Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Psalm 96:1-3 – O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.  Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. (NRSV)

What does it mean to “sing a new song”?  If you come to worship this Sunday, we can find out together, as we explore some of the communion hymns in the Chalice Hymnal that we rarely if ever sing.  You’ll even get the chance to rate each one and let us know what you liked (or didn’t like) about it.  It will be important to remember that some of the hymns we love best, we’re really only fond of because they’re really familiar.  So when we’re confronted with a tune we have to learn and words we have to read carefully, we sometimes don’t like the song just because it’s too much work.

But what if singing a new song isn’t really about the effort of learning something new?  What if it’s about shifting our attitude and even the tenor of our prayers?  The psalmist seems to imply that the people addressed in this psalm, who need to sing a new song, have been Johnnie One-Notes about something other than God’s glorious saving acts in their lives.  Have they been moaning and complaining?  Have they been pleading for God to do things they weren’t willing to work at themselves?

For some reason, the psalmist is suggesting (commanding?) that they try singing a song of gratitude and joy instead of whatever lines they’ve been repeating for too long.  There are certainly moments in our lives when we could benefit from that advice too.  Those times can come up in our individual lives and in our shared life as a congregation.  What can happen at Vista La Mesa if we really put the work into singing a new song?  Or a few new songs?  Come and see!