“O sing to the LORD a new song,                                                        
           sing to the LORD, all the earth.
           Sing to the LORD, bless his name;                                            
           tell of his salvation from day to day.
           Declare his glory among the nations,                                  
           his marvelous works among all peoples.
           For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;                      
           he is to be revered above all gods.
           For all the gods of the peoples are idols,                                       
           but the LORD made the heavens.
           Honor and majesty are before him;                              
           strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
           (Psalm 96:1-6)

Music is all around us. It is something that we cannot escape. Even people who say, ‘I can’t sing’ find it hard not to join in singing when people are together and our voices join as one! For music is deep within all of us.

Maybe you sing in the shower; maybe you sing while cooking, or cleaning; or maybe you hum along and tap your toes to the beat of the earth on a walk. God does not care about the quality of the song because God has put the song within us!

When the Psalmist says, ‘Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day;’ what is meant is to praise God, and consider all that God has done in your life even if today is not the day you expected it to be (or whatever else is happening in the world). God has blessed you with the life within you! So, go and proclaim to all, tell of the marvelous works that God has done among all peoples.

Next week is Thanksgiving, yes; yet may we praise and give thanks to God more than just that day. Perhaps, since Thanksgiving and Advent are so close together this year, let us raise our voices daily in praise for what God has done and hope for what God will do. Our Advent devotions this year were a labor of love from Jeff (our Music Director). Songs of the Season: Meditations on Advent Hymns is designed for you to explore and join in the songs others have sung and lived in, “Honor and majesty before (God),” in the sanctuary of our lives. Pick up your copy and share it about. And in the season to come may we,
          “sing to the LORD a new song, sing to the LORD, all the earth.
           Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
           Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all peoples.”