Sing a New Song! (Christmas in October!)
Discovering the Hope, Joy and Justice of Christmas Through Psalm 96
Scripture: Psalm 96
There is something remarkably powerful about music. A familiar melody can transport us back to a particular moment in our lives, reminding us of people, places and experiences we may not have thought about for years. A song can bring comfort during difficult times, stir feelings of joy or express emotions that ordinary conversation struggles to capture.
Christmas music has a particularly special place in this experience. Sometimes all it takes is hearing the opening notes of a familiar carol to remind us of the season, the traditions we share and the joy of gathering with people we love.
Yet music does more than awaken memories. It also brings people together.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Christians experienced what it meant to worship without physically gathering as a congregation. Church services moved online, and while sermons could still be watched and prayers shared from home, something about congregational singing proved more difficult to replace. Singing alone in front of a television or computer simply did not feel the same as joining our voices with others in worship.
For many, returning to church and singing together again became one of the most meaningful experiences of being reunited as a faith community.
There is a unique joy in standing alongside others, sharing familiar words and melodies, and collectively expressing our praise to God. Music allows us to participate in something greater than ourselves, uniting individual voices into a common declaration of faith.
Perhaps it is therefore unsurprising that an entire book of the Bible is devoted to songs. The Psalms contain some of Scripture's most honest expressions of human experience. They speak of joy and gratitude, but also fear, anger, grief and despair. They give voice to the full range of emotions that accompany a life of faith.
Among these songs, Psalm 96 stands out as an especially joyful invitation to worship.
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” — Psalm 96:1 (NIV)
The psalm does not merely encourage an individual to praise God. It invites the entire earth to participate in a song that celebrates who God is, what He has done and what His reign means for the world.
And although Psalm 96 was written long before the birth of Jesus, its message offers a beautiful perspective on the true significance of Christmas.
A Song That Declares God Is King
Psalm 96 belongs to a collection of psalms often described as the enthronement psalms. These include Psalm 93 and Psalms 95–99, which celebrate God's kingship and proclaim His authority over creation.
Throughout Psalm 96, there is an unmistakable atmosphere of joy and celebration. The people are called to sing, proclaim God's salvation, declare His glory and invite the nations to worship Him. Even the natural world is drawn into the celebration as the heavens rejoice, the seas resound and the trees of the forest sing for joy.
At the centre of this celebration stands a powerful declaration:
“The Lord reigns.”
For Christians today, the statement that God rules over all creation may seem familiar. It is something we regularly affirm in our prayers, songs and confessions of faith. Yet within the ancient world in which Israel lived, this was an extraordinary claim.
In the ancient Near East, nations commonly associated themselves with particular gods and goddesses. Religious beliefs were closely connected to national identity, and the power of a nation's deity was often understood in relation to the political and military strength of that nation.
A powerful empire might therefore be considered evidence of a powerful god.
This understanding creates an interesting tension when we consider Israel's history.
For much of its existence, Israel was not a dominant political power. Apart from periods of relative strength under kings such as David and Solomon, the nation frequently found itself surrounded by larger and more powerful empires, including Egypt, Assyria and Babylon.
Israel experienced military defeats, foreign domination and exile. From the perspective of surrounding nations, these circumstances could easily have been interpreted as evidence that Israel's God was weaker than the gods of the victorious empires.
Yet Israel's songs proclaimed something remarkably different.
Despite its political vulnerability, Israel declared that the Lord alone was the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the One whose authority extended beyond every nation and empire. Psalm 96 does not attempt to measure God's power according to Israel's political achievements. Instead, it proclaims that the Lord's authority rests in His identity as Creator and ruler of all.
The gods of the nations are described as idols, while the Lord is recognised as the One who made the heavens.
This was a bold confession of faith, particularly when Israel's circumstances did not always appear to support it.
And perhaps that is one of the most important lessons we can take from the psalm.
God's sovereignty is not determined by how powerful, successful or secure His people appear to be.
There are times when the world around us seems unstable, when injustice flourishes and when those who misuse power appear to prosper. In such moments, proclaiming that God reigns can require the same confidence that Israel expressed through its worship.
Psalm 96 invites us to hold on to the truth of God's kingship, even when our circumstances make it difficult to recognise.
A King Who Sustains Creation and Establishes Justice
The declaration that God reigns raises another important question: what does His rule actually look like?
Throughout human history, kings and rulers have exercised their authority in very different ways. Some have governed with wisdom and concern for their people, while others have used their power for personal gain, oppression and violence.
The title king does not automatically tell us whether a ruler is good.
