"Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him."

         The scripture says we are to sing. It is part of whole life stewardship. Just as we are to give and to serve the Lord, we are to sing. Our singing is a sign or witness to the marvelous deeds of God. The salvation of God is remembered and experienced in song. Think for example of how important the songs of Christmas are to the telling and understanding the story of the birth of Jesus and its meaning.

         The Psalm gives us some instruction in our singing to the Lord.

Our singing is to be expressive. It is to include "shouting for joy," "jubilant song," the use of instruments, harp and trumpet and the blast of ram's horn.

When our music lacks expressive emotion it fails to reveal God's glory. When we become overly rational in our worship there is a coldness that creeps in. When we exclude the music of people of different cultures or generations, we are not able to express the fullness of the revelation of the Lord.

         We are to understand that all nature is included in the singing to God. The roar of the sea, the babbling of a river, which sounds like the clapping of hands; all that we hear is a witness to the glory and salvation of God. One day nature too will be renewed and set free from its bondage to decay.

         Colossians says that our singing is to express the Word of God dwelling in us richly, and that we are to sing with gratitude to God.

         Then, one more instruction that caught my attention and curiosity. We are to sing a "new song." I have been wondering all week what the Psalmist meant by "new song" and why that is important. As I have searched around in a number of commentaries, I found that the title "new song" is in many of the Psalms, in Isaiah, and then in Revelation.

         First I discovered a few things it does not mean.

         There is no comment on traditional and contemporary worship style here. That was not an issue for Israel. They were not in the midst of worship wars, or worship transitions. Sorry, but the scripture is not going to take sides for us on that one.

         Next, the "new" song was not necessary because the people were getting tired of the "old" ones. I grew up in the days of "Top 40" radio. Stations would play a handful of songs over and over, and it was always a relief to hear something new. Unfortunately, Top 40 radio may have conditioned a generation to always be looking for something new, and believing that anything new or novel is good.

         Today it is different. Now the young listen to music on an iPod, so they carry 1,500 songs of their own choosing in their pocket. I don't think you can get tired of such a collection, but now you have to keep your whole collection up with the times. The whole package must reveal someone who is current, who knows the new songs.

         But none of that was the issue for the Psalmist. The "New Song" is not to be contrasted with the "old song." They were not concerned about keeping up with the times. They did not tire of repetition. Newness in itself was not valued. They did not believe for an instant that God needed to hear something a bit more "with it" from his people. The new song we are instructed to sing is not the latest song.

         So, what is the New Song that the Psalmist calls Israel, and us, to sing? We need to think about the Song of Israel. The Song of Israel was the song of deliverance from Egypt. It was the song that celebrated and remembered the parting of the Red Sea, the entrance into the Promised Land. This is what Israel sang in its worship. This song could easily include the Creation, the Covenant Promise to Abraham, the entrance into the Land; the establishment of the kings, especially David, and it could include the hope of the Messiah. But the heart of the song was always about how God saved Israel from the oppression of Egypt, how he brought them out and gave them the land.

         But they came to a point where they lost the land. And we read in Psalm 137 that as they sat and wept in Babylon, they hung up their heads, because they could no longer sing. They could not sing because of their deep grief. They could not sing because the story of God's deliverance no longer made sense to them. They lost their song.

         There are times when we lose the song of the Lord. I have talked to many people who have experienced depression, not just feeling low for a while, but true depression, clinical depression. And when you are in that state, you cannot feel God's presence. You lose your song.

         I have heard others speak of the "Dark Night of the Soul," a time of spiritual doubt and disorientation. People sometimes go through a time when their life experience does not correspond to their faith: "What I believed no longer makes sense." In that dark night, you lose your song. The Israelites hung up their harps in Babylon and they could no longer sing, for their life no longer made sense.

         Sometimes the song we sing to the Lord gets drowned out by the music of the culture that blares at us constantly. Our lives can get overly full, we can lose hold on our priorities, on our commitments, and the only tune we hear is the march the world plays. Sometimes the song of the Lord just gets drowned out for a time.

         So, in the Exile, Israel lost its song. Then an amazing thing happened, rather suddenly, and they were allowed to return home. And in that return journey, the people began to sing again. They saw that God had worked a New Exodus, and so they sang a new song. What was new was what was in their hearts. They knew that as they were marching home, and later, as they were rebuilding their temple, the surrounding nations were watching, and could see the victory of God.

         They begin to sign a new song, a restored song, a renewed song. Their lives had been restored by God.

         The New Song spoken of in the Psalms points us directly to Jesus Christ. The reality is that although the people rejoiced in coming home, it really was not the same as before. They had to work hard and face opposition, and were not totally free. But they began to hope for a new day. For them the new song was about their hope for Christ.

         In Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of sin, and peace with God. In Jesus Christ there is a ransom paid on the cross that sets us free, and in the resurrection there is the first fruits of the life to come. There is a new song to sing in Jesus.

         This is the new song that we sing. It is the joyful expression of the healed heart. It is the glad shout of a saved people. It is the melody of obedience, the rhythm of faith. It swells up for all those who are active in love. It springs from a people of hope.

         Sing to the Lord a new song. For he has done marvelous things.

         Amen.