True Worship

A Sermon for Sunday Morning

July 28, 2024

Psalm 149:1-5

Veterans Memorial Chapel

By Ch Jim Odell

This is a synopsis, or quick review, of the sermon for Sunday, July 28, 2024.  I am only hitting the highlights of the message, not reproducing the entire sermon. 

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 149:1-5

God has blessed us with “music,” both in natural world around us, but also inside us.  Now some of us have been blessed with more appreciation and abilities in the arena of “music” than others, but everyone has some concept of music, even a deaf person can enjoy it.  Watch the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and see how he spread music enjoyment to totally deaf people.

Music has the ability of bringing together a person’s thoughts, emotions, and will into one united whole, and express a person’s inner thoughts and yearning.  It can and should be applied to our worship of our Creator as well.

Look at verse 2 of our text.  Sing to Him with a “new song.”  When I was in ministry school, many young leaders, based on this Psalm, were calling on the church to sing only new songs, and omit all the Watts, Wesley, and Crosby songs, in favor of the newest folk hymns.  While the term “new” most often refers to chronologically new, or young, the word also means “fresh” as in “new wine,” we call grape juice.  I believe this is the essence of the passage.  It is not the age of the song that counts, but the “freshness” by which we sing it, whether 100’s of years old, or copyrighted only last week.

Notice also the second line of verse 2, singing is to be a public and corporate form of worship.  Now this is not to say we cannot sing alone, or with the family, but it emphasizes corporate worship by the faithful singing together.  I have never been a good singer.  After my mother died, I got a letter telling me all the things she thought we (my siblings & I) needed to know but had not been told.  Well, I learned the doctor who took my tonsils and adenoids when I was five, accidentally nicked my ear canal and made me somewhat tone deaf.  So often I cannot find the right key.  However, when I used to sing in Seminary Chapel with nearly 1,200 all male voices in worship together, I could sing along and feel the weight of a song, both emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, without having to be on exact key!  We enjoyed singing some old hymn with freshness and as a member of a great choir.

Singing comes also with multiple instruments.  Ps 149 mentions the tambourine and harp, and even dancing (don’t tell my mother that).  Ps 150 mentions trumpets, stringed instruments of several kinds, pipes, drums, and cymbals.  All kinds of music and instruments can be used to praise God.   

Lastly, in verse 5, the faithful can even praise God on their beds of sickness, and death.  The normal word of “bed” in both the OT & NT is best translated “mat” or “Pad.”  Most adults had a hammock or large pad to sleep on.  It was rolled up and put aside to make room for other activities during the waking day.  This word, “Bed” in (149:5) refers to a permanent bed for an ill or injured person, or an elderly one to recline most or all the day long.  Here we see even the faithful may go through difficult times. And in those times they can sing, maybe only with their hearts, to God who will give them the ultimate victory.  We can and should always praise God.

While we bid farewell to Renee today, I want to remind everyone of the importance of her role here and thank her for leading the music in the congregation.  And your role of praising God in song.  How God loves to hear our praises!

God Bless.  

CH Jim Odell