Sing

W. M. Clow was right to draw our attention to singing as a unique feature of Christian worship, and to the reason for it:
“There is no forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, except through the cross of Christ. ‘Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.’ The religions of paganism scarcely knew the word….The great faiths of the Buddhist and the Mohammedan give no place either to the need or the grace of reconciliation. The clearest proof of this is the simplest. It lies in the hymns of Christian worship. A Buddhist temple never resounds with a cry of praise. Mohammedan worshippers never sing. Their prayers are, at the highest, prayers of submission and of request. They seldom reach the gladder note of thanksgiving. They are never jubilant with the songs of the forgiven.”

By contrast, whenever Christian people come together it is impossible to stop them singing. The Christian community is a community of celebration.

From “The Cross Of Christ” by John Stott

Image©Kevin Tam

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