February 24, 2018
Earth and All Stars!
Earth and all stars! Loud rushing planets! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Hail, wind, and rain! Loud blowing snowstorm! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Refrain: God has done marvelous things. I, too, sing praises with a new song!
Trumpet and pipes! Loud clashing cymbals! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Harp, lute, and lyre! Loud humming cellos! Sing to the Lord a new song! (Refrain)
Engines and steel! Loud pounding hammers! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Limestone and beams! Loud building workers! Sing to the Lord a new song! (Refrain)
Classrooms and labs! Loud boiling test tubes! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Athlete and band! Loud cheering people! Sing to the Lord a new song! (Refrain)
Knowledge and truth! Loud sounding wisdom! Sing to the Lord a new song!
Daughter and son! Loud praying members! Sing to the Lord a new song! (Refrain)
Text: Herb Brokering 1926-2009
The word praise is used hundreds, maybe thousands, of times within the book of Psalms. The psalmist praises, sings, shouts to the Lord. In Psalm 98, he writes, “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.”
This verse is the refrain for the hymn Earth and All Stars. Herb Brokering uses this verse to praise God in all things. The first verse of Psalm 98 is just the beginning of the psalmist’s celebrating and praising the Lord with natural, manufactured, and inanimate objects.
My mother’s thesis for her Masters of Music degree was to demonstrate to small church choirs that the hymnal (the LBW) was a source of choral anthems. One of the first hymns her small choir sang when the new hymnals were published was Earth and All Stars. It became one of her favorites, as well as my own. I enjoy singing this hymn, not only because it recalls memories of my mother and her love of praising God through song, but also because it celebrates all aspects of our existence. And God is a part of every life.
As a musician and former teacher, I find that this hymn depicts my career, my choices, but mostly it encourages me to sing a new song. This hymn describes the real world—the tangible and the abstract: the planets, the weather, numerous musical instruments, technology, athletics, wisdom. It elevates all God’s people. It touches everyone’s life and vocation. It teaches everyone to praise and be thankful for what God has done.
I begin every morning thanking God for another day, another chance to sing. And I do love to sing! We should do as the psalmist does and praise the Lord. What a celebration! Sing praises with a new song!
Barbara Orsak
[Yesterday |Lenten Index | Tomorrow]