November 6, 2024 Joyful Noise
Make a Joyful Noise!
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!”
Psalm 100:1-2 (ESV)
Our son is in his second year singing with the PUMC children’s choir, Joyful Noise. The songs he practices come home, and the lyrics stick with our family for weeks. Can I just pause to highlight how great that choir name is? First off, it’s a direct scripture quote from Psalm 100, which is pretty clever. But maybe more importantly, it points to God’s desire for worship that’s not perfect, but joyful.
Psalm 100 could’ve said, “Make a polished performance for the Lord, all the earth! And make sure the altos sing out… Oh, and the tenors are a little pitchy.” As someone who’s sung in church choirs for 30+ years (a strange thought now that I’m 37), I’ve been in plenty of rehearsals that sound just like that. Too often, the focus isn’t a joyful noise but a refined one. And if choir directors aren’t careful, trying to sound “less noisy” and “more polished” can suck the joy right out of singing. Fortunately, I can say with confidence that PUMC choir rehearsals are often the most fun and joy-filled part of my Wednesday.
Admittedly, Hudson was a little hesitant to join Joyful Noise at first. I remember feeling the same when I was young, mumbling lyrics under my breath in children’s choirs until I was about 13, when a fellow choir member encouraged me to sing out louder. I took the leap and didn’t look back.
It’s hard to risk sounding like noise in a world that only wants to hear talent show winners and auto-tuned pop music stars. But that’s not what God is asking for. God invites us to bring our joyful, unrefined selves to worship—and in that risk, we receive God’s grace in return.
Reflect: When have you felt hesitant to participate in worship—whether by singing, serving, or sharing your gifts? What held you back, and what would it look like to embrace a “joyful noise” approach?
In what areas of your life do you feel pressure to be “polished” or perfect? How might it change things if you allowed yourself to bring joyful imperfection to those areas
Pray: Gracious God, Thank You for inviting us to worship You with joyful, honest hearts. Help us let go of our need for perfection and embrace the beauty of offering our true selves to You. May our songs and lives be filled with the joy of Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen
With faith, hope, and love,
Eric Smith