Sacred Music

What is Sacred Music?

The Christian practice of worship included sacred music from the very beginning.
At the Lord’s Supper when Our Lord Jesus instituted the mystery of His precious Body and Blood, He and His disciples sang a hymn before they departed to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26).

And St. Paul, writing to the “faithful saints” in Ephesus, advised: “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” (Ephesians 5:18-19).

The word sacred means “something that is set apart, dedicated to, consecrated to the worship of God. What is sacred is not ‘secular,’ not ‘of the world’, not in a secular style and has no secular associations. Sacred music is music for use in a religious context or music that has a religious influence. However, many composers write both secular and sacred music.

What is the Purpose of Sacred Music?

One of the purposes of sacred music is to function as part of the mass or religious service, most often as part of worship. The word Sacred by definition must have to do with God and most of the music of the contemporary worship movement fits these criteria.

Sacred music is the Church’s own expression of faith throughout the centuries, melded with beauty of form. The sacred music of the Church is that which has been produced through prayer and through the tradition of the Church worshipping God. It has honed itself.
Sacred music is beautiful, it’s universal and it has a sense of holiness that is unmistakable.

Are you ready to sing His praises?