Advent ABC's: Sing

1 Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Psalm 96:1

40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40

This fall I had the really neat opportunity to reconnect with some old friends and make some new friends. It really left me feeling quite blessed. I was especially touched to have the opportunity to be in a worship service where one of my new friends “sang.” And she was so good, she did it without even opening her mouth. She sang with her hands. She’s an interpreter for the deaf community. And to say that she sings with her hands is to so minimize the beauty she brings to a song with her entire being.

Near the end of the weekend retreat we shared, I was able to tell her how much I appreciate and was moved by the way she “sang.” Several people around her agreed that it was special and how much we treasured her “voice.” She shared that she was indeed not much of a vocalist, but loved to sign. And, as you can imagine, the whole thing got me thinking.

In historical Advent practice, the traditional carols are not sung until the third Sunday. The point of Advent is to prepare and to jump right into Caroling and singing Christmas songs can cause us to miss out on some of the symbolism, ritual, and meaning of the season. To start singing “Joy to the World” on the first Sunday of Advent is like opening the presents before your parents get up on Christmas morning. We can keep saying that Jesus is the reason for the season, but if we don’t take time to seek him and listen for the message from the Angels and Shepherds, we miss the point.

Just for the record, I’m not a Scrooge or Grinch. I think we need to sing. I think we just need to know why and what we are singing. Angel choirs sang to announce Jesus birth. Then the crowd sang and lauded him as he rode “triumphantly” into Jerusalem right before he died. When the Pharisees wanted Jesus to hush the crowd then, he told them that if the people were silenced the stones would cry out. There’s just something natural about singing and Jesus, and singing about Jesus our Lord and King.

Now you may not feel like much of a vocalist, but you do have a voice and you need to use it to sing praise to the Lord of all the earth. Don’t let the stones steal your solo. What song will you sing for the new born King?