Repeat the Sounding Joy

This program contains portions from the following episodes:

"A Comforting Hymn"

"Setting Your Eyes Toward Home"

"Remembering a Mother's Songs"

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Dannah Gresh: What’s one of your favorite things about the Christmas season? The lights? Trees? The joy of your kids? I know Christmas traditions are different all over the world, but for me, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without hearing this:

Song: “O Holy Night”

Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. ¹

That’s my favorite Christmas album. Sara Groves with a special version of "O Holy Night." It just makes me feel like slowing down and sitting by the tree . . . and thinking about Jesus.

I think we can agree that Christmas without music would be . . . uh, what would it be? I can’t even imagine that!

Welcome to Revive Our Hearts Weekend, I’m Dannah Gresh. 

The lights and music, they’re merely an expression of the joy that we feel at Jesus’ incarnation, and that’s a wonderful thing! And today I want to talk about why music is actually an important and even biblical part of any season, including Christmas.

Listen to Psalm 98. I want you to notice how many times the encouragement to sing is repeated.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
 break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
 with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
 make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! (vv. 4–6)

And of course, there’s an example of making a joyful noise in the Christmas story itself. After the angel appeared to the shepherds in Luke 2 and told them he had “good news of great joy,” what happened? Verse 13 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God . . .” Now, it doesn’t actually say they were singing, but I think it’s pretty likely! 

There’s a Christmas carol—you’re probably familiar with it—that talks about that. You know the line “repeat the sounding joy”? Know where it comes from? Yep—"Joy to the World." Today, we’re gonna learn how to do just that: repeat the sounding joy.

The Lord loves it when we sing to Him. He loves to hear His children praise His name. But, perhaps during this season of Advent, joy and singing don’t come easy for you because of a loss or heartache or a number of other things. You’re not alone. There were many times in the Old Testament when Israel struggled with singing. Let me share just one of those instances, Psalm 137.

Before I read it, let me give you some context. The Israelites were exiled to Babylon. They were sad, and they were homesick, far away from home. God’s people were captives in Babylon. Here’s part of their sad song from Psalm 137.

By the rivers of Babylon—
   there we sat down and wept
   when we remembered Zion.
There we hung up our lyres
   on the poplar trees

Why’d they hang up their instruments on trees? Because they just didn’t feel like singing! Doesn’t your heart just break for them? You can hear their grieving in those words. 

I wonder, Are you grieving right now? Then I want you to pay close attention to these next words from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. She wants to show you a different way through the hard, and she starts with acknowledging part of what the Israelites had lost.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: The people had lost their song. Between the memory of Zion and what they had lost, and their current situation as the “away team” in Babylon, and the reminder that this was all a result of their sin and God chastening them . . . between all of that, they just didn’t feel like singing anymore.

Now, the Jews were a singing people. And God’s people should be singing people! But they said, “We don’t need these instruments anymore. We don’t feel like singing. It’s hard to sing.”

Verse 3 continues: “For there [where is that? in Babylon] our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth . . ." That’s a word that means gladness, rejoicing, songs of joy. Our captors—our tormentors—required of us happy songs of celebration. “. . . saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’” The people of God were mocked, they were ridiculed, they were tormented, they were taunted by their Babylonian captors, who wanted the exiles to be joyful, to entertain them with fun songs.

One commentator says about this verse, “To rob a people of their treasures, drag them from their homes, burn their dwellings and cities, devastate their fields, desecrate their temple—and then call upon them to be joyful is as cruel as it is absurd!” You can’t do it!

Now, those tormentors can be external, as was the case with the enemies in Babylon. Those are forces that are hostile to God, forces that are opposed to Christianity and Christ. And we’re seeing more and more of those forces in our day, aren’t we? Those who reject the ways of God, they reject God’s truth about anything—about gender, about sexuality, about right, about wrong, about good, about evil. There are external captors, tormentors. They own the land here, or think they do. And they torment the people of God.

But there can also be internal tormentors: despair, fear, a past that haunts you and taunts you, sins that dog you, a feeling of inadequacy. These are tormentors; they’re captors. When you’re in pain, when you’re sad, when you’re discouraged, you don’t want to sing, do you? You want to “hang up your harp.” It’s hard to sing. You feel like you just can’t sing!