Psalm 96, however, reveals the character of God's kingship through two essential aspects of His reign: His care for creation and His commitment to justice.
The first concerns the natural world.
The psalm celebrates God as the Creator of heaven and earth, but it also speaks of His continued care for what He has made. The world is described as firmly established, reflecting the psalmist's confidence in God's sustaining presence.
God did not simply bring creation into existence and then abandon it to an uncertain future. He continues to uphold and care for the world He has made.
This is a deeply comforting truth, particularly in a time when environmental concerns and the effects of climate change remind us how vulnerable our world can be.
Recognising God's care for creation does not remove our own responsibility to act wisely. On the contrary, it should encourage us to treat the natural world with greater respect, recognising that it belongs to God and remains under His care.
Our confidence in God's sustaining presence should shape the way we approach the environment rather than becoming an excuse to neglect it.
The second aspect of God's kingship concerns human society.
Psalm 96 declares that God judges the peoples with equity and that He will judge the world in righteousness and faithfulness.
For many people, the language of divine judgement immediately brings to mind punishment or condemnation. Yet the psalm presents God's judgement as something worth celebrating.
The reason is that God's judgement is concerned with establishing what is right.
His reign is characterised by fairness, righteousness and faithfulness. He desires a world in which relationships are ordered according to justice and where people can live together in peace and dignity.
God's rule therefore addresses two of the most fundamental needs of human life: a dependable natural world in which life can flourish, and a just society in which people can live together well.
Both are necessary for human wellbeing.
A stable environment provides the conditions in which life can grow, while justice and righteousness create the conditions in which communities can flourish.
Psalm 96 reminds us that God's kingship encompasses both.
He sustains His creation and works toward a world in which goodness, fairness and faithfulness are established.
This is why the psalm can speak of God's coming judgement with such joy.
The arrival of a righteous King is not something to fear when His purpose is to restore what has been broken and establish what is good.
The Good News Is for Every Nation
Another remarkable feature of Psalm 96 is the breadth of its invitation.
Although the song belongs to Israel's Scriptures, its celebration of God's kingship is not limited to Israel alone.
The psalm repeatedly calls upon the nations to recognise God's glory, proclaim His greatness and join in worship.
The invitation extends far beyond the boundaries of one people or culture.
This is significant when we remember the often difficult relationships between Israel and the surrounding nations. Even those who might have been considered political enemies are included in the invitation to acknowledge God's reign.
The hope expressed in Psalm 96 is therefore not a private possession belonging exclusively to Israel.
It is good news for the whole world.
God's righteousness, faithfulness and sustaining care are not restricted to one nation or community. His reign concerns all creation, and the invitation to worship Him is extended to every people.
This universal invitation speaks powerfully into the life of the Church today.
As Christians, we gather from different cultures, languages, backgrounds and experiences. We may express worship through different musical traditions and understand the world through different cultural perspectives, yet we are united in our recognition of the same Lord.
The beauty of Christian worship is not found in everyone becoming identical. It is found in the possibility of many different voices joining in praise of the same God.
Psalm 96 celebrates precisely this kind of unity.
Its invitation is not for one nation to sing alone, but for the whole earth to join the song.
What Does Psalm 96 Have to Do With Christmas?
At first glance, Psalm 96 might seem like an unusual passage for a Christmas celebration.
It does not tell the familiar story of Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem. There are no shepherds watching their flocks, no angels announcing the birth of Jesus and no visitors bringing gifts to a newborn child.
The psalm was not originally written as a prophecy about the events surrounding Jesus' birth.
Yet it provides something essential for understanding the meaning of Christmas.
Psalm 96 helps us understand the kind of King whose coming we celebrate.
When Christians celebrate Christmas, we do more than remember the birth of an important historical figure. We celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the One who reveals God to us and whose life, death and resurrection establish Him as Lord.
The New Testament proclaims Jesus as King, but the significance of this declaration depends upon understanding what His kingship means.
History offers enough examples of rulers whose power brought suffering rather than hope. Kings have used their authority to oppress people, enrich themselves and pursue personal glory without concern for those they governed.
If Jesus were such a ruler, the announcement of His kingship would hardly be good news.
But Psalm 96 provides a very different picture of divine authority.
The God whose reign it celebrates is righteous, faithful and just. He sustains creation, desires the wellbeing of humanity and works toward restoring what is broken.
When we recognise Jesus as the image of God and celebrate His coming into the world, we understand His kingship through this character.
Jesus is not a ruler who uses power merely for His own advantage.
