Sing a new song!
As Liz and I have been looking for a church in the Richmond area, we have been going for several weeks to KingsWay Community Church, a church in the Sovereign Grace Ministries family of churches.
One neat thing that I really like about this family of churches is that they are committed to creating new music for use in worship through the gifts talented song-writers in the church. This means that I am unfamiliar with almost all of the songs as I visit this church for a few Sundays. I know some of them because I went to a similar church when I lived in Orlando last year, Metro Life Church which was also a Sovereign Grace Ministries church. But still, most of the songs are new to me.
But interestingly, singing these new songs have made my worship much more alive. I have felt free to look at God in ways other than the same songs I am used to singing or have sung for years. These new songs are challenging me to worship God in a new way, to celebrate His wonder and grace and gifts in new words, with new melodies, and new attitudes in my heart.
I like it! And I think God is pleased as well, because as it says in Psalm 33:2-3 - “Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy”, Psalm 40:1-3 - “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” , and Psalm 144:9 - “I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you”.
I think it is important for us to always be singing new songs to the Lord. It helps us to not get too familiar in how we are worshipping God. When we get too familiar with the same order of worship, words, songs, and prayers, I think our minds and hearts begin to disengage and we don’t connect with God in worship in Spirit in truth. A new song brings freshness and newness to our worship of God, and an eagerness for the Spirit to work in new ways in our lives. Let’s not stop writing and singing new songs of worship!
Great word bro and I agree with the need to sing new songs so that our worship of God is kept alive. Let me add a word about the old songs however to provide a little balance to your words of encouragement. When O first joined the church I formerly attended I brought alot of music to their program from songs that I had learned as music minister in NET ministry. What I discovered, sadly, is that people can sing the best new songs in the world and still have come off as dead if their hearts are not invested in the worship. So what is needed more than NEW music is a new HEART for worship. A renewed heart can worship with old as well as new music. An oldie like Amazing Grace or even more anchient works like Bach’s MAss in whatever key you chose can also be powerful tools for worship eventhough they may have been heard a thousand time. We should always “sing a new song unto the Lord” while remembering that we are called to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. If there is truth in the music and one’s heart is properly atuned then you’ll always have worship! Nuff said!
Comment by Mario — September 28, 2005 @ 8:30 pm