There are some who wonder why Christian schools have chapel, arguing that they should not try to replace the local church experience. There are others who claim that chapel is one of the adornments or accessories that makes a school “Christian.” At Front Range Christian School, however, weekly chapel meetings are an integral part of the academic experience.
“Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.”
~ Psalm 135:3
We are familiar with the greatest of commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:38). But did you know that singing is the most recorded command in the Bible? Depending on which translation you read, you’ll find between 120 and 200 mentions of the command, “Sing.” In roughly 99% of those uses, the verb comes in either the form of an exhortation, or a proclamation:
- “Sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted” – Exodus 15:21
- “Sing to God, sing in praise of his name” – Psalm 68:4
- “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” – Psalm 100:2
- “Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world” – Isaiah 12:5
- “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” – Ephesians 5:19
- “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises” – Hebrews 2:12
- “Is anyone among you in trouble Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sings songs of praise” – James 5:13
There are dozens of verses in which we are instructed to sing to the Lord or we hear about somebody proclaiming that they will sing to the Lord. One thing you may notice in all of the verses for which the exhortation of singing comes is that NONE of them are a suggestion or listed as an option.
There is a natural, innate familiarity with music embedded in our brains.
You, I, and every single human being in this world have been created in the image of God: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27. And as image bearers of God, it is important to note that God himself declares that He will rejoice over His people with singing:
“The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
~ Zephaniah 3:17
One of the clearest exhortations to sing comes from the apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians, as he writes about the new life that we have in Christ:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
~ Colossians 3:16
Singing is more than a mere representation of our likeness to God, but can also be used as a means of teaching, wisdom, and admonishment.
This is why FRCS students participate in chapel each week. We are commanded to sing praises to our God and teach and admonish each other through those songs. The music in chapel is the fulfillment of a command that is central to our faith and a crucial part of our mission to prepare children for life and equip them to impact the world for Christ.
“Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.”
~ Psalm 135:3
