Especially in the historic one-year lectionary, this past Sunday—the Fifth Sunday of Easter—is named “Cantate” (Sing!), the opening word of the Introit in Latin. That historic Introit exhorts and encourages the people of God: “Sing to the Lord a New Song, Alleluia, for He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations” (Ps. 98:1a, 2b). The same emphasis is retained to some extent in the LSB three-year lectionary, especially in Series C.
While every Sunday of the year, and certainly every Sunday of Easter, is an appropriate time for singing to the Lord, who has done such marvelous things for us by the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus, Cantate focuses our hearts and minds on the Church’s “New Song.” The newness of this song is not a matter of style, genre, or instrumentation, but is the newness of Easter, the newness of the New Creation in the Resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead. It is the newness of faith in the mighty salvation that He has accomplished by His right hand and outstretched arm, who was crucified for our transgressions and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25).
We know that the angels of God sing to the glory of His Name, both on earth (St. Luke 2:14) and in heaven (Revelation 4:8; Isaiah 6:3); and their song of praise also centers on the Lamb of God, the incarnate Son, Christ Jesus. And as the Liturgy proclaims and confesses Sunday after Sunday throughout the year, the whole Church joins in that angelic song in the Gloria in Excelsis and the Sanctus. This profound practice catechizes the people of God in the heavenly realities at work in our midst, though they are yet hidden under the humble simplicity of the Word and Sacraments.
We sing to the Lord in faith and with thanksgiving, even in the midst of pains and sorrows, chaos and confusion, because the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified us in Christ Jesus, and preserved us in the sure and certain promises of God. We sing with peace and joy in the face of sin, death, the devil, and hell, in the confidence of the Cross and Resurrection; for Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, death no longer has dominion over Him (Romans 6:9). “Now no more can death appall, now no more the grave enthrall,” for Christ has opened Paradise, and His saints in Him shall rise! (LSB 633, st. 6).
It is for these very reasons, in keeping with our allegiance to and confession of the Word of God, that the Lutheran Church has historically been known as “the Singing Church.” Indeed, hymnody was a significant aspect of the Lutheran Reformation, as compellingly described and discussed in Christopher Boyd Brown’s excellent book, Singing the Gospel: Lutheran Hymns and the Success of the Reformation (Harvard, 2005). The powerful hymns of Luther himself, and those of many others after him, such as Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt (commemorated on 26 October), confess the faith and catechize the people of God to the praise and glory of His holy Name, in ways that are deeply engaging and memorable, with remarkable staying power. Johann Sebastian Bach (commemorated on 28 July) exemplifies the heights of Lutheran music and singing, setting forth the Holy Scriptures and various hymn texts in exquisite compositions.
Luther recognized the blessing and benefit of music itself as a good creation and gift of God, even apart from any particular text. When music is employed to serve and support the Word of God, how much more so does it convey the Gospel, strengthen faith, chase away the devil, and lift the sorrowing spirit. And as Lutherans have been pleased to receive and revel in these gifts, we have simply followed the teaching and encouragement of St. Paul: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).