Singing with the Angels

Calvin puts into perspective exactly what it is that we do when we worship: we sing that "which are sung in Church in the presence of God and his angels."(66) I find this broad, big picture-like context to really help me focus on what exactly the point is, that we worship God along with the angels and saints that have gone before us. He goes on, however, not just to limit singing in church. He says, "Even in houses and fields this may be an incentive to us and a means to praise God and raise our hearts to him, to comfort us in meditating on his virtue, goodness, wisdom, and justice."(66) Here we see that wherever we are, we are to sing and praise God with our hearts for Who He is and what He's done. This is exactly why Martin Bucer (a dear brother indeed) says, "Now because we know that the divne thing may be known only by the spirit of God (1 Cor.2) and that God's Scripture is completely good (2 Tim. 3) we use no songs or prayers that are not drawn out of divine Scripture in God's congregation..."(58). What a wonderful reminder of the sufficiency of Scripture, something definitely under-minded and under-valued in today's culture.