A New Song?

April 22, 2009
 
Dear St. Paul’s family,
 

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.  (Psalm 96:1)
 

When St. Paul’s debuts its brand new praise band this Sunday, it will seem, at first glance, to be a complete fulfillment of Psalm 96.  Sing new words? No problem.  There will be songs heretofore never sung in the St. Paul’s sanctuary.  Sing in a new style?  Check.  How about a mixture of up-tempo hand-clappers and prayerful, soulful ballads?  Sing with new instruments?  Indeed.  Thanks to a generous, anonymous gift, the praise band has been funded for the rest of the year, outfitted with brand new instruments and sound equipment.
 
But a new song?  Hmm.   Biblical scholars have run an exhaustive list of possibilities of what exactly made the song referenced in Psalm 96 a new song.  Likely, this was part of a larger collection of enthronement songs that were sung by Israelites in the Temple, who celebrated God as their sovereign king.  Beyond that, there is debate about whether this song was about the past, the present, or the future:
 
·     Some believe the song they sung was the actual words of Psalm 96, constituting a new song for a new present reality.
·     Others say that the new song was a reframing of the words from the past:  Isaiah 42-43, which reminded people of God’s delivery of the people from slavery in Egypt.
·     Still others claim that the song was a fresh reminder of their future hope, which was the restoration of God’s kingdom in the world.
·     And others suggest it is all of the above - - past, present, and future.
 
So here’s the point.  Here’s why I am looking forward to this Sunday. It’s not that we will be singing new words, accompanied by new instruments, with a new tempo. What makes this all so new is not determined by guitar vs. organ, or praise chorus vs. hymn.  Rather, worship is new when it shifts our attention away from ourselves, and points us toward God.  Worship is new when it lifts us out of our egocentric tendencies and freshly directs us toward the God who has, will, and presently rules and reigns in our lives.  We sing a new song whenever God is the audience.
 
Frankly, this is nothing, well, new.  It is my hope that this occurs every week, every time we worship together, no matter the service format.    And I suppose that’s the point.  Regardless of the labels one would use to describe the form of worship (for example, “traditional” vs. “contemporary,” whatever those words mean), worship is new, not when we move past old styles, but whenever we move beyond our old selves.  And to evaluate one’s personal worship experience against one’s stylistic preferences is to miss the point entirely.  Whether we sing, “O for a thousand tongues to sing, our great redeemer’s praise,” or “So, come let us sing a song / a song declaring we belong to Jesus,” the focus is never on ourselves.  It is on the God who created us, redeems us, and will perfect us in love.
 
So come this Sunday, and be drawn into the worship of God.  Clap your hands if you wish, sing along, or simply close your eyes in prayerful praise.  Be lifted beyond yourself, and experience a God who is making all things new.
 
Grace and Peace,
 
Magrey