In my opinion no other band creates atmosphere like Sigur Ros, if you don’t know the name you’ve probably heard them on an advert or wildlife documentary without realising it. Recently I have found myself singing out in tongues when listening to the Icelandic post-rock group, so I want to know if this is “okay”? Am I allowed to worship God whilst listening to non-worship music? With Sigur Ros it helps that I don’t speak Icelandic myself, it means I can’t get caught up in singing whatever the lead singer, Jonsi, is singing. He also sometimes sings in a made up language that he uses to write songs called ‘Hopelandic’ which doesn’t mean anything at all, so it is very easy to get lost in the music and the atmosphere of it all and not to think about what the song means. When I started singing in tongues to Sigur Ros I was taken aback and was a bit unsure if I should be reacting to the music in that way. Music has a way of interacting with our spirit that demands a response, whether it’s gagging at the latest pop noise that comes on, singing at the top of your lungs to your favourite tune or feeling uncomfortable listening to music that has a spiritually dark feeling. So I think it’s right that I felt something towards it and clearly my spirit was moved to singing in a new language, but as I did a raft of questions went through my mind: By singing out in tongues am I’m signing up to whatever this guy is saying or feeling? Does the intention or world view of the composer have any bearing on how I can respond to their music? Can the instrumental sound of a guitar or piano be un-Godly? (It certainly can when my sister is playing them!) What do you think? Add your thoughts by commenting below. I don’t think I can answer these questions fully but here are some thoughts. I know that God loves music, and it’s a good job as we have been singing to him for a long time. I know he created people to be creative and write music, both worship and non-worship,...
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During the Christmas break, our house was full of the noise of grown up children enjoying being together. They have a deep bond between them and this is often expressed physically; not with sentimental hugs but rather by tea towel fights, wrestling and (this one was new) my son sweeping the kitchen floor by dragging his sister around on her back. When he became a teenager Nathan no longer wanted to be hugged and cuddled by me and yet physical contact was still something he needed and sought. This was usually in the form of wrestling and I still remember the triumph in his face when he was first able to pin me to the floor. In the incarnation God became man and dwelt physically among us. Jesus related physically to the people around him, feeding them, healing them, sitting children on his knee, walking with them, greeting them, laughing with them and weeping with them. God made us as physical beings and the relationship we can have with him is not only cerebral and spiritual, but also one which engages with our physical beings. We see glimpses of this when people experience physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we struggle with this, but should that really come as a surprise from a God who wants engage with the whole of our being? It amazed me recently to learn that when we sing our pituitary gland releases natural endorphins into our bodies. These are neurotransmitters that give us a feeling of well-being. God created us so that even as we give to him in praise, it makes us feel physically good! It is has also been shown through psychological and physiological research that ‘an attitude of gratitude’ has a similar effect. When we live as God intended us to it affects the whole of our beings. In Genesis we see Jacob encountering God in two very different but tangible ways. The first is in Genesis 23, where he dreams of the ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Here we see the grace of God embracing a man who had cheated his brother out of his father’s blessing and was on the run. Yet God drew...
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