That’s what is expressed in Psalm 137:3–4: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?” Remember, God’s people were in Babylon because of their sin, because of their rebellion against God.

As a result, they had lost their song. They’re saying, “How can we sing? There’s nothing to be joyful about!” And they didn’t want God’s enemies—I suspect—to ridicule the songs of Zion. “We’re not going to sing you those songs. Those are precious to us. We don’t want you to mock them. We can’t sing. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

Now, just a few observations here: It’s hard to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. When you’re the away team, it’s hard to sing the song of the home team—but it’s not impossible. Even in the foreign land, God can give us a song to sing—a song of Zion. When we choose, by faith, to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land, our faith is strengthened. This is what happens when we gather together in a place like this for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day.

All during the week, we face opposition—the barrage of the world’s song. All week long, we’re hearing it, we’re feeling it, we’re sensing it. We feel like we don’t fit, like we don’t belong. But then we come together, as we did this morning, and we sing the Lord’s song. And what happens? Our faith is bolstered. We get courage to go out and face the world again, the next day.

When we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land, something else happens. Not only is our faith bolstered, but we make the gospel believable to the people who are citizens of that foreign land. We’re teaching the Lord’s song to the citizens of that foreign land. So this is part of our gospel witness—to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land, to sing the songs of Zion even when we’re in Babylon.

Dannah: We don’t just sing when we’re happy. We sing for those around us. We sing to encourage our own hearts. We sing to remember God’s promises. I could go on and on, but I want you to hear how one woman’s joy of singing shaped her family, Bobbie Wolgemuth.

You might recognize that name. She was Robert Wolgemuth’s first wife and mother to their daughters Missy and Julie. Of course, today Robert is married to our own dear Nancy, founder of Revive Our Hearts. Bobbie passed away from cancer in 2014, and at her funeral Missy and Julie shared with everyone about the role of singing in the life of their mother.

Missy Schrader: Because she loved to sing and because she was gifted in it, it seemed natural that she could be a gospel-singing star. But then she found out that I was coming, and three years later that Julie was coming (thank you Mom and Dad), and she decided to embrace her new unexpected calling as "Mommy." She mothered us with music.

We became her audience, and we were captivated by her love for us.

Julie Tassey: We were also captivated by her love for our dad. She loved him so well! When you love someone you sing about them, you sing to them, you sing for them. Dad would walk in the door from work and Mom would stop whatever she was doing. She'd put it down, and she'd run over to him, and she'd wrap her arms around him. She'd sing:

Oh, my man, I love him so, you'll never know!
All my life was just despair until he was there. 

Mom used music to introduce us to Jesus. Even though Julie and I had our own rooms, we often had "slumber parties." Mom would sit at our bed. She would scratch our backs, and she would sing to us. We called it "sing and scratch."

And in those sweet bedtime times, she taught us how much Jesus loves us, and how we were His precious treasures, His precious jewels. She'd sing:

When He cometh, when He cometh to take up His jewels;
All His jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own:
Like the stars of the morning His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty—bright gems for His crown.

We also sang in the car. We would take road trips and headphones were forbidden. They were items under the ban—there was none of this. So, on long road trips we would sing. Mom and Dad had this entire portfolio of songs that they knew.

They would sing the Hashtag Chorus, and they would sing, "He Owns the Cattle on a Thousand Hills." Missy and I would think, We have to get in on this! They're having way too much fun We've got to get in on this. So we would take hymnals in the car.

We not only learned how to read music, but we learned how to hear harmony. There were four of us, so Mom had soprano; Dad took bass; Missy got alto because she came first, and so I am a tenor. We would sing four-part harmony. I know it sounds really nerdy, but it was really fun! We loved it!

We were learning music, we were learning how to hear harmony, we were having a lot of fun, but we were also learning to really bury these truths in our hearts, and the songs are still there.

Missy: We did not go to summer camp. Mom didn't want to be away from us for a week, so we stayed home and we learned hymns. Do you know what a bulwark is? Yes, we do, because when we were learning the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," we learned that God is our safe place. He is our refuge; He is our fortress. 

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing.

