Singing Our Faith - A Sermon for Sunday May 17 2026

I remember one day,

back in the 90’s when the colours were neon

and grunge music was the current fad,

my mom was quite happy.

I don’t remember why, exactly,

but it bugged me at that moment.

You know,

that kind of joy that is so strong that it’s annoying?

She just would not stop singing.

First, it was -

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine….

Then it was…

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes….

And knowing my mom,

she probably started singing some Beatles

or Don Williams

or Travelling Wilburys.

Those were her favourites.

The singing wouldn’t stop!

I was probably annoyed, maybe even embarrassed,

because I was a teenager

and she was mom,

but her songs of joy

have imprinted themselves on my heart.

It’s near impossible to stop the song of a joyful heart.

It is more than impossible to stop the Gospel.

There is no stopping

God’s joyous love song for you and for all creation.

We continue to hear about the apostle Paul,

and we are in the middle of our survey of

Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi.

On the one hand,

people were skeptical about Paul or Saul,

the one who formerly persecuted Christians

and then began proclaiming Christ.

But people in Philippi loved and appreciated Paul.

Nothing could stop Paul’s joy in Christ,

not even prison chains.

He wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was a prisoner,

most likely while imprisoned in Rome

around the year 60 CE.

or possibly from prison in Ephesus in the mid 50’s.

Philippians is called the epistle of joy,

despite chains and the threat of execution,

Paul has to spread God’s love song.

Even in prison,

he’s got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in his heart!

Invite scripture reader forward

We turn to God’s Word today,

part of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi

which includes one of the oldest songs

of the Christian church:

called The Christ Hymn.

So let us quiet our hearts,

and listen for the harmony

of God’s love song for all creation.

FIRST READING: Philippians 2:1-13

A reading from Philippians.

  ¹ If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
 ⁶ who, though he existed in the form of God,
  did not regard equality with God
  as something to be grasped,
 ⁷ but emptied himself,
  taking the form of a slave,
  assuming human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a human,
  ⁸ he humbled himself
  and became obedient to the point of death—
  even death on a cross.
 ⁹ Therefore God exalted him even more highly
  and gave him the name
  that is above every other name,
 ¹⁰ so that at the name given to Jesus
  every knee should bend,
  in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹ and every tongue should confess
  that Jesus Christ is Lord,
  to the glory of God the Father.
  ¹² Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence but much more now in my absence, work on your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Word of God, Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

The Christ hymn was sung as early as 30-40CE.

I find this fascinating, don’t you?

We figure Jesus’ death and resurrection

was around the years 30-36,

so within 4 years of the resurrection,

the community of faith has its first song of praise -

and maybe this wasn’t their first!

They would sing the psalms

or the song of Hanna

or many even the song of Mary.

From the earliest days of the church,

We have been a people who sing our faith.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art….

How great God is -

but God’s greatness is seen in weakness,

in vulnerability, in kenosis:

in an emptying of Christ’s life

and an outpouring of love on the cross.

God’s power is not seen in human strength,

but often found in weakness and in suffering.

Many years ago,

I took some of my pastoral care training

at a care home that housed many people

with the Alzheimers type of dementia.

There were two sweet grandmothers that I would visit with.

It was the same story each visit:

their minds, for better or for worse,

were stuck in one particular time.

For one,

it was when her husband had come back from the war.

Oh was she joyful.

The other,

not so joyful,

she was preparing for a bus ride

to try and find her husband who had left.

It was hard to see these mothers longing,

one in joy and anticipation of what will not come,

and the other stuck in fear and anxiety

that will not be resolved in this life.

But then we would worship,

What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear - what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

They knew the words.

They were imprinted on their hearts.

They were in the moment.

They were talking with their Saviour,

They were singing their faith

even if that moment would fade.

Even in their suffering and weakness,

nothing could stop the song of their joyful hearts.

Memories fade,

faith lasts.

We are a people who sing our faith.

I attended the Breakforth conference in Edmonton years ago.

If you are not familiar,

it is a gathering of Christians and leaders

from various denominations

for spiritual growth

and learning

and worship.

it is about Christian unity.

I can’t recall who the speaker was,

but they left me feeling less than thrilled

after hearing a message that ….

well, how do I put this…

it was less than Lutheran.

