12 31 17 Singing-in the New Year

I have a theory: Everyone needs a theme song for the year past and the
year to come. It can be a favorite song, or just one that fits the nature of the
year. For example, maybe 2017 can be summed up with “Bad Day” by Daniel
Powter, or “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Or it could be that this past year was
more wistful, and your personal soundtrack would include “I Dreamed a Dream”
sung by Susan Boyle.
This new year’s eve, let’s focus on the future, taking the good from the last
year, and our best hopes for the months to come. Think about where you are
physically, mentally and spiritually right now, and what direction you would like to
go in 2018. Now add music to that direction. Your personal mix tape could start
with, “The Sound of Silence” (and oldie but a goodie) if you are hoping for some
solitude or reflection time. The next song could be “Love Will Keep Us Together”
if things are feeling a bit tenuous in some areas of your life. If you want to take
life as it comes, “Let it Be” by the Beatles; and if you want to set an upbeat tone
for the year to come, a good choice might be Pineapple Skies or Sky Walker by
Miguel. For sustenance and a reminder of self-worth, Dj Khaled and Chance the
Rapper have a piece called, “I Love You So Much” dedicated to their families. The
conclusion to your mix tape could be Alicia Keys’ “That’s What’s Up” – her
testimony of what God has done in her life to lift her up and bless her. If these
songs aren’t familiar, that may be an invitation to bring something new.
Replaying these songs on a loop may sound tedious, but choosing songs to
fit the future you hope for can actually be a helpful tool to get headed in the right
direction. You and I can actually sing ourselves into a new attitude for the new
year. It’s like visualization or imagination – singing the songs and getting them

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into our heads can help to make us more receptive to the ideas and practices we
want to nurture in the future.
At the Presbyterian Homes, in the memory unit, there is a daily activity for
the residents called, “Songs by Heart.” A pianist and vocalist come in to sing
songs from the 1940s and 50s. It is really striking to see so many people who
have lost the ability to remember names, places and even family, join in singing
familiar songs. The music and Bible verses and poetry and even the dance steps
that we learned by heart, are actually part of us – part of the way our brains and
muscles are wired. Singing a song we learned long ago can help us, and those
who have memory issues, be more present in the here and now. Choosing a song
to learn by heart for the future can be a way to rewire our thinking.
There is an in-between way to do this as well. You can take a song that is
familiar, and go more deeply into it as a way to open a path to the future. Many
of our hymns can fit this model – especially Christmas carols. The morning prayer
we sang today, is a familiar song. Chances are, you know the first verse by heart.
It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old…” It is a glorious song,
but I’ll bet you don’t know the third verse by heart! Open up your hymnal for a
minute to hymn #38. Read with me, out loud, the third verse:
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow.
Look now! For glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing.
No matter what is coming in 2018, it will be worthwhile to know these
words by heart. If progress is painful or slow, God knows it; gladness is on the
way. When you are weary, rest. And in your resting, listen. And when you listen,

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you will hear the angels sing. This one verse from one Christmas carol can change
the tambre of the next 12 months. It can be a song of hope and peace, and a
reminder of God’s love no matter what way you are going.
Let’s look at one more – hymn #22, Angels from the Realms of Glory. Look
at verse three again:
Sages leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar
Seek the great desire of nations; ye have seen his natal star.
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ the newborn king.
Maybe this is the verse for you. Leave your contemplations! Enough
thinking! Seek what the nations of the world have been desiring: Christ, who is
the bearer of justice and forgiveness, love and challenge. There is a brighter
vision up in the sky or ahead on the road – a vision that will give you direction and
clarity. Come and worship. Come and worship.
Whether your play list for the new year includes golden oldies, hymns from
the 19th century, Christmas carols, or songs you have written yourself, be sure to
learn them by heart. Internalize the singable messages of your songs so that you
can set the course for the months ahead. Next week I may ask you to hum a few
bars! I look forward to singing-in the new year with you.
Amen.