Sing It!

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in Adonai; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory. “There is no Holy One like Adonai, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for Adonai is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. Adonai kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. Adonai makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are Adonai’s, and on them he has set the world. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. Adonai! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. Adonai will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.”

Let me catch you up on the story behind “Hannah’s Song” which I just read.  Elkanah had two wives.  Peninnah had children.  Hannah didn't.  Elkanah still really loved Hannah and thought that giving her extra food at the annual Temple meal would get God to give her a child.  He was actually trying to help… but he’s a guy, and you know how guys help... so Hannah knew more was needed.  She went to the Temple to pray and promised if she had a son she’d give her son to serve God.  Well, her prayers were answered with the arrival of her son, Samuel.  When Samuel was just a little bit older, she brought him back to the Temple to be a servant of God with the priest Eli.  

As she left the Temple, THIS was the song she sang into the darkness of the world.  You see, the world in which Hannah lived sang a very different, loud, and obnoxiously insistent song.  A song that told women they had no worth and women without children were worth even less.  A song that demonized the poor and hungry.  A song that demanded that might makes right and those with the might, decide what’s right. The lyrics to the world’s song in Hannah’s day said:  You don’t matter.  You don’t belong.  You’re worthless, hopeless, and meaningless.  THAT was the soundtrack that played through the lives of the people of Hannah’s day.

But coming out of the Temple, Hannah sang a different song!  And she sang her song right into the face of the world’s song!  And even when the world tried to drown her out… Hannah just cranked up the volume and sang her song even louder, even longer and even stronger… because she sang her song… as a duet with God!  The world’s song was no match for that!  

The soundtrack of Hannah’s day… the lyrics she heard the world sing then… they're all too familiar, even today.  The lyrics the world sings in our day still insist the poor don’t matter, the hungry should get a job, refugees should go home, and lying is fine if it gets you what you want.  You know the lyrics to the world’s song.  You can’t help but know them! They are the most horrible sort of ear-worm… shouted, broadcast, remixed and Tweeted everywhere, everyday in ALL CAPS.  

So, as the world insists on singing it’s same old horrible song,  we… God’s people… like Hannah, are are called to sing OUR SONG into the darkness of OUR world!  So, what song will YOU sing?  What are the lyrics to YOUR song?  What is the song that you will sing louder, longer, and stronger than ANY song the world could ever hope to sing, because you will sing it as a duet with God!?  

For one of my Episcopal colleagues, Rich Simpson, it’s something from the prophet Bruce… Springsteen.  It’s the song, “Into the Fire.” “May your strength give us strength.  May your faith give us faith.  May your hope give us hope.  May your love give us love.”  Now, just between us, for Rich, it’s not just that one song.  It's actually the Boss’ entire body of work!  “Badlands” and “Rocky Ground” and “My City of Ruins” and… well, you get the idea.  But hey, a playlist works!  If you’ve got a playlist… sing the whole playlist into the darkness as a duet with God!  

For my wife Kelly, her go-to song is “I Shall Be Released” sung by Bette Midler: “I see my light come shining.  From the west down to the east. Any day now, any day now.  I shall be released.” But like Rich she has more of an extended playlist and her's leans distinctly in the direction of Broadway!  “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen.  “You Are Not Alone” from Into the Woods.  “Defying Gravity” and “For Good” from Wicked… lots of Broadway!  But for her, a Broadway playlist is the perfect thing to sing with God into the darkness of the world!  

For Pam, who owns the Bookloft in Great Barrington, her song is “No Rain” by Blind Melon:  “I just want someone to say to me, oh.  I’ll always be there when you wake, yeah.  You know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today.  So stay with me and I'll have it made.”  For my friend Cynthia Wade, who suggested I make a Spotify list of all the suggestions (which I did and is still out there), it’s “Born to be Loved” by Lucinda Williams: “You weren't born to be abandoned.  You weren't born to be forsaken.  You were born to be loved.  You were born to be loved.”  

Others tell me they sing, “What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love” or “All You Need is Love” or “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”… a love themed play list!  Perfect!  Still others sing “Imagine.”  Rabbi Jodie sings “Turning of the World.”  Others sing “All Good People” or “A Soft Place to Land."  Some play classical music by Mozart, Bach or The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughn Williams into the darkness.  For our daughter Maggie it’s a song in Swedish called “Snooza” whose words insist we stand up to this society, which allows the Tempter to be so effective in telling us we have to always rush and work and never rest.  We stand up to the Tempter by hitting “snooza” on our alarm clocks and tending our relationships first… a very Shabbat sort of idea I think.  

For me it’s a Bob Marley tune sung full on with a Jamaican accent, mon!  “Rise up this morning.  Smiled with the rising sun.  Three little birds.  Pitch by my doorstep.  Singing sweet songs.  Of melodies pure and true, saying, ‘This is my message to you.’  Don’t worry about a thing.  Cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”  

So what’s YOUR song?  Any genre, style, tune… a single song or a whole playlist... It all works!  And God is there to sing it all with you!  God is there to help you sing it longer than the long song of injustice that the world sings.  To sing it louder than the loudest shouted songs of hatred the world can shout and stronger than the deepest darkness the world can sing.  

What’s your song?  What song do you sing to push back the darkness?  Think about that and then look around.  You know these folks?  They want to know your song.  They really want to know, so that when you forget the words, they can help you remember… so when the world is so dark that you lose your voice, they can sing it for you, full out, into the darkness, for as long as it takes until your voice returns.  That's who we are.  We are God’s people, gathered to sing a different song... to sing each other's songs, head on, full force, into the darkness of the world... until the day comes when the dark songs of the world are all drown out, and all that creation will be able to hear are the songs we sing together with God.  Songs of Teek-Vah… hope. Songs of Hesed… steadfast love.  Songs of Shalom, O-shel, and Chai… songs of peace, joy and life for all.  Amen.