by Bishop Bill Gohl
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98:1, 9
People of faith carry the burden of that knowledge - awareness of grief, of hunger, of people who live unloved and uncared for. All of us - each and every one of us - has been touched by sorrow, burdened with grief, paralyzed by fear, challenged by adversities big and small. So many lost souls, I know I have stopped in my own tracks more than once, wondering how dare I go on with the banalities of my life in the face of the tragedy I know – we all know – is out there, just beyond these walls?
Embracing new understandings of God and of ourselves is difficult for most of us. And still, letting go of the old is necessary to embrace the new. But letting go can be a struggle. One of our church members recently said to me, "These are stressful times. There is nothing more stressful than having a fantasy one's held for a long time simply fall apart."
We may be strengthened by drinking deeply of the words of the prophet Isaiah. During Isaiah's time, great events were on the horizon and beginning to happen, but the captives were unable to see them and get ready to respond to them because they were living in the past. Isaiah spoke for God: Remember not the former things, or consider not the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; it springs forth now; can you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:18-19).
The great psalmist sums it well: O sing to God a new song (Psalm 98:1). The old song isn't adequate any longer. The old song is a lament, an expression of grief and despair, loneliness and exile. The lamenting people are so into it that they are about to miss the new thing God is doing, which is our collective liberation, freedom and salvation.
The most hopeful news we can hear is that slowly, surely, subtly, surprisingly a new world is moving in on the old world, and as people of faith, we can see it happening with all the awesome impetus of God's purposes behind it. God does new things. It is one of the most significant themes in scriptures of many traditions. God's redeeming the creation is not yet complete. God's kingdom of justice and equality and compassion is coming but not yet here. God continues to bring it. God calls us to be builders of a new heaven and a new earth. But often our anxiety over what was or is keeps us from giving our lives to the new thing God is doing.
Poet, theologian and civil rights activist Howard Thurman wrote:
Few can escape the urge to join in the general chorus of the age that we have fallen upon evil days. There seems to be a strange, weary comfort in taking one’s place against the wailing wall. There is a ... danger ever present in all anxiety. It can so easily become a substitute for thoughtful planning and action. Have you ever said with real feeling, "I must do something about drinking so much coffee" or "I am alarmed over the fact that I can't seem to get down to business with my own personal life?" Of the great number of people who feel outraged over what seems to be a terrible miscarriage of justice, how many do something concrete about it? All the energy is exhausted in such remarks: "How awful" — "What a tragedy" — "Something ought to be done" — "What a shame." Our emotional reaction to situations causes us to adopt measures that bring quick and temporary relief from the immediate pressures on us but do not have much effect on the situations themselves. Somehow we must find that which is big enough to absolve us from artificial and ineffective methods for increasing welfare and well-being. This means the large view, the great faith, which will release the vast courage capable of sustaining us. It is for this reason that a religious faith about life and its meaning becomes a necessity for all who would work for a new heaven and a new earth. (The Inward Journey, p. 34ff).
As one year ends and a new year begins, let your doubt become loud enough to shake off that which is no longer true. Let your faith become large enough to look for how God is working in our midst. Ask yourself, what new thing does God want to do through you and in the world? What new life is seeking to break forth? What new song is God wanting you to lead us to sing?
And as people of faith, many faiths – but faith still, let us build the new heaven and the new earth, for the sake of our beloved city, and all who live and serve and dwell herein. Let us reclaim the narrative, and may we broker and become genuine, life-changing hope, all for love of God – and neighbor.
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication 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 victory 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 live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98