Filter by Categories
Music Appreciation
CGG WeeklyMusic holds a significant place in worship and spiritual expression, as seen in its power to transform and unify. By singing hymns together during church services, we are unified in harmony as the body of Christ before God, facilitating oneness of mind. For the duration of the hymns, we can be in harmony, mentally and vocally, with our brethren. Once the hymns end and the service concludes, we must maintain that unity, continuing to express the joy and godly praise of the Psalms in our everyday lives.
Our Participation in Services
Commentary by John W. RitenbaughWe should not trivialize the importance of music in helping our meditation and remembering spiritual lessons, especially regarding congregational singing.
Exalt With Music
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughMusic has an intense power to stimulate the emotions, trigger the imagination, set the mood of services, and serves as a teaching vehicle for instruction.
Count It ALL Joy
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamNot all of God's instructions are easy to follow. Maintaining a joyful attitude during difficult circumstances is among the most challenging commands we are given.
Moral Sympathy and Spiritual Confusion
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMusic preference is a self-conscious declaration of the community with which people identify. The media has shamelessly pandered to the basest of cravings.
Use It or Lose It
Sermonette by Hunter D. SwansonSinging hymns during worship services is presented not as mere tradition but as a direct command from God, one that carries deep benefit for believers. This point emerges from Psalm 105:1-6, which calls the faithful to give thanks, sing psalms, and remember God's marvelous works and wonders. The connection is made explicit: the congregation itself had just sung hymns before this scripture was read, illustrating that the act of praising God through song fulfills the biblical instruction to "remember His marvelous works" and to make His deeds known among the peoples. This practice of singing hymns is framed as one of the most effective tools for combating what is described as "Spiritual Alzheimer's"—the tendency, demonstrated repeatedly by the Israelites in the wilderness, to forget God's presence and power despite witnessing His miracles firsthand. Just as Moses warned in Deuteronomy 8 that prosperity and comfort could cause the people to forget the Lord who delivered them from Egypt, believers today face the same spiritual danger of drifting away through neglect rather than deliberate rebellion. Hymn-singing serves as an active exercise against this cognitive and spiritual atrophy, reinforcing memory of God's works in the same way that regular use strengthens a muscle or a skill. The broader argument connects this practice to the necessity of active, intentional effort in one's relationship with God. While salvation cannot be earned, and nothing can remove a believer from God's hand, complacency can cause one to drift from that hand through neglect. Singing hymns, therefore, is not a passive ritual but a purposeful habit that reinforces remembrance of God's glory, strength, and past deliverance. This aligns with the command in Psalm 105 to "seek the Lord in His strength" and "seek His face forevermore," showing that praise through song is both an act of worship and a spiritual discipline that guards against forgetfulness. Ultimately, hymn-singing exemplifies the kind of deliberate, ongoing engagement with God that Scripture calls for—already being practiced by the congregation, yet requiring conscious recognition of its purpose: to keep divine works and glory continually before the mind, ensuring that God remains foremost among those never forgotten, alongside spouses, family, and loved ones.
Psalms: Book Five (Part One): Psalms for the Winter Blues
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWinter is a time of cold, darkness, and sadness. As many as 10% of people in northern areas have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The Psalms for winter can help.
The Christian Walk (Part Four): Mutual Submission in Godly Fear
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAmericans have a hard time submitting to authority and like to consider themselves as sovereigns, having the last say over anything including church doctrine.