Let’s sing
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth (Psalm 96:1).
It was the evening after the Great Storm in Adelaide, on 12 November 2022, to be exact. We were on our second day of the blackout. John, my husband, was dial twiddling on his faithful radio instead of channel surfing on our powerless TV.
He landed on a station featuring hymn singing. It reminded me of listening to community hymn singing on the wireless as a child. The hymns being sung could not be classed as new to me, but they may have been new to some. They were hymns of praise, though sung in harmony with gusto culminating in ‘How Great Thou Art’. As I listened, I could sense the joy in the praises sung.
Choir singing seems to be undergoing a bit of a revival. Earlier in the pandemic, online choirs were formed, uniting people from many diverse locations. Pub choirs have developed, and one of our friends took up choral singing in his 60s, never having sung before. The benefits of singing are well documented. You just need to try it to see how good a rousing chorus can make you feel.
Why shouldn’t we sing to our Lord? Sometimes when I’m singing in church, I think about the communion of saints, who I am sure are joining in. I’m sure my dad would be rumbling along in the bass section, my mum singing alto, and maybe my sister producing the beautiful underlying harmonies on the organ as was her habit. Other times, I get lost in the beauty of what is being sung – or I just want to sit and let my soul be nurtured by the voices around me.
In this psalm, we have the earth and heavens, the sea and all creation singing for joy – singing praises to God who comes in judgement. God is a good and righteous judge and, obviously, is a fan of singing.
I pray and hope that you have been singing and will continue to sing new and old songs to glorify God, not just at Christmas but also into the future. And let’s not forget that God has given each of us a voice. I am sure God has an uncritical ear, so there is absolutely no excuse for not singing!
Creative God, thank you for giving us voices so we can sing your praises. Thank you for the joy we can share through singing – and for the memories that old songs evoke. Thank you for those writing and singing new songs and the musicians using them to bring the Christmas message to us. We look to the time when we can sing eternal praises to you with our loved ones and the communion of saints. Amen.
Songs of Praise on ABC TV on Sunday mornings and Vision Australia Radio could be a couple of places where you can access new and old music to sing along with.
Colleen Fitzpatrick trained as a social worker and worked in foster care and adoptions. She was the director of Lutheran Community Care in South Australia. Colleen is now retired but is a member of several committees and boards within the LCA and the community. She has a husband, John, two daughters and three granddaughters. Colleen lives in Adelaide, South Australia.
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