For me, the message made a joke of God’s grace,

as though our salvation depends all upon us, I, me.

As though Christ died for nothing,

and my correct belief saves me.

I hope that’s not what he meant,

but it’s basically what he said.

Maybe you heard this line in the scripture reading:

“work out your own salvation.”

or work on your own salvation.

The meaning is lost in translation;

this is not a call to save yourself!

Instead, Paul is inviting the church

to live out or live into your own salvation;

salvation that is yours in Jesus Christ already,

salvation that is yours in baptism.

It’s like saying - live your baptism!

Anyhow,

I was so grouchy from this bad theological message,

I was ready to go home.

I contemplated leaving the large group gathering,

but then I heard the worship leader sing:

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

In the singing,

I no longer felt disconnected to the body of Christ,

I felt connected again

to the Church

that we are called to be in unity with.

As Paul wrote to a church that found itself in conflict:

“be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”

… We will walk with each other,

We will walk hand in hand,

And together we’ll spread the news

That God is in our land.

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,

By our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

We are a people who sing our faith.

Sometimes a joyful song brings about a joyful heart.

Like my mom singing that day,

or those mothers in memory care,

or Paul’s advice when conflict arises

in the church community;

We are a people who sing our faith,

and in song we have unity,

amidst our division - amidst our conflict

and in celebration of our difference.

It was no fluke that Paul included that Christ Hymn

writing to a church in conflict.

Maybe the best way to continue in unity

amidst our own conflicts

is to sing.

After all, the best singing, you could say,

is heard in harmony,

when diverse voices singing their unique notes

come together in beautiful diversity.

Here the outcast and the stranger

bear the image of God’s face;

let us bring and end to fear and danger:

All are welcome, all are welcome,

all are welcome in this place.

The Church is the place of harmony,

where any and all are welcome and included,

valued and treasured,

Regardless of what kind of song you sing,

the depth or height of your voice,

where you were born or who you love,

This is the gathering of God’s people,

the diverse and unique body of Christ,

where the pinky toe is as welcome

as the armpit and the heart.

Everyone belongs at Christ’s table.

Conflict is inevitable.

conflict isn’t always bad.

God can use conflict to move and guide people

into God’s future.

But hold onto Christ,

who is holding even stronger onto you.

Christ’s work on the cross is forever secure.

It is stronger than any theology

or understanding of how God works.

The unity we share in Jesus is bigger than

being Lutheran

or Protestant

or Mainline

or whatever.

Simply put,

God is at work in you,

enabling you both to will and to work

for God’s good pleasure.

In other words,

The invitation is to sing your faith in harmony

with the choir of creation.

I am reminded today of a colleague of mine,

pastor Dyanna.

She died at 34 years old. Pneumonia.

She had really just begun her ministry,

she was recently married.

It was tragic.

21 clergy from Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan attended,

in addition to the family, the fire department

and the community of Standard, AB.

Amidst such terrible grief,

the Church rises, and we sing our faith.

It was time for the procession.

We had met in basement,

and the procession would begin with the family,

then the Fire department,

and then the clergy.

As we were slowly moving up the stairs,

we faintly heard the piano, so we began to sing

Beautiful Saviour, king of creation

son of God and son of Man

Amidst this strong song of our faith,

and amid tears of grief and healing,

We clergy realized that our pace

(which, of course, we thought was correct)

was slightly faster than the pace of the congregation

singing upstairs.

So we had a choice to make:

Do we continue at our pace,

or join those who are singing at a different tempo?

Singing our faith

works best when we sing at the same tempo.

Sometimes singing our faith,

in times of grief,

or cooperation,

or joy,

or lost memory,

or conflict,

means being willing to slow down a little bit,

or maybe speed up a bit

so we can sing in unity.

Singing in unity means sometimes just the melody,

learning the notes together,

so that in time,

we can then transform

into the beauty and diversity of harmony.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,

when to that Rock I’m clinging.

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth….

how can I keep from singing?

Friends, don’t stop singing,

join the harmony of the choir of creation,

For you are the baptized.

You are free!

You are the church!

You are the one, diverse yet united body of Christ!

Let every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!

Thanks be to God! Amen.