Sunday, December 11: Scripture – Psalm 96:1-6
1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord; bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Sing! God wants—no, commands—us to sing! There are at least 50 instances in Scripture that directly compel us to sing to God. So why must we sing? Singing allows us to express our thoughts and emotions in ways the spoken word cannot. Think about your favorite musical. When emotions threaten to overwhelm, characters break into song! And so it is with us. God’s goodness is so great, it cannot be expressed in mere words, so we must sing.
During this season, I encourage you to notice the role music plays in our celebrations: the singing of carols old and new in worship, Christmas standards playing in the background as we deck the halls, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” seemingly playing on repeat in every store we visit. Christmas without music wouldn’t be Christmas! This year, I hope we hang onto that sense of awe and wonder that compels us to sing so heartily during Advent and Christmas. Let us continually sing to the Lord!
Prayer: Dear Lord, Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.1
Margaret Monroe
1The Choristers Prayer – anonymous