A New Song

Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 149

One of the hardest decisions I had to make, as we packed to leave the east for our sojourn in Alaska, was what to do with my harp. It had been lovingly repaired and I really wanted to bring it with me, but the cost and the complications ended up being too much. Leaving my family behind was harder, of course, but having my harp with me, give me a strength even I don't understand. Letting go was hard. And yet today, to my surprise, a dear woman from St. Peter's showed up at our door with a gorgeous harp to lend me. The joy brought tears and gratefulness beyond measure. A new way to sing s new song!

The psalmist is never afraid to lay it all out before God. Both in the hardest of times and in the most wondrous of times, the psalmist finds ways to put music in our midst of us. A voice rising from the ancient dust, to sing of the faithfulness of God and to remind us to sing and rejoice even in new and strange lands. God invites us to move beyond our familiar and secure and to pour out our need, along with our love and our hearts before the lord. We are asked simply to be fully human before God and to offer the gifts of celebration and joy we have been given.

Today, as I begin another journey to Fairbanks, I ask God to help me be full of new songs and new hope for the coming days. May we never forget to sing and dance before the Lord, as well as offer our prayers and petitions to the Creator. God is in the midst of us and always inspiring us with new life and possibility. May we all remember to sing with joy like children rejoicing in the love we have been given so freely and completely.