Introducing Sound of Majesty … Again
Author: Greg Wheatley
August 03, 2023
Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 96:1
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,
with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
There’s no escaping it—music is all around us. Perhaps more than at any other time, music of all
kinds, from classical to techno, is available at the touch of a screen or the click of a mouse. Walk
into most any retail store, or sit at your favorite restaurant, and you’re sure to be surrounded with
a wash of music (and in those cases, music that isn’t necessarily of your own choosing!). Our
culture is steeped in music.
Ironically, however, we rarely pay much attention to the music that we’re hearing. The music
around us is what they used to call “elevator music.” It’s music that isn’t necessarily meant to be
attended to carefully. Its purpose is to provide an ambient environment that will either distract us
or camouflage other kinds of unwanted sounds. These unwanted sounds could be the clatter of
dishes in the restaurant’s kitchen, or they could be the unwelcome sounds of our own troubled
thoughts.
How different is the admonition from both the Psalmist and the apostle Paul! To those who are
the redeemed, the psalmist urges: “Sing to the LORD a new song!” It is as if he is crying out:
“You who are the ransomed of the LORD—you are the ones who have something to sing about!
So do it! Sing to the LORD a new song!” Centuries later, the Apostle Paul encouraged the
believers in Colossae to use music as a vehicle for teaching and admonishing one another. And
notice that those singing to each other were to do it with the thankfulness that can only come
from one who has been redeemed by the grace of Christ. Both the Psalmist and Paul have in
mind music that has content. That content relates to the saving acts of the Lord, and His
faithfulness to His people.
All of this is why what we sing—and by extension, what we listen to—is so important. We stand
together on a Sunday morning and sing:
And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me who caused
His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God,
shouldst die for me?
In those moments, we are standing as one people—the ransomed of the LORD—and in wide-eyed
astonishment exclaiming “Lord! You have done this for us? How wonderful You are!”
When I worked at Moody Radio, I had the privilege of hosting an hourlong program titled Sound
of Majesty. While the program included a variety of sacred and classical music, one of its
mainstays was hymnody—what Paul Westermeyer calls “The people’s song.” I love the heritage
we Christians have in our hymns! They form a rich library of “sung theology.” They enable us to
do exactly what Paul encouraged the Colossians to do—teach and admonish one another with
our singing. What a joy and what a privilege!
Over the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to launch a new audio stream that features
many of the original Sound of Majesty programs that were produced at Moody Radio. These
programs are heard on alternate hours, and we round out the 24/7 audio stream with a collection
of other sacred and classical music designed to provide good listening any time of the day or
night. This new project is a joy to oversee, and I’m anxious to share it with as many people as
possible! I hope you’ll be one of them! You’ll find it at www.soundofmajesty.org. In addition to
the opportunity to listen to the audio stream, you’ll also find a blog and a podcast that are
periodically updated. I’d love to know you’re listening!
Greg Wheatley’s career has been in both the fields of music and Christian broadcasting. Before
his retirement in 2021, Greg taught music theory at Wheaton College, and for many years was a
broadcaster at Moody Radio. He also was the director of the Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale and
served as director of music at New Covenant Church in Naperville. Greg and his wife, Jennifer,
now make their home in Durham, North Carolina.
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