“Sing to the Lord a new song of praise from the edges of the earth!” (Isaiah 42:10 my translation).

Hands down, my favorite thing about worship services at church is the music. Something about music helps me feel closer to God; it helps me think, it helps me pray, and when my heart fills up with joy I can think of nothing better than to sing. Apparently that isn’t true for everyone. Some people don’t care much for music, and that’s okay. God loves weirdos too, after all.

The history of music in the church is rich and varied, from orchestral masterpieces such as Handel’s “Messiah” to lyrical treasures from the likes of Martin Luther, Charles Wesley, and Fanny Crosby. But I would argue that, when it comes to songs of hope, nothing quite compares to the catalogue of African American spirituals.

When people who’ve experienced lifelong oppression and marginalization sing new songs of praise there is only one explanation—they have been with the Lord. They who have been kept outside by society have been made insiders, given seats at the table with Jesus where he tells them about the new things he’s about to do.

“I got a song,
You got a song,
All of God’s children got a song!
When I get to Heaven gonna sing a new song;
I’m gonna sing all over God’s Heaven!”*
Amen.

*lyrics from the classic spiritual, “I Got Shoes”