In most religious services, singing is an element so common that we don't even stop to think about it. But what if we would like to understand its purpose better? In the Bible, God asks Job, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . . when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4, 7. To me this says that in the beginning there was singing!
There are many ways to sing. True singing is not muscles working in the throat to produce a certain kind of sound. Song is rejoicing. It is a spiritual activity; it is joy. The source of this joy is God. In our lives there are many ways that we can express joy, and what we humanly call singing is one of these.
Church offers an avenue where we can express joy and gratitude through song. The order of service for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and its branches, as found in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy, specifies two kinds of singing appropriate for the service: congregational and solo. In 1904 the solo was moved from its position following the reading of the Lesson-Sermon and the collection, to its present position preceding the reading of the Lesson-Sermon.
