✠ Psalmody: Psalm 98:1a, 2b; 1b; Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 5:7b, 5:8a, c; Psalm 66:1–2a, 16; John 16:8
✠ Lection: Isaiah 12:1–6; James 1:17–21; John 16:5–15
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In this queen of seasons bright celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we continue to glean from the fruit of the Tree of Life great treasures that not only provide for our needs in this life, but bring with them the great joy from God Himself. The Christian Church is a singing Church, which, just by saying this alone, may make some of us squirm or slightly sneer, because not all are born with perfect pitch, with musical or singing inclinations, yet by God’s design, He has seen to it that by default each of those born in the wilderness of this world has a personal voice by which we may be heard. Without a doubt, in a manner that was vocally loud and clear, a number of us made this fact known as soon as the warm confines of the womb were startlingly exchanged for breaths of cold air, inescapable brightness, and strangers staring upon our nakedness. Yet consider how joyful mother and father are to hear the loud voice of a human life coming into the world. So, it is with our heavenly Father, Who rejoices over the voices that He has created.
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice. Rejoice that the crucified Son has risen from the dead gaining victory over your grave so that now the Father, your Father rejoices with exceedingly great joy. For, it is He Who gives so that He may receive joyful response and thanksgiving from those now alive in His salvation. We live in a time after many, many other times from which have amassed great song to sing in this faith, much of it divinely inspired words used regularly by God’s people in the divine liturgy. We began the service this morning in song, then in reverent chant as I, on our behalf, entered the chancel and approached the altar of Christ while we lifted our voices with words from Psalm 98, a song from the rich hymn book of the Bible that dates back 3,000 years. The Lord’s truths are timeless and never grow old. By His grace, we are able to sing unto the Lord words from long, long ago now in a language we can understand and in which can well express our hearts’ delight. We sung but a portion of the psalm. Consider the first half of its entirety that describes the work of Christ our Lord; He, the Call, He, the Reason for God’s people to sing and make a joyful noise:
O sing unto the LORD a new song; For he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The Lord doesn’t seek to squeeze blood out of a stone; He doesn’t try to extract out of you what you are unable to give, which is why He first gives of Himself to you. He hath made known His salvation by His holy arm getting Him the victory over sin, death, and the devil. Thus, you are more than conquerors through Him Who loved you. He fills Christian heart first with good news so that it responds to all the exhortations found in the rest of Psalm 98:
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; With the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet Make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: Let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: With righteousness shall he judge the world, And the people with equity.
These are not just suggestions, but never rob yourself by hearing just commands. Cantate! Sing because of what you hear and believe! Remain not silent in the Divine Service even if you can carry an elephant on your head better than you can carry a tune. Yes, a joyful noise may be a noise, but it being joyful and your noise is your Savior’s desire. You have reason to sing. Always. If you don’t currently sing, either by choice or condition or age, make some use of the voice that God has given to you, one that did not hesitate to belt out with that first newborn breath. Then, you had cause for song of complaint. Now, you have endless reason for song of celebration. If you’re unable to sing, or to sing well, at minimum still speak the words out loud; for the sake of God, your salvation; for the sake of your brothers and sisters with whom you have gathered as one; for the sake of your own soul for even that benefit the Lord has given as part of you lifting your voice to Him.
The psalmist’s words do carry some sense of a command because your flesh needs to be reminded that where there is life and salvation, there is joy. Where there is joy, there is singing, the natural response of the Children of God praising His goodness for He has made known His salvation. The imperatives aren’t commanding you to do something contrary to what you desire to do. It’s only the prideful and unsure flesh that keeps the redeemed tongue from singing, or speaking, its Maker’s praises. The Scriptures gives no doubt about the faith you have been gifted. It is not a silent faith. It is not one that lacks joy or reason to sing. If anyone of you still lacks the desire or confidence to sing, invite me over to your house and we will sing together the praises of our Lord and grow more comfortable and joyous together, for I myself used to keep silent in the pews before the Lord by His Word and Spirit awakened my voice so that it would no longer be kept in silent chains.
In Zephaniah 3:17 we read, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” What is rejoiced over is what one’s joy is. The LORD rejoices over His joy and that joy is you, for He has redeemed you with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. It is His joy to give psalmists words of praise to be used between Him and His beloved. It is His joy to give His Word to the prophets that proclaim His goodness and might. It is His joy to come down from heaven, be made man, die for the sin of the whole world, rise again, go to the Father, and send to you the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who guides you in the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that is, in Christ Jesus the Lord. It is His joy because it is what He has done for you, His joy.
Being that the Liturgy is formed by the very Word of God, you are guaranteed to receive, without a doubt, the words of joy that you need each and every time you come. You need not muster up your own new song, for the Lord has given you song rooted in the newness of life everlasting. It is a treasure, a new song, week after week that continues to give you what you need; in remembrance of your baptism; in remembrance of Me, Jesus says. It is a new song because the Good News of forgiveness, life and salvation never grows old. It only gets better over time and will be marvelous unto all eternity.
Isaiah said, “The LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.” Notice the prophet doesn’t boast in what is of him, or not; in what is his ability, or not. He boasts, and sings, in the Lord. Looking to anything other than God for strength or success turns that thing into an idol. Our blessings tempt us to boast in our individual selves, in our reason, in what we have, and our own personal abilities to get the job done. We have succeeded. We have made something of ourselves. We have done great things for us and have good lives. But in our successes, great and small, our pride grows as we continue to deceive ourselves that we are the ones that have us where we’re at. The strength of all this is utter weakness. Our strength isn’t us. Understand the gravity of Isaiah’s words and the blessing, joy, comfort, and relief of burden within them, “The LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.” All that we have, all that we are, all that we will be able to be is only by the hand of the Lord our God, which is magnificent reason to sing.
In the context of Isaiah 12, we see that God was angry with us. But His anger doesn’t fuel the new song; His love for us in Christ does. We have moved from His anger, spite, and wrath into His care, strength, mercy, support, and salvation. It wasn’t without cost. The benefit of a doctor isn’t appreciated until the healthy become sick and ill. The same goes for the forgiveness of sins. Your forgiveness wasn’t cheap. Your sins are not blown off a stem, like one of the bazillion dandelions, softly floating away to gently disappear into the neighbor’s yard. We know where our sins landed. We know where our sins were placed. Christ the Lord is the One with the strength to take them upon Himself, so that we may have joyous everlasting song. He is the one able to carry all sins to the execution of God’s wrath that cost Him His life. He saved because the Lord God is your strength and your song, and he has become your salvation upon the cross.
So, your songs of praise and adoration, such as Isaiah’s own, are natural responses to the magnificent things of the Lord, the new song you now have in Him. Songs to the Lord in the mind, heart, and mouth in His Divine Service and throughout the day consistently bring mind and heart to the true Strength. The Lord is your salvation. Even if you don’t think you can sing, or even if in reality it’s true that you can’t, do not let that keep silent; do not let that keep you from responding with your voice to God. Be of good courage. It is good to sing as you live joyously in your salvation. Shout aloud, sing for joy, make a joyful noise, oh people of God, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you. Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord, is your strength and your song; He also has become your salvation.
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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