Judge Righteous

I John 5:1-6

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2By this we know that we love tho children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Psalm 98

1A Psalm.

O Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.

2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

5Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.

6With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it; the world and those who live in it,

8Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy

9at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

“O Sing to the LORD a new song.”

I periodically ask folks if they have any hymn requests. I’ve gotten a few specific ones over the years, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “In the bud there is a flower,” “God of our Fathers,” “When Israel was in Egypt Land.” The most common response, however, when I ask for hymn requests, is “Oh, any of the old hymns.”

I hear that request and I get excited, because I love old hymns too. I love Bach, Handel, and the Genevan Psalter. The old hymns that date back to the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The hymns that are so good they’ve outlasted all their contemporaries, those are the old hymns I love. (Old Hundredth: 1551, Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty: 1665, Thine is the Glory: 1748,)

“O Sing to the LORD a new song.”

But those are very rarely the hymns folks mean when they tell me “Oh, any of the old hymns.” They’re asking for the hymns that they sang when they were children, songs that have been a companion to them throughout their lives. Let’s sing the hymns that have become old friends, songs that met us at important moments in our lives and gave voice to our praise or our struggle. (Precious Lord, Take my Hand: lyrics 1938, How Great Thou Art: English translation, 1953,)

These hymns are lifelong friends, but in the realm of sacred music, they are new songs. We sing them for the same reason that we sing the ancient ones. “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things.” Not even the sturdy chords of “A Mighty Fortress is our God” (1529) can fully uplift the mighty acts of God for all generations. “God has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” The new song we are to sing is not because of whatever new thing God is about to do, no. “O sing to the LORD a new song, for...he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.” God has done marvelous things in the past, God has shown us who he is in the past, God has been faithful in the past, and even before we see what God is doing around us now, we are compelled to compose new praises because of what God has already done.

For a psalmist more ancient than any of our old hymns, the new song we sing will tell of God upending the Egyptian empire and leading the people into the promised land. For a psalmist to whom all of our sacred music is a “new song,” the new song will have a verse about God’s action through the judges and prophets. For a psalmist who wrote this new song long before the Holy Spirit guided us to add it to scripture, the new song will celebrate the return from exile in Babylon.

And thousands of years later, we have our new marvelous things to include in our own new songs to the LORD. We’re an Easter people, so we can sing about Christ’s victory over sin and death. We can sing about how Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty. We can sing about how through the ancient Israelites, all nations bless themselves in Christ Jesus. Our new song proclaims vindication through resurrection.

Easter is a season, not just a day, and we walk alongside our risen Lord for 50 days before his ascension, we’re still in the midst of Easter. We are taking this time to learn our new song to sing before the Holy Spirit drives us out into the wilderness so that we can spread the gospel. Easter is about learning the new song of resurrection so that we can sing it in as many language as possible after Pentecost. “O Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.” We have seen God do things so marvelous that we cannot help but reach out in new song, and neither can the rest of creation.

The joy of what the LORD has done extends beyond those to whom it happened, it even extends beyond humanity. “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.” All of the earth is called to praise God because we have seen what marvelous things God has done in the past, first through Israel, then through Jesus Christ, and now through all of the people of God. Earth stands as a witness to the mighty acts of God, and is itself invited to join in the joyful noise.

In the Presbyterian tradition, we witness the marvelous things God does, and then all people, all creation, join in worship. None of us are spectators watching a show put on by the musicians, preachers, and readers, we are all actively worshipping together, each as the Spirit gives us ability, each with a joyful noise. Any gift we have been given can be tuned to the worship of God, “Sing praise to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.” I like that line because “the sound of melody” is just one way to sing praise. Even if the melody is beyond your grasp, a joyful noise is still expected.

“With trumpets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.” Even trumpets are invited to praise the LORD! If that’s not proof enough of God’s grace, then this Trombone player doesn’t know what else he can tell you. It doesn’t matter what you use to sing a new song of praise for what God has already done, what matters is that we all join together to “make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.” “Praise does not merely celebrate, it trains believers to take seriously their own responsibility in covenant with the Holy One”

Praise from creation, even the chaotic bits.

Judgment as setting things right again.