Can There Be Songs and Satisfaction in the Midst of Stress and Sadness

 

Luke 2:13 Sermon: “Can There be Songs and Satisfaction in So Much Stress and Sadness” LMPC Bern Sloan 12/13/20

There is always a song to be sung.  Just as we said before Thanksgiving there is a reason for JPT_ joy, prayer and thanksgiving.  So there is always a song to be sung. 
The shepherds couldn’t hear it at first.  The Bible says the angels are always singing in heaven.  They are always singing.
This is why in renaissance literature it pictures cherubs with wings for their speed and harps for their music. 
But there is always a song.  The question is can you hear it.
I was talking to the Knit Wits the other day about the Polar Express.  One of the great themes of that is “you can only hear the bell if you believe.”  Can you hear the bell?  Can you hear the singing?
What keeps us from hearing the singing to the glory of God in the highest? 
Unbelief keeps us from listening and coming to Him- of course. 
It is noise.  Sometimes it is good noise or necessary noise or bad noise. 
Just as having a lot of street lights keep you from seeing the stars.  So having so much noise keeps you from hearing the singing of the heavenly host. 
Good noise- for the shepherds may have been just talking;  necessary noise may have been taking care of noisy sheep; bad noise would be if they talked in ways that would not please God.  We can create noise or we can join in noise. 

The great hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” talks about the whirring planets- For the mystic harmony linking sense and sound and sight there is a music that comes from simply the universe’s existence.  The music of the spheres is a philosophical concept . Some scientists talk about “orbital resonance.”  God creates music even in the movement of creation that joins with the songs of the angels in heaven.  Did you know that billions of dollars has been spent globally to listen to find aliens?  The program is called SETI (search for extra terrestrial intelligence).  In 1924 the United States actually had five minutes of radio silence to try to hear the aliens.  They heard none except they heard the whirring planets.  How about listening to the One who made us?  How about searching for Him?  There is life beyond this earth- but it is made by God- angels, archangels, souls.  God has sent His living Word to earth- He even verbally said, “This is my beloved Son- listen to Him.” 

But how do we sing in the midst of stress and sadness? 
Sadness can seemingly also overwhelm the song. 
Perhaps you remember the Psalmist (137) saying, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” 
You just don’t feel like praising God when you are hurting or grieving or stressed or anxious. 
Yet, the song of Jesus’ birth is a song that is beyond us.  It is not a song we sing at first. 
In fact, it is given to people who are living sad, tough, obscure, isolated lives.  But this song gave them and us hope. 
The angel came to Zechariah to tell him about John’s birth and Zechariah didn’t sing- he went mute.  He didn’t believe.
Joseph and Mary had no place to sleep- basically homeless- sleeping in a barn.  They didn’t sing- the angels did. 
The shepherds had a hard life- out in the elements all the time with their sheep- rain, sun, summer or winter.  Yet they heard the angels song.  It doesn’t say the shepherds’ sang back.  But the song lifted them up from their tough time to give them hope and joy.  
The key to hearing the song- and it bringing you joy is belief. 
Only those who believe can hear the song of the ages.  So Welsey writes- “Hark the Herald Angels sing.” 
Little drummer boy- do you hear what I hear?   Listen for the song of God.  The great hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” has a line that says, “We’ll join in the everlasting song.”  That is the invitation- listen and join in!
     For us- we are in a tough spot.  The stress of our time is tremendous.  Yet that doesn’t mean that hope or the song is gone.  Our hope is not simply in a vaccine.  We will all die of something.  Our hope is beyond the respite of a vaccine in the living God who loves us, came for us- and made the vaccine from all death available to us who will believe in Him.
     Yesterday, joy to ring the bell for the Salvation Army with rotary.  We have done it for years.  What I have found every year is the people who have the worst cars give the most frequently and give the most.  They hear the salvation army bell- they know what it means to help others.  Some just can’t hear the bell.  They walk right by.  They perhaps have too much noise to hear the bell or the song.