Why do Christians sing so much?

You’ve probably come across James Partridge, the primary school teacher, turned TikTok star who has risen to fame singing assembly songs. He’s been on BBC Breakfast, This Morning and The One Show, and performed over 50 sold-out shows in 2024. He performed at Glastonbury earlier this year and at Big Church Festival a few weeks ago. Why is he so popular? Because for so many, the primary school assembly was the only place that we sang. We all sang these same songs, over and over for years, whether we believed or understood the lyrics or not! Singing was a normal part of childhood, yet it is something that most of us leave behind as we grow up. Not Christians though!

Your church may be small, your music may be ropey, but each time we gather as God’s people to declare his praises we experience a glimpse of heaven

There are some adults who make a career or a hobby out of playing in bands or singing in choirs, but most adults in the UK will only really sing privately in the shower or drunkenly at a karaoke. Yet singing is still a major feature of every church all over the world. Most of us aren’t brilliant singers, our teenagers are too self-conscious, and our kids don’t understand the lyrics anyway so why do we do it? As my son’s friend asked, why do Christians sing so much?

1) Because the bible tells us to sing!

“Sing to him a new song: play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Psalm 33:3

Singing is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible and over 50 of those are direct instructions for us to sing praises to God. The longest book in the Bible is a songbook, with 150 Psalms that the people of Israel would have sung as they worshiped at the temple, marched into battle, or harvested crops in the promised land.

Zephaniah 3:17 talks of God singing his love over us his people. It should therefore be no surprise that a God who loves to sing might create people just like him, in his image, who he then calls to respond in singing love for him!

The crazy thing we see in scripture time and time again is that as God’s people sing out in worship and trust of God, he moves. In 2 Chronicles 20 as God’s people praised the enemy was defeated. As David worshiped the spirit tormenting king Saul left (1 Sam 16:23). As Paul and Silas sang out, the prison doors swung open (Acts 16:25-26). And as the church worshiped the Lord he spoke (Acts 13:2). We continue to sing as God’s people today because scripture tells us to, it shows us how, and it explains why it matters.

2) Because singing expresses emotion

“Make melody to the Lord with your heart.” Ephesians 5:19

During secondary school I was in the choir. We would rehearse every morning during tutorial before lessons began. I would drudge into school half asleep and leave tutorial 20 minutes later with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. Why? Because singing engages our hearts. My singing teacher put it this way: “singing releases endorphins!”

Songs provide us with lyrics and melodies that allow us to express the truths of our hearts

Let’s face it, whether you’re standing on the karaoke stage, or sitting in the school assembly you can’t help but sing “Let it Go!” with a whole lot of heart! As we blast out a melody we express something more than just noise; we release strength, power, passion, and praise that comes from deep within. And who better to share the deep feelings of our hearts with than God. The scriptures encourage us not just to sing, but to do it “with your heart” (Eph 5:19), to directly turn those feelings of joy into songs of gratitude and those moments of pain into declarations of God’s faithfulness (Jam 5:13). We carry a lot of emotion in each and every moment, teachers will tell you those feelings are better released than bottled up. Songs provide us with lyrics and melodies that allow us to express the truths of our hearts.

3) Because singing helps us remember truth

“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!” Psalm 105:2

It’s funny how many of us can’t remember what we ate for breakfast but can recite all the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody. My kids can’t remember their postcode but know all the words to ‘I always wanted a brother.’ There is something about music that helps words get stuck in our heads. When I was revising for my GCSEs my best method of remembering quotes and facts was to put them to song. All these years later I can still tell you what osmosis is because I learnt the definition to the tune of Scotland The Brave. Singing helps us remember!

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Whilst I stole those melodies, good music is about lyrics too (there’s a reason my butchered songs haven’t been released for public consumption!) What we sing matters. There are some lyrics that are simply inappropriate for my kids despite the catchy tune. Psalm 26 encourages us to “proclaim aloud your praise” and “tell of all your wonderful deeds” to those around us, and to ourselves, so that we might rehearse and remember the goodness and faithfulness of God. We can use singing to get the good truths of the gospel stuck in our heads and shaping our hearts.

4) Because singing unites us

“Then Moses and all the people of Israel sang to the Lord” Ex 15:1

There are key moments in scripture when we see God’s people united in a sort of church service kind of way. Each moment that happens there is singing. Like when the Israelites safely make it across the Red Sea and away from the Egyptians (Ex 15:21), or when David brings the Ark home to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:15), when the temple is dedicated by Solomon (2 Chr 5:13), or when the exiles finish rebuilding the city walls (Neh 12:27).

Singing brings us together. One of the highlights of my summer was standing in the midst of 35,000 strangers singing “Our God is an awesome God” at Big Church Festival. We sing out not just the same words or the same tune, but a shared feeling, a shared experience of the same faithful God towards the same sinful people. We sing in unity, or harmony despite our differences. John describes heavenly worship where one day all of God’s people will unite from all nations and all languages to sing out together in one voice “Hallelujah!” (Rev 19:1).

Your church may be small, your music may be ropey, but each time we gather as God’s people to declare his praises we experience a glimpse of heaven. I often stand in my small church on Sundays thinking of the millions of Christians gathering all over the world at that moment who are singing similar songs to the same God. One day we’ll sing together properly.

Until then, “Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” Col 3:16