Monday of Easter 5

Cantate

Psalm 98 (ESV) Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter is called Cantate, from the first word (in Latin) of the Introit taken from Psalm 98:1. "Sing (y'all)!" is what it means. For those who can't carry a tune, this command of the Lord might bring dismay, but the Psalmist also approves of "a joyful noise," which doesn't have to be melodious!

One of the ways our Lutheran forefathers (and foremothers!) proclaimed the Gospel and put their faith into practice was through many hymns that they wrote for the Church—and then sang joyfully! At the time of the Reformation, the involvement of laypersons in the service was minimal; going to church was a “spectator sport,” where the priest did and said almost everything in Latin, which most people did not know. So the Reformers worked to involve the laity more in the services by reading and preaching to them in their native tongue (rather than in Latin) and by composing German hymns that the people could understand and sing.

Since only about 10% of people at that time and in that place could read, oral teaching and hymns were the best methods for teaching the Christian Faith to the average layperson. And it required quite a bit of repetition for people to learn these hymns by heart, so they did not focus on singing a lot of different hymns, but on singing the best hymns to teach the Faith. That way, many people learned the hymns by heart and could sing them in their homes, fields, and at the bedside of the sick and dying. In this way, the Gospel could be on their lips not just on Sundays but all week long!

The hymns written by Luther and his sixteenth-century colleagues, as well as by Lutherans from the seventeenth and later centuries, are some of the greatest treasures of the Christian Church. Classic Lutheran hymns will always be some of the best ones for the Church to sing since they teach what the Bible teaches and don’t get bogged down in sappiness or sentimentalism as many of the hymns written by American revivalists and those who viewed Christianity as more emotional rather than doctrinal.These hymns are thoroughly biblical because they emphasize our sinfulness and the grace of God in Jesus Christ. By regularly singing the best Lutheran hymns in the Divine Service (and at home!), the basic message of Christianity comes through clearly and keeps us focused on Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Prayer:

I will sing my Maker’s praises

And in Him most joyful be,

For in all things I see traces

Of His tender love for me.

Nothing else than love could move Him

With such deep and tender care

Evermore to raise and bear

All who try to love and serve Him.

All things else have but their day;

God’s great love abides for aye.

Since there’s neither change nor coldness

In God’s love that on me smiled,

I now lift my hands in boldness,

Coming to You as Your child.

Grant me grace, O God, I pray You,

That I may with all my might,

All my lifetime, day and night,

Love and trust You and obey You

And, when this brief life is o’er,

Praise and love You evermore. Amen. (LSB 977: 1, 5, TLH #25: 1, 6)