Sinclair Ferguson: Scripture gives Christians a song when ‘the world around you gives way’

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Entertainment Editor Wednesday, September 09, 2026

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Theologian Sinclair Ferguson told thousands of Christians gathered at the Sing! Conference that singing is woven into the fabric of creation and redemption, stressing that Jesus Christ, and not musicians or worship leaders, is ultimately the One who leads the Church in praise.

“There may be worship coordinators, there may be instrumentalists, there may be cantors, but there is only one song leader, and His name is Jesus,” Ferguson said Tuesday evening at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

Ferguson, a Scottish theologian, author and longtime pastor, delivered his message during the 10th annual Sing! Conference, led by hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty. Held Sept. 7-9, this year's gathering, themed “Symphony of Scripture,” marks 500 years since William Tyndale's English New Testament and examines how Scripture has shaped the worship and life of the Church.

Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam opened Tuesday evening's gathering in prayer, asking that the night would honor God and that those present would worship with humility.

“Father God, it is you who [is] God, and the cattle on a thousand hills are yours, and the hills are yours too,” Haslam prayed. “We know that you love humble hearts, and we know that you love hearts that worship you.”

Haslam also expressed gratitude for the Gettys and their work in leading Christians in worship.

“We pray for tonight that because of tonight we would know you more,” he said. “That because of tonight, your glory would resound through this place and throughout the world.”

Ferguson's message centered on the biblical foundations of singing, tracing the theme of worship from creation through the Psalms and ultimately to Christ.

He began with creation, arguing that the triune God is the creator of music and Himself delights in song. Citing Job 38, where the “morning stars sang together,” Ferguson described creation itself as a vast chorus designed to glorify its Creator.

“There is not an atom in the universe that has not been created under the sovereign superintendence of God,” Ferguson said, describing creation as possessing its own language of praise.

Ferguson said Scripture also depicts God Himself singing over His redeemed people. Drawing from Zephaniah 3, he pointed to the image of God rejoicing over His people “with loud singing,” describing salvation as the subject of God's song.

Humans, Ferguson continued, were created in God's image and therefore possess an inherent impulse toward music and song. He traced that theme through Genesis and into Israel's history, where songs emerged in response to God's provision in creation or His deliverance in times of conflict.

As Israel's worship became centered in Jerusalem and the temple, Ferguson said singing increasingly became a communal expression of faith. The Psalms, he noted, gave God's people a vocabulary not only for joy and thanksgiving but also for grief and lament.

“Brothers and sisters, you need to have something in your mind or in your hymn book that you're able to sing when the world around you gives way,” he said.

Ferguson then shared what he said was a deeply personal story he had never previously discussed publicly.

Recalling what he described as “undoubtedly the darkest day of my life,” Ferguson shared how, years ago, he had to tell his widowed mother that his brother had died, collect his brother's death certificate and then travel across a mountain range to register the death.

“Is there anything I can sing on the journey?” Ferguson recalled wondering, adding he found his answer in the Psalms.

“The Lord's my shepherd. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me,” he recalled singing.

He also turned to Psalms 40, 42 and 43, demonstrating, he said, how Scripture gives believers words to express faith even amid life's most painful circumstances.

“The beauty of this book that God has given to us is that He gives us words, vocabulary, categories to enable us to do that,” Ferguson said, adding that “in every and any circumstance there is a psalm for that season.”

Ferguson's final point centered on Christ, whom he described as a “singing Savior.”

Jesus sang during His earthly ministry, Ferguson noted, including with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. Ferguson suggested Christ's familiarity with the Psalms also shaped His experience of the crucifixion, including His cry from Psalm 22: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

“What if he wasn't quoting it?” Ferguson asked. “What if he was not only living it but singing it?”

Ferguson pointed out that Psalm 22 eventually moves from anguish to praise. This theme, he said, echoed in Hebrews, where Christ declares God's name to His people and sings His praise among the congregation.

The biblical picture, Ferguson said, is ultimately of the exalted Christ leading His people in worship.

Earlier in his message, Ferguson tied that understanding of congregational worship to the Protestant Reformation and the work of Tyndale, whose English New Testament is a central focus of this year's conference.

“When men like William Tyndale and the other Reformers rediscovered the teaching of Scripture,” Ferguson said, “they discovered that there needed to be two radical transformations”: the recovery of justification by faith in Jesus Christ and the restoration of true worship.

The Reformers understood the recovery of the Gospel as ultimately producing worship, Ferguson said. They also helped transform worship from what he described as a largely “spectator” experience into congregational participation, allowing ordinary Christians to sing God's praises together in their own language.

“When the Scriptures said, ‘Sing, sing, sing,’” Ferguson said, “they were speaking not to the choir singing in London, but to all the people of God singing the praises of God in their own language.”

That emphasis on congregational singing continued after Ferguson's message as some of the most recognizable voices in Christian and country music led the gathering in hymns.

Hillary Scott of Lady A led the congregation in the Gettys' modern hymn “In Christ Alone,” while Grammy-winning worship artist Chris Tomlin led “Amazing Grace.” Keith Getty also led the thousands gathered in several a cappella songs, including “All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” while Ricky Skaggs and others performed. 

The evening ultimately concluded with Kristyn Getty leading the congregation in the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

Other featured speakers and artists at this year's conference include theologian and author John Piper, Oxford mathematician and Christian apologist John Lennox, apologist Wes Huff, poet and priest Malcolm Guite, author and social critic Os Guinness, author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, pastors and hymn writers Matt Boswell and Matt Papa, among others.