Concordia Seminary Newsroom
Preaching Jesus Christ Through Music
“Music shows the wonder of our Creator — the splendor of God in all His complexity and beauty. Paired with the truth of Scripture, the two together can be a powerful force for preaching the Good News,” explains Dr. Samuel Eatherton, the new assistant professor of Practical Theology, kantor and the Kreft Professor for Music Arts at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Among his responsibilities, Eatherton leads a group of 17 seminarians in a premier choir called Laudamus. The students are preparing for full-time service as pastors in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and seek to touch the hearts of their listeners by preaching Jesus Christ through music and sharing the message of what He accomplished through His life, death and resurrection.
Seminarians approach their studies with due seriousness and are instructed to find time daily to read and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures. They also are instructed to prioritize spending time with others. Chapel services provide a daily opportunity to do both regularly. During the academic year, Laudamus accompanies and enriches the Seminary’s chapel services, leading the Seminary community in musical expressions of the faith. The Concordia Seminary Music Series provides additional opportunities for the choir to sing during Hymn Festivals and Services of Sacred Music with members from the St. Louis community.
When they perform, Laudamus members have many opportunities to connect with their audiences. When the choir practices, “We pray together that the words will be effective and that we do it all for God’s glory and not for our own. The deeper relationship with God comes with His Word, which is why we want to share that with people as much as possible,” Eatherton said. He also explains that after their concerts, the students engage in conversation with attendees that often lead to making connections over everything from celebrating a special occasion to providing support to someone going through a difficult situation.
Laudamus members are ready to bring a special service to new audiences and share the transformative power of the Gospel in their upcoming 2025 spring tour, titled “My Song is Love Unknown” based on the Lenten hymn by that name. The hymn retells events in Christ’s life and reflects on the sacrifice He made and the rejection, betrayal and grief He endured. It is suffused with examples of His selfless love and ends with a poetic expression of the power of His story:
Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine!
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Could gladly spend! (LSB 430, v. 7)
“We can’t predict how people will react to certain pieces of music. We also can’t predict how God’s Word and the truths that we sing will impact them,” said Eatherton. “We do know, ‘For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it’ (Is. 55:10-11 ESV). At the end of the day, we pray God’s Word does what He sent it for — to reach them.”
and St. Titus. Photo: Rolf Ringwald
The Gospel presented through music has been a powerful medium for expressing faith and transforming lives for the glory of God. In 1 Chronicles 25, David and the chiefs of the service appointed the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun to prophesy and play musical instruments in the house of the Lord. They were divided into groups to serve in specific duties. “The Bach Bible, seen in the Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library on campus, has a handwritten note by Bach next to this chapter, notating that God is instituting music as a high and noble art for His worship,” said Eatherton. Eatherton’s deep devotion to music began in his childhood when his family attended church every Sunday. Through music repetition, he knew the service even before he could read. His educational journey reflects his unwavering commitment to the Lord’s calling, culminating in a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in church music from Baylor University (2019) in Waco, Texas. Throughout his career, his dedication to teaching and leading church music programs has impacted countless lives. He enjoys seeing former students contributing to the church through music and other avenues. Eatherton and his wife, Lois, are blessed with five children and attend St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Des Peres, Mo., where Lois teaches music.
“I am excited to be here at the Seminary to provide leadership to the faculty and students in proclaiming the Word of Christ richly through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as St. Paul directs us in Col. 3:16,” Eatherton said.
Under Eatherton’s leadership, Laudamus is poised to make a lasting influence as they share the message of hope and redemption with all who hear them. “I think it’s wonderful that they are singers and future pastors,” said Eatherton. “Wherever they serve after the Seminary, these men will share that joy for music with those in their ministry.”