A New Song

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3

Today, one of the many tasks I have to accomplish on my day off is to ship my harp off to be repaired. Somehow the sounding board has separated from the back of the harp and after a long search, I found the man who repaired it many, many years ago. Unfortunately he no longer lives in drivable Massachusetts but in shipping distance in Florida. I have some anxiety about sending it, but no worry about Arsallan's skill in repair. While I have been getting it ready to go, one of my favorite Christmas songs have been floating around in my head. No matter how dark and gloomy the Advent gets, God always finds a way, through song, to bring me back to joy and hope. Music has a way of seeking me out, finding me and reminding me of God's love for us all.

The Gospel reading for today, which I usually focus on, was not resonating and helping me to live my life as a christian today. Rarely do I forgo the Gospel, but the Advent readings, so penitential and apocalyptic, can be more than I can fathom some mornings at morning prayer. And yet the ancient words of the poet and psalmist, the court's musician, help me to know God in a new way. They restore my hope and expectation which are also part of Advent.

Today, I ask God to give me the strength to love and forgive with a new song in my heart for every moment. Life isn't easy for any of us, and is often particularly brutal at this time of year. May we all seek God's new song in our hearts so that we might sing love to all of the broken places in our world.