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“Sing to the Lord a New Song!”
ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
The traditional name for this Sunday in the Church year is “Cantate,” meaning “to sing.” That’s how our Introit began: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.” This reading from Isaiah also speaks of singing: “Sing praises to the Lord… Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”
This is almost identical to the words sung by the children of Israel on the far shore of the Red Sea as they watched the waters of the sea wash over the army of Pharaoh. They certainly had good reason to sing. Four hundred years of slavery had come to an end. God’s miraculous hand had reached out and saved them just when death and destruction seemed about to catch up to them!
Although they griped a lot, the Israelites did not stop in the middle of their song to complain, “I wish Moses had chosen one of those more singable tunes.” And given what they had experienced, most of them probably did not become distracted while they were singing. How could they be distracted? After all, they had just been delivered from slavery and even death. God had revealed Himself in power and majesty to show His mercy to His people! Even the tone deaf among them were singing loudly! Surely no one cared what the melody was! They were happy to be alive, protected by God’s mighty hand. Surely nothing else mattered at that moment.
Isaiah wrote to a similar situation. “In that day...” he wrote. What day? In the previous chapter, he had just written about a Shoot that would grow up from the stem of Jesse, a Branch that would grow out of His roots. Upon that Branch the Spirit of the Lord would rest. In righteousness He would judge the poor and the meek. With the rod of His mouth He would slay the wicked. Jesus Christ, the Son of David, is this root of Jesse. He is Immanuel, God with us, the Virgin’s Son, as Isaiah had announced earlier.
This root of Jesse has already come. He has crushed our enemies: sin, death, hell, and Satan. He has established peace between God and man through His atoning sacrifice on the cross. He has lifted up His cross as a banner to which all who trust in Him may rally. Today is that day of which Isaiah wrote: the day of the Church, built on Jesus Christ. So who should be singing out enthusiastically on this day? You should. You should be belting out the praises of the Lord, your God!
God did not send the plagues of Egypt for you. He sent something far greater: He caused the plagues of sin and death to fall upon Christ on the cross. He did not merely destroy the first-born of Egypt for you. He caused His own dear Son, the Son of God, to die for you. You have not seen the parting of the Red Sea and then the drowning of Pharaoh’s armies beneath it. But you have seen the waters of Holy Baptism washing away sin and death. You do not eat an earthly Passover Lamb; instead you partake of the the body and blood of the risen Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In every way you have something far greater than what Isaiah and his people had. In every way you should be filled with a far greater joy and should sing much louder and with a more joyful spirit. Yes, the Lord was angry with you, but He has turned His anger away. You deserved unending wrath, but God has given you freedom in His Son!
And yet, for all of that, the saints of God sing half-heartedly. Some don’t like the song or complain that it’s too difficult. Some refuse to sing at all. And, meanwhile, thoughts drift away to other things. Even now your sinful flesh wants to sing from its own strength. But the Lord is your strength and your song. Sing of Him and the great things He has done. Forget about yourself. Forget about what you feel you need. He is the fulfillment of all you need. Let Him be your song. Think on all that Christ has done. Think about what He continues to do even now for you in this Divine Service. He has reversed death. He has erased the punishment for sin in His blood. He has crushed the serpent’s head. He did all of this to redeem you, a lost and condemned creature. He suffered death and hell to save miserable wretches like you and me.
When you still struggle with your sinful flesh, with lips that do not want to sing praise to God, lay that sin on Jesus. He died for your lack of joy; He died for your easily distracted flesh. Rest assured that He hears your voice as sheer beauty, no matter how tone-deaf you may happen to be. Even if you hit a wrong note—or many wrong notes—in God’s ears it is perfect praise. If your heart is distracted, He does not notice because your heart is covered by the perfect righteousness of Christ.
One day yet to come, He will reveal all that is hidden now, and you will burst out in glorious song with all of God’s children. Your voices will sing out, perfect and more beautiful than any choir on earth. Your hearts will be perfect, lifted up with untarnished joy before the throne of your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, to whom you will sing forever and ever. ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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