It is customary for us at Oak Ridge UMC to have a "singing Sunday" every 5th Sunday.   That is, we do a lot of extra singing during the worship services on these particular Sundays, and the sermon is in song (after some scripture reading we sing more hymns/songs).   I think this provides a nice variety for our congregation and  for all who attend and participate.   In fact, many of us look forward to the 5th-Sunday-Singings so that we can spend additional time in musical praise to our Lord.

The early Methodists were known as "singin' Methodists.   At worship services and camp meetings all over this land Methodists employed music/singing as a major component of any and all worship services.    If we go back even further to England and John Wesley (founder of Methodism) we find that singing played a strong part in the Wesleyan spiritual movement.   Indeed John's brother, Charles Wesley, authored more than 6,000 hymns!

John Wesley even had some "Rules for Singing" that were included in Wesley's "Select Hymns" Hymnbook published in 1761.    Following is a sample of these rules for singing:

-  Sing all.   See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can.   Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you.   If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you find it a blessing.
-  Sing lustily and with a good courage.   Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep;  but lift up your voice with strength.   Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.
-  Sing modestly.   Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
- Above all sing spiritually.   Have an eye to God in every word you sing.    Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature.    In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so that your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

May we sing  unto our Lord with thanksgiving and praise every opportunity we have to do so.  In fact, may our life be a song unto God.   And, as we worship this weekend may we be reminded in the psalmist's words:  "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."