“O sing to the Lord a new song…” (Psalm 98:1)
It feels fitting to begin a new calendar year with a reminder to sing a new song. It seems fitting, but also a little daunting. The reality is this: We like the old songs. We know the melodies by heart, have memorized the lyrics, even know when to bop our heads – just in rhythm – with whatever little flourishes the musician has added to give that song a little something extra.
That we like the old song so much might even, in fact, be hard wired into us by our psychology. In the episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History, titled “Hallelujah” (about the Leonard Cohen song), Gladwell notes that some psychological studies have revealed that the music we’re listening to at ages 19 and 20 imprint themselves in a special way on us. For better or for worse, this is why Nelly and I are in a long-term relationship. But, if you look at your favorite playlist, I’m willing to bet the truth of these studies will reveal itself. I’m not saying that you can’t enjoy the newest Post Malone track, but rather that Post Malone will never be for most of you the artist you return to for comfort or simplicity.
All this to say, the imperative to “sing to the Lord a new song” is not as easy as it might at first appear. We’re going to have to write that song, then sing, then work against our very psychology to embrace it, and – well – that’s a lot. But I also think it points to a deeper truth about our discipleship of Jesus Christ.
Our discipleship is much like our tastes in music. Psychologically, at some point (though I couldn’t say what point exactly), we find ourselves rooted in a particular way of doing things. All other ways of going about it, therefore, just never feel as good or right as our preferred way. It’s like this: You may like Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” when it comes on the radio, but she’ll never replace Carol King in your heart. I think a lot of being a Christian, of being part of the church, is like this too.
So, what then do we do with an imperative like “sing to the Lord a new song”? Doesn’t the Lord know how hard that is for us? He does. And that is, precisely, why He makes such a demand of us. He knows that we are prone to our ruts. Ruts aren’t bad. They’re even a sign that the path is trustworthy and true; that it’ll get us where we need to go. Ruts are a fine thing until they grow so deep that they immobilize movement. The Lord’s call to sing to Him a new song is not a call to stop singing the old ones. Rather, it is a way of blazing new trails so that we never get spiritually stuck.
As 2020 dawns – and with it a new decade (though some debate this point, but they’re wrong and I’m more than happy to explain why over coffee before worship) – start humming a new tune. Start opening yourself to a new song. Seek a new way to embolden your discipleship. Search for spiritual paths you’ve glided past in the past. Come, O Church, sing to the Lord a new song. Amen.
