Advent

December 22, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98

O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He 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.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
   make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. –Psalm 98:1-6

I am ready to sing a new song or, for that matter, to sing at all. My church returned to in-person worship in September, and our choir was present in masks and socially distanced, but it was a joy to hear them sing. We are trying to be very diligent about following such precautions because we do not want to go back to our homes and computers. Yet we learned much from experience. We continue to live stream our services because those homebound enjoy the service. We have added hybrid Sunday School with people in the classroom and some on Zoom. Singing a new song has its challenges but is also rather refreshing. I attended a seminar on worship several years ago where the speaker said it was essential to maintain some routine in worship, or people would spend most of their time figuring out what was happening and forgetting to worship. It was equally necessary to insert one change somewhere in each service so people would not go through the motions and forget to worship.

As we move closer to Christmas Day, let us add something each day to our routine to remind us what we are celebrating and why.

Prayer: Lord, teach us a new song as all kinds of challenges overcome our lives. Help us meet each one with the knowledge that You are with us. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.