Earth and All Stars: Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 96 begins: “Sing to the Lord a new song!” It is a good thing to learn a new song, especially as a new fall season is upon us. It is good to sing a new song as we bless students, teachers, professors, administrators and other school personnel today in our worship.

At the 10:00 AM worship service this Sunday, we are singing a new song, a hymn that might be new to many of you: “Earth and All Stars” (Hymn 412). The hymn is a series of calls to creation, humanity, music and human endeavors, all of whom are to “sing to the Lord a new song.” The words were written by Herbert Brokering in 1964, originally for the 90th anniversary of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. With the academic world in mind, Brokering even imagined that the campus life praises the Lord, with “classrooms and labs, loud boiling test tubes” and bands and athletes (see verse 5) all singing a new song to the Lord.

As a new year begins in our academic calendar, please notice all the people, places and things around you that are giving praise to God, singing a new song about God’s marvelous things. I believe that a deep spiritual life is about paying attention - and trying a new thing - and singing a new song to the Lord.

For God “has done marvelous things. I, too, will praise him with a new song!”