Music Spotlight! (Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022)

During our Arts and Worship series, we have been singing Psalms together each Sunday. Why? (If you didn't catch the article about psalm-singing, you can find it here.) Psalm-singing is one of the most obvious ways--from a historical and Biblical standpoint--to engage with our creative gifts. We have an opportunity to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit by participating in this ancient practice. 

This Sunday, we will sing our final Psalm for the sermon series -- Psalm 150. Its musical arrangement, decidedly un-"Western", will push us to think about Psalms not only historically, but globally. 

"Rab ki hove sanna hamesha (Blest Be God, Praised Forever)" is a Punjabi song, first recorded in 1989, which has become a very popular Christian worship song in India and Pakistan. It apparently became familiar to Western ears around 2000 through the Christian Conference of Asia. While included in several global collections, it still has only been printed in one denominational hymnal, "Glory to God". You can find it in the pew as #617. 

One should never assume, but we probably don't have any Indians or Pakistanis in our congregation. That's not a judgment on us! It's just the nature of living in a region where only 2.42% of the population is Asian. So why sing a Punjabi song? (By the way, we will sing it in English -- don't sweat!)

By singing songs from other cultures, we practice welcoming those who are different from us. You never know who may walk in that sanctuary door... Singing an unfamiliar song may just communicate the acceptance a guest has been longing for in a new place. Recognizing another culture can broaden and deepen our communal prayer. It might afford us the personal opportunity to experiment, to learn, to grow. We may not always get it "right." But embracing the messiness is part of extending a loving hand to others. Singing with and for another culture is an act of love towards those we don't know and may never meet. 

I hope you enjoy trying out this responsorial Psalm tomorrow during worship! A recording, Bollywood style: