Free to Sing...or Not

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ~ Acts 5:27-29

One complaint about musicals is that they don’t resemble life, that is, no one randomly bursts into song in the middle of their day. While life may not resemble a musical, you probably encounter more random singing than you think. Think about those happy moments when you start humming to yourself, or the sing-song lilt to some conversations when expressing a strong emotion or sarcasm. If you have a pre-schooler in your life, you probably hear impromptu musical compositions in gibberish on a regular basis. And then there is the music that surrounds us regularly from radios, commercials, and, of course, birds.

The natural language of birds is music, so rather than a musical, it is more of an avian opera. The language is both song and call. The only real distinction is purpose. Calls are simple communications, from identifying location to warning about dangers. Songs are more complex and used for courting a mate and battling with rivals for territory. A fact celebrated by grateful birders everywhere, is that songbirds cannot not sing in the spring. Even before they arrive on their breeding territory – where singing to establish dominance and attract a mate makes sense – they sing their hearts out at every stop along the way north. The reason is hormones. As they increase in their little bodies, they trigger a big response in their voice. This means that even when the warblers are tucked away in the tree tops they remain identifiable because they effectively continuously say, “here I am, look at me.”

Clearly, humans make a choice to sing or not. Even as metaphor for rejoicing, lamenting, or expressing passion, we still choose whether to express it or not. Or do we? Overpowering emotions will always find some way to get expressed. Perhaps it is even God’s fault. When Peter was threatened by the powerful religious forces of his time, telling him to keep quiet, he preached anyway, claiming a divine mandate. Is there anything that you cannot not keep quiet about? Maybe there should be.

Prayer: Holy Song, remind us of the truth of Francis’ words that we should preach at all times and sing when necessary. Amen.