherever He may lead … I love Him! I love Him!”
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