This exhortation concerns something we do in every worship service, and consequently it is possible for the whole thing to start becoming “old hat.” I am referring to the practice of psalm singing, and want to urge you to not do it in a way that we can simply check off our list. “Sang my quota of psalms today, or this week. Off to do something else”
This is something that we get to do. This is an enormous privilege, and not a burdensome duty.
We are told in Scripture that we are to sing a new song to the Lord—this is not a reference to how old the song is, or how long you have known it. The word refers to the quality, the freshness, of the singing. When the Spirit moves, ancient songs come alive. When He does not, the song may have been written last week—and while it may be contemporary, it is not new. At the same time, we must also insist that while songs are not necessarily be dead because they are old, they can be dead and old both. And songs of recent composition can be really good. But if sluggish people sing them, the problem will become apparent quite quickly.
I say all this because we are working on our monthly psalm sings, and there is one tonight, and we are not doing this by trying to rearrange the musical furniture. That can be a help, but that is not the heart of the matter. I urge you to come this evening, prepared to overflow with songs you know, and to eagerly take in songs that you don’t know. And both kinds will be a new song.