Well, this week's series of podcasts has turned out rather differently from what I expected when we began.

I was actually anticipating reflecting with you in some of my favourite hymns, but we've ended up thinking and talking just about singing itself,

not about specific Psalms or hymns or spiritual songs that we love to sing.

Yesterday I said that secular songs have a horizontal direction. We sing about ourselves,

or what's around us, or we sing to each other,

and there's nothing wrong with that. But there's a whole missing dimension. And by contrast,

even when a Christian sings in a horizontal direction, even sings the very same songs, there's

always a vertical direction. And the reason is,

as I said, because we live before the face of God and in His presence. We know that when

we are singing, He's listening. When we are singing, we're singing to Him and about Him,

or for Him, or in his presence.

So all of the Christians singing is different.

And when we sing specifically Christian praise, Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, it's very

different.

I said yesterday I'd say a little more about this today.

I was actually thinking about Paul's words in Colossians chapter 3 verse 16.

It's one of the most important New Testament verses about singing, isn't it?

Let 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 heart to God.

There's a whole theology of singing in this verse.

And since it's Friday today, I hope you'll reflect on it not only today, but also tomorrow

and as you go to worship on Sunday.

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