Music Charms the Soul

Around every corner and in every place, music is either grabbing our attention or whispering in the background. When we hear it, our hearts recall something deep within us. Many of our deepest memories are ‘attached’ to music because music and memory share brain space.

So, it should come as no surprise that the Church ages ago incorporated music into worship. In fact, the Book of Psalms was meant to be sung rather than read. It has been called the original hymnal of the Church and is part of every service. There are two reasons for this integration.

First, the angels are singing in heaven, and our worship is preparation for heaven. If we ‘they’ are singing in heaven, then we should be singing in Church. When we come to any church service, we are literally practicing for heaven.

The other reason God taught us to sing in worship is for our soul. Music and emotions are linked in the human brain. That is why most if not all our strongest memories are ‘connected’ to a song of our past. God wants our memories to be linked to Him and worship.

There are many examples of people nearing death who ‘come alive’ when they hear a hymn from Church. Music is used in many therapeutic exercises for dementia and Parkinsons. There is no doubt, spiritually or physiologically, that music is at the core of our soul.

That brings me to my inspiration for today’s blog. Today is the Feast of Saint Ephraim the Syrian whom some believe to be one of the first major hymnographers of the Church. He was a gifted musician and theologian, using hymns to teach the truth of God.

As the hymns he wrote spread, so did the truth of God, eventually defeating heresies. He didn’t ‘need’ to stand on a street corner and combat heresy. The sweet melodies brought the truth of God directly into the hearts of people, and they quickly turned away from false teachings.

How does that matter for us today? We can either battle with our children about ‘their’ music leading them away from the Church, or we can offer them something better. The lyrics of today’s popular music is far from the Chrisitan life, but those are the lyrics in our children’s hearts.

The hymns of the Church don’t have a ‘catchy’ beat, and you can’t dance to them. While you can play ‘church music’ in the house, unless you force your children to listen, they will remain hidden away with earbuds or headphones. There is a better way. Take them to Church

The more our children are in Church for services, the more the hymns will rest in their hearts. The more they hear the truth of God ‘linked’ to their emotions and memories, the more likely they will remain close to the Church and be ready for the hymns of heaven.

This all requires two things. Good musicians and good translations. Ancient hymns were written in a language nobody speaks anymore. Even modern Greek speakers cannot understand the Greek from the 3^rd and 4^th Centuries. Music opens the heart so the words can settle in.

It was the words that Saint Ephraim was fighting, not the melodies. If we want our children to know the truth of God, and keep in deep in their hearts, then we must expose them to beautiful music with beautiful truth. The human brain which God designed will take care of the rest.

Today’s challenge is to download some church music and begin to expose your children to beautiful hymns in their language. Then make Church attendance a standard part of your daily life. The brain will ‘kick in’ and before you know it, your children will be humming hymns. It works.