Two months ago at the Victoria Concert Hall, the Methodist Festival Choir performed a musical setting of a Howard Thurman poem titled The Work of Christmas. It reads:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
As I listened, the historical weight of the moment struck me. 140 years ago in the exact same location, the first Methodist service that sparked the Methodist movement in Singapore was held. 140 years later, I found myself enveloped by the music of the same movement—music that exhorted us to love our neighbour.
Indeed, we cannot “close our eyes to the plight and needs of our neighbours and hope to have a meaningful relationship with God,” as Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon once said when explaining social holiness. “Its root lies in God’s love for his creation. He cares for the poor, the orphans and the widows (James 1:27). When we relate to God with personal piety and devotion, we will discover that we cannot love God without also loving others (1 Jn. 4:20–21).1
Indeed, we cannot “close our eyes to the plight and needs of our neighbours and hope to have a meaningful relationship with God,” as Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon once said when explaining social holiness.
This led me to reflect: if social holiness is a big part of our Wesleyan witness, what kind of music (or songs) would flow from such a heart? And what should we be singing to grow in social holiness?
Here are a few hymn and song titles to consider, each accompanied by a phrase that captures its heart:
- God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry Emerson Fosdick (United Methodist Hymnal, 577)
Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore;
let the search for Thy salvation be our glory evermore. - When the Church of Jesus by Fred Pratt Green (United Methodist Hymnal, 592)
Forge our Christian worship into Christian deeds. - Imagine by Keith and Kristyn Getty (Lift Up Your Hearts, 72)
Who hears the voice of the hungry, the thirsty? - God of the Poor by Graham Kendrick (CCLI Song #1236690, Make Way Music)
Bread for the children; justice, joy, peace; sunrise to sunset, Your kingdom increase.
Musical styles and preferences may change, but our witness as Christians—and Methodists in particular—should remain the same.
May our worship services be places where “the work of Christmas” happens all year long, where a mindset of social holiness is intentionally formed. Thoughtfully choosing a hymn, a song or an anthem that reflects this vision can gently shape our hearts as we sing. While songs about our salvation and the mighty acts of God remain essential, it is equally crucial that we sing songs that reflect God’s justice, compassion and concern for the world.
