Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy...
God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.

I like to sing. I especially like to sing with a congregation.

At its best singing takes me outside myself.

Singing brings me closer to God.

There is nothing practical about singing.

Singing can be difficult and I sometimes fail... badly.

But even in failure there can be joy in the effort and learning.

With the right song in the right range there is a taste of glory.

The image is a detail from the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck.

Psalm 47