The Lutheran Church is a singing church. It always has been, going back to Martin Luther. Luther loved music:

Singing is the finest art and practice. He who is singing has no quarrel with the world and is not concerned with contentions in a law court. Singers are neither worried nor sad but shake all cares from their souls.

Lutheran theologian David Yeago once gave a talk here at Immanuel about music in the Lutheran tradition. Professor Yeago noted that half-a-millennium after Luther, we Lutherans are still singing a lot! We have remained true to Luther in this. Dr. Yeago said this:

Of all the great theological voices in the Western Christian tradition, the most enthusiastic lover and promoter of music was undoubtedly Martin Luther. Music was uniquely central to the Wittenberg pattern of “Reformation” as it spread across Germany and Scandinavia, and music continued to have a singular place in subsequent Lutheran church life, piety, and culture.

Our worship book — the Lutheran Book of Worship — has many hymns composed by Martin Luther, including “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word.” Here at Immanuel, we joyfully sing the hymns of Luther and other great Lutheran hymn writers, but likewise many beloved hymns from the broader Anglo-American tradition, from “All People That on Earth Do Dwell” to “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

And then there is Bach — Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was a learned and devoted Lutheran. His Passions and Cantatas are surely among the very pinnacles of church music.

So come to Immanuel and sing! It does not matter whether you have a good singing voice. What we want is praise of our God through music.