Psalm 98

Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Prayer for the Day

O God, the Maker of heaven, Creator of earth, all the earth sings out to you in the melody of a new song. We ask you humbly that, as we confess that you reign from the tree, we may with clarity of sight and mind await the glory of your future coming. Until that time fill our hearts with joyful songs sung to you, who lives and reigns with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

One of the greatest challenges in this era of "virtual worship" has not been preaching or sharing God's Word, but engaging God's people in worship through music. Recording and broadcasting the reading of the Scriptures and a sermon is pretty straightforward. Most pastors have figured out how to do this. But to add even a keyboard accompaniment to live singing over the internet requires equipment that most home offices do not have.

Yet music has always been an important part of our worship and faith. In the genealogy of Genesis 4 the origin of only three industries is mentioned by name: that of agriculture, metallurgy and music. The longest book in the Scriptures is a hymn book: the Psalms. Luke's Gospel records four songs in its first two chapters, all of which are still part of traditional Christian worship to this day.

Today we remember Johann Walter and, through him, the many unsung (pun intended) musicians of the Christian church through the ages. Thanks to their work and the gifts given them by the Lord, we are able to continue singing new songs to our God. As Luther once quipped, next to the Word of God, music is the most powerful weapon in our battle against despair and the Devil: "When you become sad and this sadness threatens to lose control of itself, you should say 'Enough! I must play a song for my Lord Christ...' So sing and play until these thoughts leave you." For the joy of what God has done for us in Christ is not meant to be simply spoken: it is meant to be sung. Alleluia!