And when we came to church on Sunday and that song would be on the bulletin, we wouldn't have to use our hymnals. We knew all four verses. We'd wink at each other. 

Julie: And we were having fun!

Missy: Speaking of fun . . .

Julie: Music wasn't just instructional; it was fun! Mom was not great at driving. There are a couple of things she wasn't great at: driving, cooking [laughter], and keeping secrets. She was not a vault. So when it was time for Christmas, Mom would go shopping early to get some things for Christmas, but she could not wait for December 25.

She turned her inability to keep secrets into fun. During the month of December, we would wake up to the tune of "O Come, Let Us Adore Him" being sung, but it had new words, and they were:

Oh, what is in my basket,
Oh what is in my basket,
Oh what is in my basket?
It's Christmas joy for you!

And it would be an early Christmas present that Mom couldn't wait to give us.

Our kids love, "Oh what is in my basket?"

When I was pregnant with Harper, I got a box from Mom, and it was in December. It was something cute for the nursery, and it said, "Oh, what is in my basket? I know what's in yours!" [laughter]

Missy: When we had children, Nanny continued this sweet treat of teaching hymns to our children. She taught them, as I know she taught lots of your children.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
Early in the morning our songs shall rise to Thee.

Julie: In 2012 God gave Mom a new song to sing. Psalm 40:3 says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in God." The new song, the mission, was to continue to live of life of continual praise—with cancer.

Mom allowed God to use this as a gift by blessing others. In a way like never before, Mom shined Jesus, taking a cue from those cute little birds. She trusted her Savior and sang praise with joy and a contagious love for Jesus. That love drew people in. People wanted to know her Jesus. They were captivated by this new song.

She boldly walked into other people's lives and entered their world. She would be in the clinic and would see other patients, and she'd walk over and say, "Tell me your story." It was amazing to watch; it was amazing to watch the dross be consumed and the gold to be refined. As she chose joy every day, she chose to be more and more like Jesus and to sing this beautiful song—the gospel. The truth of the gospel was her strength.

She would say, "I'm okay! I already died! The life I'm living is the life in Christ. I'm not afraid of death." Her hope was in the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. When we would sing "How Firm a Foundation," this was our favorite verse to sing together:

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow.
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

Dannah: What a beautiful tribute from Missy and Julie, sharing about their mother, Bobbie Wolgemuth.

Music is such a powerful and important part of our lives. We see throughout the Bible references to singing. David sang and danced with tambourines and shouts of joy. At the dedication of the wall in Nehemiah, the people sang and thanked God. 

We see that God’s people sometimes sing to communicate comfort to each other, and they sing to praise Him. We see in His Word that He sings over us. Ah, I love that. There’s just a lot of singing in the Bible. Oh, and remember when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God in jail? I love that passage of Scripture. It reminds me to sing when things are hard.

Let's hear from another singing family is the Gettys—Keith and Kristyn and their daughters.

There’s a whole lot more to hymns than meets the eye, and that’s one of the reasons Keith and Kristyn teach them to their four growing girls. Several years ago, Keith Getty connected with radio veteran Bob Lepine to talk about the importance of hymns and liturgies and catechisms in raising our children. You’ll also hear our host, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. But first, let’s listen to the whole Getty family singing together.

Gettys:

The love of Christ.
Oh sing hallelujah, our hope springs eternal,
Oh sing hallelujah, now and ever we confess,
Christ our hope in life and death.²

Keith Getty: My wife and I have actually become more and more convinced, because in our generation people often think we need to make our kids feel more and more a part of things and all that kind of stuff. Those things are all important, and obviously, you’re a family counselor and pastor, and so you know this better than I do.

But as we watch our children interact with the conversations at school, the academies, with the conversations online on their ipads, with the conversations they see in education and all these different places, we’ve realized what we actually need to be doing is building deep believers more and more.

Nancy (from teaching series): And if you don’t teach them what the Word of God says is true, the world will teach them its version. We especially need to be teaching the faith to our children!

Keith: And part of that is in the hymns that we sing. Whether we’re parents or grandparents or teachers or pastors, all our children are going to be significantly influenced, first of all, by the songs they sing.

That’s why one of the contemporaries of Plato, as well as many others since, said, “I don’t wish to write the laws of my country if I can write its songs.” 

