IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON January 7, 2008 Issue

SING A NEW SONG!

KATHY FITZER

SACRAMENT January 7-13, 2008

IT'S EASY TO FALL INTO habits. We tend to wear the same things, do the same things, sit in the same pew at church, talk to the same people, even pray the same way we always have. Often we don't even realize we're doing it.

So, what's wrong with that approach? This week's Bible Lesson on the subject "Sacrament" offers some fresh insights, taking off from the Psalmist's call for a "new song" (ps. 96:1). For me, it's fun to explore the implications of this simple phrase. Without an element of newness, worship can become stale, uninspired, and even drift in the wrong direction. Why keep singing the old song when there's a fresh one, full of inspiration and healing, waiting at our doorstep?