Sing but know what and why you sing.

     With the Christmas holidays rapidly coming upon us, what music says becomes more and more important for Christian and non-Christian alike.  The 12 Days of Christmas was written as a means to have the Bible message for those who were imprisoned.  Didn't know that?  Neither did I until a few years ago when I was reading about Christmas carols.  There are so many messages we get from music that sometimes it's very difficult to separate out Christian from non-Christian.  With artists putting secular songs mixed with religious the secular ones take on more meaning for Christians while the Christian songs tend to keep the non-Christian away.  Our frame of mind is just one factor directing our likes and dislikes.
     I once heard a young pastor speak a sermon directed towards young men and boys in a juvenile detention facility.  He began by singing the opening lines to Santa Claus is coming to tow.  He stopped at "so be good for goodness sake."  He followed with "I hate that song.  I've had enough of others watching and punishing me for wrongs I've done."  "I know when you've been bad or good."  If I was one of those young men I would find the song offensive.  There are so many times that we unfortunately caught in tradition and won't change.  Take, for example the day reserved from the invasion and imprisonment by the Nazis that came to be known as "Crystal Night."  What would you think could be the problem with "Silent Night"?  There are lots of other songs we can pick on but suffice it to say the carols we sing are not very descriptive of what the world is really about.
     Quite a number of years ago I was conducting a church service and was leading the church in singing.  After the sermon my family told me: "Don't sing dad."  "Please don't sing."  When the tape was played back I knew why they said that.  I have a hearing loss and thus don't necessarily get "on key" all the time.  To add insult to injury I had a microphone that picked up me but not the piano.  It was very painful to hear and admit they were right.  We have carolers who are made up of people in the neighborhood.  They go through the streets and sing at the houses of their neighbors with whom they haven't spoken to the last year.  You understand that some of the messages from the song come across as an insult.  Anyone can sing a song but few can actually live what they sing. 
     When I was in high school I sang in choir.  I mainly took choir so that I wouldn't have to deal with homework and tests.  It was through the years that I learned how much I liked music.  With the first choir director I learned the basics but in the middle of that we were expected to memorize a couple of songs in German.  Yes, that's correct.  We had a large population that spoke German.  It just seemed wrong somehow to be singing in German when we didn't speak the language.  Singing words that we don't know the intended meaning of is mere reciting a memorized line.  We are depressed and medicated for the previous year and then we sing; "Joy to the World."  You can understand the hypocrisy in what we sing versus what we feel.
     Perhaps we could do better by being real.  Singing what we really feel.  Singing what will help and not hinder our healing.  It's our choice really.  Choose well.