What I Love about the Church of Christ: Song

Catholics and Church of Christ members have much in common when it comes to singing. Liturgy of the Hours is quite a bit like Song and Prayer Night and Soup and Singing. I know many Church of Christ members who start their day with prayer, if not a hymn or two. My morning starts out with Liturgy of the Hours from the Divine Office App. Liturgy of the Hours at my parish starts with a song or chant, usually in A Capella, includes a Psalm, and readings from the OT and NT. I find it helps to set the mood for the day.

Churches of Christ are certainly unique for their four-part harmonies. The Greatest Commands is unrivaled when you have a large, well-organized group hitting the notes in unison. We have so much in common when it comes to our songs. I was surprised when I first learned Were you There is a hymn sung in both Churches of Christ and the Catholic Church.

One thing I really appreciate about the Catholic Church is that the music is very structured. You always know when to expect songs, and it remains true no matter what parish you go to. While the melodies may differ, the location of those songs during worship is consistent.

Every Parish sings some form of Gloria every Sunday except for special Sundays. No matter where you go, that song ties us all together. It’s a very ancient song, being used since the days songs were sung in Greek. So we aren’t only bound together by space, we are also bound by time, united with the early church.

We both use a form of an introductory song. In the Church of Christ, it’s sometimes after the announcements or a prayer. In the Catholic Church, we call it the Processional Hymn. We sing it as the priest, and the helpers move forward down the aisle carrying a crucifix. We then sign ourselves with the cross in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Churches of Christ sometimes have readings between the songs or before the sermon. In Catholicism, we sing the Psalms and typically proclaim Alleluia before the reading of the Gospel. This proclamation is performed as we stand, so sitting and standing songs are definitely something Church of Christ members and Catholics have in common.

As a child, churches of Christ would frequently meet together to participate in regional singing. I’d love to see events where Churches of Christ and Catholic Parishes can come together for singing. We both have songs that are beloved, and are certainly sharable. We can all stand to benefit from inter-faith singing.

We may not see eye to eye on theology, but we certainly sing to God. Captain Picard told Durken had a conversation with a leader of an alien society who was only beginning to learn about space-faring races. Picard said both their societies would find much in common and much to learn from one another. I stand with Picard in the desire of sharing food and song between friends.