Emmanuel Lutheran Church
A Caring Family Sharing God's Love and Forgiveness
Fort Wayne IN 46802
(260) 423-1369
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..."
- Ephesians 2:8
| Advent Day 24 - What’s New This Christmas? |
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December 20 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Psalm 96: 1-2 Only five more days until Christmas. Have you completed your gift buying? Are you looking forward to Christmas Eve, to hearing your child sing a "new song"? Or are you alone, feeling the loss of a loved one who has departed this earthly life? This is a time of year when we should eagerly look to the manger and God's promise to send a Savior. Instead, we may be hassled, rushed, focusing on the many things that still need to be done. Or we may be hurting from some event in our life that is emotionally draining. Whatever the reason, we can lose our focus on the birth of Jesus Christ and what that means for us. How can I sing a new song to the Lord? How can I sing along with all the earth? And what is a "new song"? If I only had the enthusiasm of the young children singing "Away in the Manger" for the first time! These may be the kind of thoughts that we have, and that is okay. Let us look again at verse 2 of Psalm 96: "Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day." We are to praise our Lord's name. Think of the beautiful hymns we sing along with other Christians. Think of the times we confess our faith together. Think of the times we share the Lord's Supper. As we are strengthened in our faith through these times, we can reach out to others by caring for them—by helping supply food and clothing to people who need them, by repairing damaged homes, by taking neighbors and friends to doctor's appointments, by visiting people in times of need. These are the "new songs" the Lord wants us to sing, the songs that praise him and proclaim his salvation. And by singing these "new songs," we proclaim the Christmas message all year long. For it is through God's gift of his Son Jesus Christ that we are able to sing in many ways. In John, Chapter 15, we learn that the Father and his Son Jesus love us so much that they stay connected to us so we can bear much fruit, fruit that will last. We need to continue proclaiming to the world our new song! The seasons of Advent and Christmas are good times to start. Our song can be new this year and all the years to come. The message of Christ's birth, life, death on a cross, and resurrection is a song that needs to be proclaimed until he returns. Let us sing a new song together! Contributed by Jim Croxton
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New Songs for Christmas