May 5, 2012 at LWML Philadelphia Zone Rally – Mechanicsburg, PA
“Sing praises to the Lord, for He
has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing
for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.”
“Sing Your Faith” is the theme given to this Spring Rally. As you
have gathered for Morning Prayer to begin the day, you have been exhorted to do
just that. In the traditional lessons for Cantate Sunday, which falls tomorrow
morning, the prophet Isaiah and the psalmist have both directed you to sing to
God.
But what shall you sing? And why should you sing? The Scripture
readings this morning answer those questions. You are not told to simply make
music, as enjoyable as that might be. No, you are told to sing particular
lyrics, lyrics of praise directed to God Himself. So you heard in the psalm: “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing
the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are
Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You. All
the earth worships You and sings praises to You; they sing praises to Your
name.’” And the prophet said: “Sing
praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let
this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of
Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Praises are sung to God because of what He has done. “He has done gloriously.” So you are to
praise Him. “Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of His praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.” So all peoples are to praise Him. The
glorious actions are the acts of salvation that the Lord has performed. They are the basis for your singing today.
It is no coincidence that Cantate Sunday is a Sunday of Easter: Jesus’ dying
and rising to life again, so that the dead may be brought to life, is the
glorious action that deserves praise. All should laud Jesus’ act; yes, even
those who do not believe or benefit from it. But for you who have died and
risen with Jesus, united to His death and resurrection in baptism, there is more
than ample reason to have the lyrics of praise flow from your mouth, for you to
join in the chorus that resounds in all the vault of heaven: “Christ has
triumphed! He is living!”
You have
been led by the Holy Spirit to know and trust in what Jesus has done, in the
glorious acts that He has performed. What Jesus said about the Spirit’s work
has taken place among you: “When the
Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not
speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will
declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will
take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine;
therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” The
glorifying of Jesus that the Spirit has brought to hearing souls includes the
confessing of what Jesus has done: He has died and risen to bring salvation to
you. The declaration that the Spirit has brought to your hearing includes the
promise of what awaits because of Jesus’ action: you will rise from death
because the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered it.
So you do
not keep silent. No, you speak with by the Spirit’s power what He has made
known to you. You confess it with your own lips. What the Spirit has revealed
to you through the Gospel has become the lyrics of your songs of praise
directed to the Lord. They also form
the lyrics of your songs of trust, as it was for Isaiah: “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.”
But what
the Spirit has made known to you has also become the lyrics of your songs of
testimony, of witness, of proclamation. The prophet gives you the command: “With joy you will draw water from the wells
of salvation. And you will say in that day: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His
deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted.’” Your praises
are not silent, but audible. They are not of the mind only, but of the mouth.
You are not mute. You speak with the Spirit’s powerful voice that strikes and
convicts the world: “He will convict the
world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because
they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the
Father, and you will see Me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler
of this world is judged.” You bear that witness with your song.
As you “sing
your faith,” you are heard. Your confession is heard. Your testimony about the Lord is heard. The people of the world hear
the Gospel that you proclaim about Jesus: “He has done gloriously. Great in our
midst is the Holy One of Israel. Christ has triumphed! He is living!” And some
who hear will be brought to faith in that Holy One of Israel, the Crucified and
Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Then they also will be led to join in the praises that
are directed to Him, that are their own lyrics of trust, their own confession
and testimony.
So do as the prophet exhorts: “Sing
praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let
this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of
Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Follow the command of the psalmist: “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing
the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome
are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You….’”
Your Lord has risen from death. Your Lord has routed your enemies. And by
His grace, your Lord has called you and all the Church to “sing your faith”
with all His people, even those who will believe through your lyrical
proclamation of the Gospel.
+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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