Let Justice Sing

You all know by now that I have a list of pet peeves, and it seems to grow the older I get. I think I’ve shared some of them before, but one that always gets me is music in ER or urgent care waiting rooms. Now, I love music—don’t misunderstand me. But when you’re running a fever, your head is pounding, or you’re just plain miserable, the last thing you want is the Top 10 blasting through the speakers. Especially rock music. If I’m already dizzy, I don’t need the bass drum making me feel like the room is spinning faster.

I actually took this complaint all the way to the top once. Yes, I cornered a hospital executive and made my case: “Think about your patients! They’re hurting, they’re worried, they’re exhausted. Do they really need to hear a song about a break-up or someone’s screaming voice right now? Wouldn’t silence be better?”

But here’s the paradox: I can’t imagine church without music. What drives me nuts in an ER waiting room is the very thing that makes my heart soar on a Sunday morning. Music in worship has this way of filling the room, opening our hearts, and carrying our prayers higher than words alone ever could. A hymn, a choir anthem, even one line sung with sincerity—it sneaks into places a sermon sometimes can’t reach. And as much as I love preaching, I’ll admit that music often does the heavy lifting when it comes to touching hearts.

This is why I’m so excited about our September series, “Let Justice Sing: Gospel Parables and the Spirit of the ’60s & ’70s.” (Yes, it’s as groovy as it sounds.) Each week, we’ll look at the scripture through the lens of songs from the 60s and 70s. These decades gave people more than bell bottoms and questionable hairstyles—they gave eveyone music that shook people awake, called them to action, and stirred their souls. And doesn’t that sound a lot like Jesus? He used simple stories to wake people up, turn their thinking upside down, and invite them to live differently.

The music of that time wasn’t just background noise. It was a movement. It gave a voice to people searching for peace, crying out for justice, and longing for love.   They challenged people to see the world as it was and imagine what it could be. And when you set those songs next to the stories of Jesus, sparks fly.

That’s the gift of this series. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, and it’s also deeply spiritual. We’ll sing and we might even tap our toes. But more importantly, I hope we’ll listen with fresh ears. Because the scriptures and the music both still speak today, reminding us that faith isn’t background noise—it’s the soundtrack for how we live, love, and follow Christ.  See you Sunday!

Peace, Pastor Tracy