Because the songs . . . out of the heart the mouth speaks. And what is said in the heart in one generation becomes law a generation later. So I think singing songs that are deep is crucial. But I think beyond that, catechism helps us build clearer systematic blocks. It helps us have better conversations.

Bob Lepine: I remember hearing a story that D. L. Moody was teaching a group of second graders in Scotland one time. In his teaching he asked them rhetorically, “And so children, what exactly is sin?” And he paused for a minute, and all of the Scottish children in unison began to give the catechism answer: “Sin is a transgression against the law of God . . .” They began to chant it in unison. 

It took Moody aback, because it didn’t happen like that in America when he taught children. And he paused and he said, “Children, you should thank God every day that you were born in Scotland!”

Now, this was 150 years ago. But there was a time when kids were brought up with a catechism in the same way that we teach our kids the Pledge of Allegiance or maybe the Lord’s Prayer. And it’s so foundational because it stays planted in the heart of a child, these truths of God’s Word.

I’ll tell you one other quick story: We were attempting this with our children one time. One day I was driving along with my six-year-old son. He turned to me and said, “Hey, Dad, I know who the chief Indian man is.” 

I said, “What do you mean, the chief Indian man?”

He said, “The chief Indian man . . . it’s to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” [The son was “quoting” as he understood it from the Westminster Shorter catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”] And I thought, I don’t think my catechism training is working with my son here! 

Keith: And Bob, liturgy—whether it be sung liturgy or whether it be said liturgy or whether it be practiced liturgy—from catechisms is so crucial. We tell a story about a pastor who goes to a potluck event at his church.

One of the rather obnoxious kids who is like eight years old (who is probably a lot like I was when I was eight years old) goes straight up to the pastor and says, “Pastor!” in front of his friends. He’s trying to be smart and probably a little bit rude and disrespectful.

He goes, “Why is it you always say every Sunday, ‘The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.” 

And the pastor pauses and goes, “That’s why.” 

Bob: Ah! (chuckles.) 

Keith: We don’t actually learn life through sensations and the spectacular and through emotional peaks. Those kinds of things that so much of modern Christianity does. All they do is flatter to deceive for a moment. The actual rhythm and disciplines of life are what actually inform our minds in things that we don’t forget.

Dannah: That’s Bob Lepine and Keith Getty, talking about the importance of singing in the lives of our families. 

You know, I’m reminded of a verse in Colossians. Colossians chapter 3, verse 16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” 

Let’s sing to Him together, let’s praise Him, let’s sing of His goodness. Oh friend, let’s sing together this Christmas season! Put some music on and sing loudly for all to hear. Ask Alexa to play "Joy to the World," or open up YouTube and search for your favorite version of "Joy to the World." 

While it’s playing, listen to the words, savor them, and then belt out the chorus, because the Lord has come—oh, how wonderful it is.

Gaithers:

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns;
Let men their song employ.
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.³

All year Revive Our Hearts shares the good news of Christ with women all over the world. We do that through books, studies, conferences, and radio programs and podcasts like the one you’re listening to right now. Would you help us keep pressing forward on this journey of spreading the hope of salvation?

You can do that by partnering with Revive Our Hearts this month. December is a crucial time for us because it is when we receive almost half our funds for the following year. Your gift at this time will help us continue to share the joy of the gospel all over the world.

And, if you give here in December, your donation will be matched by a group of friends of Revive Our Hearts, dollar for dollar, up to a total of two million dollars. You can give a gift by going to ReviveOurHearts.com/donate/.

Have you ever slowed long enough to ponder God’s love? I know it is hard at this busy time of year, but isn't is all about God's love? We'll talk about it next week.

Thanks for listening today. I'm Dannah Gresh. We’ll see you next time for Revive Our Hearts Weekend.

¹“O Holy Night,” Sara Groves, O Holy Night, ℗ 2008 Sponge Records.

¹"Christ Our Hope in Life and Death." Keith & Kristyn Getty.

³“Joy to the World,” Gaither, Favorite Hymns from the Homecoming Friends (Live) ℗ 1998 Spring House Music Group.

*Offers available only during the broadcast of the podcast season.