Not because I’m a jerk or a skeptic or even tone deaf.
But because I want to protect my voice.
If I’m going to preach three times on a Sunday and then usually do some teaching on Sunday night, it’s going to take a lot of hot water and no high notes to keep my vocal cords fresh.
Except yesterday I wasn’t the preacher. That privilege went to Sammy Gonzalez, our Pastor of Latino Ministries.
So I sang.
Part in English and part in Spanish because we all sang that way yesterday. It was great fun.
And during the singing of The Great I Am (or in Spanish El Gran Yo Soy), I had a powerful sense that God actually enjoyed hearing it when I joined the community in singing the truth above all truths: that Jesus really is The Great I Am. That my voice was actually designed to give him that kind of praise in that kind of setting.
Imagine that. God feels pleasure when we lift up our voices to sing.
Perhaps it’s something I should do more often.
If you don’t know The Great I Am, here it is: