Sing, Daughters, Sing

The Singing Daughters of
Dingmans Ferry UMC

Sing, Daughter Zion;

    shout aloud, Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

    Daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

    never again will you fear any harm.

Zephaniah 3:14-15

When it comes right down to it, I think the most moving, significant part of a worship service is the singing. 

Singing for me is a soul-conversation between God's people and God. It's in singing that our souls express their greatest joy, deepest longing, and most hurting pain. 

For example, "O for a Thousand Tongues" sings of the greatest joy for God's redeeming Grace. While "Just as I am" is a song of longing for acceptance and the Lord's forgiveness.

Right now, it seems to me, people are craving for some joy. The pandemic and its consequences have dragged on like a dirge. School shootings by children seem to constantly repeat. 

How are we going to be glad and rejoice with all our heart? 

Why don't we have anything to fear?

Zephaniah's word from the Lord says Israel has been sinning by including beliefs from other religions (1:4-6); complacently thinking the Lord will do nothing as punishment(1:12); her officials, prophets and priests are corrupt (3:3-4); that Jerusalem is a soiled, defiled, oppressing city!

Why should daughter Zion sing? Because God is a forgiving God. Because the Lord has taken away Zion's punishment. The Lord is right there in the thick of it singing with them and they don't have to fear anymore.

Why should we sing like daughter Zion? Why don't we have anything to fear?

Because God is a forgiving God who forgives our sinning and comes among us singing and rejoicing as we are doing.

As Zephaniah says, "The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you."

The Lord sings with us as we sing our greatest joy:

"Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,

  Great David’s greater Son!

Hail, in the time appointed,

  His reign on earth begun!

He comes to break oppression,

  To set the captive free;

To take away transgression,

  And rule in equity."

UMH #203  James Montgomery