A New Song for a New Year
Psalms 40:1-11
Some of you haven’t met our newest staff members so I wanted to introduce them to you today. My Administrative Assistant is John Pigate and our Custodian is Cary PepinSmith. I am really pleased to have both of them working here at the church. They have already been a true blessing to me personally and I hope you will all help make them feel welcome and appreciated in their new positions. Some of you are aware that the process to fill these positions got extended a bit further than we planned so having these staff positions filled and functioning has certainly put a new song in my heart. It was with this gratitude that I came to study the passage we are using for our text today.
We know that the book of Psalms was created at some point in history by the ancient worshipping community to pull together poetry and music as part of the worship experience. The Psalms are the only explicit part of our Bibles that were written for use in worship. Most of the rest of the Bible was written as letters or theological history or ecclesiological discourse. We have evidence that several of the psalms were put to music and many are written with a poetic eye that would have made them readily accessible to a musical beat.
Another interesting fact is that only 5 psalms (and no other older testament writer except once in Isaiah) use the phrase “a new song”. Innovation in worship and progressive theological understanding were not highly prized in theologically-conservative ancient Israel. The ancients found their understanding of themselves in the past – the mighty acts that God had done for them in their history. Yet the psalmist challenges the assumptions of the past by proclaiming that God doesn’t desire sacrificial offerings – which would have caused quite a jolt to the collective psyche of the day since sacrificial offerings were the basis for their entire theological and worship construct.
It was so hard for them to hear that a new song might be a good thing. Isn’t it interesting that it is a song? Most of realize how music touches us in deep and often unexpected ways. I can be driving along in my car when an old eighties hit comes along and suddenly I’m back in Atlanta in seminary. Or how many times have you been listening to a song and found yourself tearing up unexpectedly. When I hear our opening hymn, “We Shall Overcome” one of the memories that comes up for me was hearing that song as a child living in a segregationist culture and experiencing fear when I heard this song. It would be years later that I would be able to break free from those ideas and claim this song as mine as well. Music has that effect on us. We connect with it on levels that are beyond conscious thinking. Some of us love singing the old gospel songs of our childhood because of the feelings and memories attached to them. And Lord help us when we inclusify words to hymns or especially Christmas carols. You would have thought somebody had slapped somebody’s mama! That’s not the way I learned that song. I know it is disconcerting at times but I hope it makes you think. Is Pastor simply trying to ruin my Christmas or are there good reasons why some old songs need to be reclaimed with new words and meaning?
Singing a new song is hard. It was hard for the ancient Hebrews. It’s hard for us.
The psalmist understood that it is a matter of spiritual health to balance the old familiar songs with new songs and this connection is larger than music
- to cherish the history that has helped shape us but not let that history confine us
- to appreciate the sacrifice and wisdom and courage of those who went before us and still be open to doing things differently going forward
- to honor our traditions and also create connections to those who were not part of that tradition
Singing a new song is hard but it is essential for a vibrant, healthy and growing faith. The new song is from God just as much as the old song. The new adventure is just as important as the familiar grounding of the past. The metaphor the psalmist uses is a song but we know the writer is really talking about a larger attitude toward life.
Singing a new song means you understand that, “Suffering colors your life, but you get to choose the color,”
Singing a new song means being willing to create new melodies when life changes and chapters close.
Singing a new song gives your life a new rhythm to live by that resonates deep inside and reverberates from your heart to all parts of who you are.
Singing a new song is learning a true authenticity about who we are – no longer being willing to hum along with the stale dirges that kept us defeated, addicted, lost, afraid or helpless.
What a great day to be celebrating a new song for a new year when we have Jason and deMarco with us – this dynamic duo who offers the passion of their love in the delicacy of their music! It makes some mainstream music moguls uncomfortable but “fruit fluff” and “the Italian stallion” refused to stay confined to the old song. God had given them a new song. God has given us a new song as well.
Today we add another stanza to the history of our community of faith as we welcome a new membership class.
Sources:
www.homileticsonline.com Soundtrack for Living, January 2008.