Faith Theme

This year’s theme is “sing a new song” – a refrain found in many parts of Scripture, but specifically in the Psalms.

The sounds of God’s people singing echo throughout Scripture. Adam swooned with the world’s first love song at the sight of Eve: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:23). On the banks of the Red Sea, Miriam burst into singing and dancing in response to God’s rescue: “I will sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted” (Ex. 15:1-18). Moses died with a song on his lips, recounting God’s greatness (Deut. 31:30-32:43). David calmed the tormented king (1 Sam. 16:14-23) with his music and penned songs of praise while tending his flocks. Mary sang of God’s upside-down kingdom that topples kings and raises up the poor (Luke 1:46-55). Angels lit up the sky, announcing the birth of Jesus with exuberant praise (Luke 2:14). In the presence of the resurrected Jesus, the disciples worshiped (Matt. 28:17). The Spirit-inflamed followers of Jesus praised God with “sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46-47) and joyfully encouraged one another with “psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” (Col. 3:16-17). The Apostle Paul regularly slipped into song knowing that the best theology is a sung-theology:

“Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!...” (Rom. 11:33-36)
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped…” (Phil. 2:5-11)

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation…” (Col. 1:15-20)

And finally, the Book of Revelation anticipates the day when we will join the saints, angels, and all of creation to “sing a new song” of praise:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
      for ever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13)

Clearly, singing is an important and fitting response to who God is and what God has done. Calvin Stapert, former professor of music at Calvin University, put it this way: The “new song” we are called to sing is a “joyful response to the works of God, stimulated by the Word and the Spirit; it is sung to God and to each other, with the saints and angels and all creation” (A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church, 28).