Make a Joyful NOISE!!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God;
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise;
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100

I am one of those people you may watch when stopped at the traffic lights. You know the type; singing at the top of my voice, a little head banging and the occasional bout of drumming on the steering wheel. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. In fact I know I'm not as I have witnessed others doing the same on several occasions. There's something about being alone in the confines of your car that lowers your inhabitions and just makes you want to rock it out to whatever may be playing on the radio or CD player at the time.
 
It's the same at Shopping Centres. People will randonly break into song when they recognise a familiar tune. And kids! My girls are constantly making up songs about everything from bath time to spoons. And when they sing, they give it everything they've got. It's not always tuneful or in time, but it's infectious and always brings a smile to my face.
 
The Church we went to in Hobart had a lovely old man named Jeff and boy did he sing: loudly, out of tune and generally two bars in front of everyone else, but you always knew when he was there and to see the joy on his face when he sang was a real blessing. I remember shedding a tear one Sunday while listening to him sing - not because I thought he was bad, but because I knew what a great hole he would leave in the congregation when he was no longer there. You see, you don't have to be an awesome singer to have an impact on someone, you just have to sing from the heart.  I don't profess to be the best singer and I don't think you have to be. It is no coincidence that Psalm 100 says "Make a Joyful noise unto the Lord". You see, God doesn't care whether we're in tune, on time or sound like a hippo in pain; He just wants us to sing praises to Him.