The Most Important Instrument on Sunday Morning

The ending of the Psalter explodes with instrumental praise. Lutes, harps, tambourines, strings, and pipes are all called into service of God’s glory. In our day, it’s pianos, electric and acoustic guitars, brass, strings, wind instruments, synths, organs, and multiple kinds of percussion. All can be employed in responding to God’s word, worthiness, and works.

One might almost think that means the more instruments, the better the worship — but that can’t be true. Not every church has the people or resources to utilize multiple instruments. Some make do with a single piano or guitar. Some don’t even have that.

But one instrument is common to every church, big or small. And happily, it’s the instrument God is most concerned about on Sunday mornings: the voice of the congregation.

That reality doesn’t negate the valuable contribution other instruments can make to our singing. But we’re to see them as useful, not crucial. They’re meant to complement and support our voices, not replace them. Read More