His ministry reveals God's concern for people who are vulnerable, excluded, suffering or treated unjustly. Through His teaching and actions, He demonstrates what the righteousness, mercy and faithfulness of God look like within human relationships.
And through His death and resurrection, Christians recognise the decisive expression of God's saving love and the promise of His reign.
Psalm 96 therefore helps us celebrate Christmas with a deeper understanding of the One who has come.
The child born in Bethlehem is the King whose reign brings hope.
He is the Lord who, as the risen Christ, declares in Matthew 28 that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
And He is the King whose work continues through the Holy Spirit as God draws His people toward lives shaped by justice, goodness and righteousness.
The hope of Christmas also looks toward His return, when God's purposes will be brought to fulfilment.
Christmas becomes a celebration not merely of a birth, but of the coming of a King whose rule is genuinely good.
Singing a New Song With Our Lives
Psalm 96 begins with the invitation to sing a new song to the Lord.
It is an invitation to worship, but it also challenges us to consider what such a song should contain.
If God's reign is characterised by righteousness, justice, faithfulness and care for creation, then our praise cannot remain disconnected from the way we live.
Our worship should reflect the character of the God we celebrate.
We begin by remembering the comfort of His presence. Even when the world seems uncertain and the future difficult to predict, we can hold on to the promise that God has not abandoned His creation.
He remains the Creator and Sustainer of life.
We can also find hope in the promise of His righteous judgement. In a world where injustice often seems deeply entrenched, Psalm 96 reminds us that God continues working toward what is good and right.
This hope should shape our own desire for justice, encouraging us to treat others fairly, care for the vulnerable and contribute toward healthier communities.
The psalm also challenges the many competing loyalties that seek to occupy the centre of our lives.
The ancient world had its idols, and modern society has its own.
We may not bow before carved images, but money, status, influence, power and technology can easily become things in which we place our ultimate trust.
When these things become more important than our relationship with God, they begin shaping our decisions, values and priorities.
Psalm 96 calls us to remember that none of them deserves the place that belongs to the Lord.
Singing a new song therefore includes learning to direct our worship, trust and loyalty toward God alone.
But perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the psalm is that the song is meant to be shared.
The invitation is not simply to praise God privately, but to proclaim His glory among the nations and invite others to join in worship.
As followers of Christ, we participate in this invitation through more than the words we sing.
Our lives themselves can become expressions of praise.
When we act with honesty, extend grace, seek justice, show compassion and treat others with dignity, we begin reflecting the character of the King we worship.
Our relationships, decisions and ordinary interactions become opportunities to make God's goodness visible.
And when people encounter that goodness through us, they may begin to recognise something of the God whose love motivates it.
The song becomes an invitation for others to participate.
This is particularly meaningful during the Christmas season, when familiar carols draw us together in celebration. The joy of singing should extend beyond the church building, shaping the way we live with our families, friends, neighbours and wider communities.
Even as students navigate examinations, deadlines and the final demands of the academic year, the invitation remains the same. Whether we are preparing for holidays, finishing our studies or simply trying to make it through a demanding season, our lives can continue reflecting the goodness of Christ.
A new song is not necessarily a new melody.
Sometimes it is a renewed commitment to live according to the character of the One we worship.
Let All Creation Rejoice
There is a beautiful movement throughout Psalm 96.
The song begins with an invitation to God's people, extends to the nations and eventually embraces the whole of creation. The heavens rejoice, the earth is glad, the seas resound, the fields celebrate and the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Creation itself becomes a vast celebration of the Lord's reign.
This poetic picture reminds us that God's purposes reach beyond our individual circumstances or even the life of the Church. His reign embraces the world He has created and the people He continues to call into relationship with Him.
At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ within this greater story.
We celebrate a King whose authority is not grounded in selfish ambition or the misuse of power, but in righteousness, faithfulness, goodness and love.
We celebrate the One who reveals God's character and brings the hope of restoration into a broken world.
And we are invited to become part of the song that proclaims His glory.
Not only through Christmas carols, hymns or moments of congregational worship, but through lives that reflect His reign.
May our words communicate grace.
May our actions promote justice.
May our relationships reflect love.
May our treatment of creation demonstrate care for what God has made.
And may our lives offer others a glimpse of the goodness of the King we celebrate.
As we approach Christmas, perhaps that is the invitation we should carry with us.
To sing with joy, certainly, but also to allow the truth of what we sing to shape the way we live.
May our lives become a new song that gives honour and glory to Jesus Christ, our righteous and faithful King, and invites the world around us to join in His praise.
Amen.
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