SING TO THE LORD—IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Psalm 96 might seem out of place for a service themed, “In Days of Sorrow and Distress.” It seems to be a Psalm for good days which give us reasons to rejoice. It is the Psalm designated for Christmas Eve. But the praise of God and the songs of the Church are not reserved for good days. As we confess in the communion liturgy, “It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And so, even in days of sorrow and distress, the Church sings.
When the Church sings her songs, they
should say what is true for all Christians.
The best hymns confess like the Creed confesses. We don’t ask people, one by one, to say, “What
does Jesus mean to me?” Together, we
confess the truth, what God has revealed.
We confess, “I believe in God the Father … Maker of heaven and earth.” Why? Because
God has told us. We confess, “I believe
in Jesus Christ … who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and
was buried. On the third day, he rose
again from the dead.” Why? Because God has told us. We do not confess personal creeds; the Church
confesses what God has told us. We take
our stand, and we profess the common belief of all Christians. Our hymns should do the same. A hymn which speaks only for a handful of
people, or worse is the sentiment of one person, is a woefully deficient
hymn.
Consider, for example, a popular
evangelical hymn called “In the Garden.”
It is written as if Mary Magdalene wrote it. She swoons, “I come to the garden alone, while
the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear the Son
of God discloses. And He walks with me,
and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we
tarry there, none other has ever known.”
Mary Magdalene could sing this, but you and I cannot. Nowhere in Scripture does Jesus tell us to
find him in a garden. Nowhere does Jesus
say he will come to you and personally speak a message unique to you. He comes to all only in the words of
Scripture. This hymn makes the Christian
faith a personal experience, not a common confession. This hymn is not only deficient, it promotes
a false belief.
Psalm 96 teaches the Church of all time, “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 the peoples! For great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared
above all gods. For all the gods of
the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens”
(Psalm 96:2-5). People will invent
all kinds of gods which they trust to provide comfort for their sorrows and
peace in the midst of distress. They turn
to drugs and alcohol, sports, fantasy, their own pride or niceness, and so
on. The gods which people turn to do not
help or comfort. And they certainly do
not save.
But you have a God who entered this world
of sorrow and pain who provides relief.
Jesus Christ knows what it is to live in days of sorrow and distress. Jesus knows the bitterness of death, the
oppression of a foreign power, the persecution of schemers, the betrayal of
friends, the temptations of the devil, and the immorality of the world. He, too, is grieved and vexed by all these
things. Jesus did not come just to
experience the common lot of godly people, he came to deliver you from it.
A common challenge that people make to God
is this: With the world being such an evil place, why doesn’t God do something
about it? But he has! The world has been corrupted. It is like a sewer which constantly flows
with filth. If you were stuck in a
sewer, you would not beg for someone to clean it up so that you could live there
comfortably. You would be begging for
someone to pull you out of it. You would
long to be freed from the continual flow of filth. That is what Jesus has does.
Sing to the Lord—in all
circumstances. For, Jesus is your Savior
from all the filth of sin. First, he
cleanses you of the filth that is in you.
The blood which Jesus shed on the cross is the atoning sacrifice for you. His innocence was given in exchange for your
guilt. His death restores you to
life. His curse was borne to bring you
God’s blessing. The blood of Jesus
purifies you from all sin. So, you are
clean.
Still, you experience days of sorrow and
distress because of the filth and flaws of a corrupted world. But even in days of sorrow and distress—especially
in days of sorrow and distress—we sing to the Lord. For, he has rescued us from the sin that
damns, and he preserves us for a life of everlasting peace. Jesus’ resurrection assures us of our own
resurrection. Jesus’ ascension into
heaven paves the way for our own ascension into heavenly glory. And Jesus will come again to establish a new
creation—a new heaven and earth, the home of righteousness free from all the
corruption, chaos, and catastrophe that sin produces. That is why Psalm 96 summons: “Let the
heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that
fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest
sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the
earth” (Psalm 96:11-13). Jesus will
release creation from corruption and restore it to perfection. And heaven and nature sing!
Sing to the Lord—in all
circumstances. Days of sorrow and
distress will come. The depths of sorrow
vary. The intensity of distress fluctuates. What does it prove? Nothing in this world is reliable. Friends may betray you. The family may die or dissolve. Your body may break down. The devil will taunt you. The world will pressure you to abandon the
faith. False teachers will seduce
you. And death will come. I say this not to strike fear into you, but
to present the realities of living as God’s people in a godless world. Let’s acknowledge it for what it is.
But then let’s flee to Jesus for hope and
comfort. Jesus made two statements about
the life of God’s people. One is a warning;
the other is a promise. Jesus declared, “In
the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Despite days of sorrow and distress, we have
a joy that cannot be soured. Jesus
Christ lives and reigns. Jesus’ promises
and mercy and kingdom endure. Therefore,
the Church sings to the Lord—in all circumstances.
“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 the peoples” (Psalm 96:2-3)! The glory of God is not diminished when we
endure days of sorrow and distress. God
even uses days of sorrow and distress as a cross upon which we put to death our
attachment to this world and then flee to Jesus for comfort and hope. If your goal is to make this world a place of
comfort and ease, days of sorrow and distress will result in despair. They may even make you suicidal. But if your goal is to enter the heavenly
kingdom, that goal cannot be thwarted by days of sorrow and distress, death or
the devil. Jesus’ marvelous works remain
a firm foundation when our world crumbles.
Nothing in this life is sure, but God’s salvation is sure. And so we proclaim his salvation day after
day.
Sing to the Lord—in all
circumstances. If you look through the
Psalms, they praise God for his marvelous works of salvation in the past and
confess a confidence of God’s salvation for the future. Rather than gush over how we feel about God,
the Psalms declare what God has done and uphold what God has promised. We want our hymns to follow that
pattern. After all, I get no comfort when
I tell God what I think of him. I
receive endless comfort when I repeat the promises that God has made to
me. Even in days of sorrow and distress,
I can trust God’s promises and be assured of God’s salvation.
Sing to the Lord—in all
circumstances. And when you sing, sing
with the boldness and confidence of people whose victory is sure. For it is!
So, sing your hymns like fight songs. Sing in defiance of the devil, the world, and your
sinful flesh. Listen to the confidence
expressed in the hymn, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”: “Satan, I defy thee; death,
I now decry thee; fear, I bid thee cease.
World, thou shalt not harm me nor thy threats alarm me while I sing of
peace. God’s great power guards every
hour; earth and all its depths adore him, silent bow before him” (v3). Or consider the bold defiance of “God’s Own
Child, I Gladly Say It": “Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am baptized
into Christ” (v 2). “Satan, hear this
proclamation: I am baptized into Christ” (v 3).
“Death, you cannot end my gladness: I am baptized into Christ” (v
4). We sing with boldness and confidence
because Jesus’ promises remain firm.
Because of Jesus, sin cannot condemn us.
Death cannot keep us. The devil
cannot have us. So, our songs proclaim
his salvation day after day, even in days of sorrow and distress. Especially in days of sorrow and distress.
“Oh 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 the peoples” (Psalm 96:1-3)! And so, God’s people sing.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
