May 3rd – 5th Sunday of Easter Readings: Acts 6:1-7;  Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12
Reflection by Jeff Koch

“O sing a new song to the Lord, for He has worked wonders, in the sight of the nations He has shown his deliverance, Alleluia”

               Joe Raposo, wrote a song for Sesame Street, that the Carpenters picked up and made even more famous; “Sing, Sing a Song!”  The words go like this (you can sing along as you read)

“Sing, Sing a song; sing out loud; sing out strong

Sing of good things, not bad; sing of happy not sad

Sing, sing a song; make it simple to last your whole life long

Don’t worry if it’s not good enough for everyone else to hear

Just sing, sing a song”

We are called to sing a song of the great things God has done for us, the wonders of his salvation, and sing it out loud.  But what is our song about?  Our readings today give us so many realities that Jesus accomplished for us, that the world needs to know, and they will know by how we live our lives, by how we sing our song, oh and it IS good enough for everyone else to hear. Look at the verses of the song we sing about:

• From the Gospel – Do not let your hearts be troubled, have faith in Jesus for in our Fathers house there are many dwelling places. And he is preparing a place for us to live with him eternally and since he is doing that, He will come again to take us to live with Him.  Jesus shows us the Father, when we see Jesus, we see the Father God.  So many have strange images and concepts of who God is; Jesus clears that up.  “Look at Jesus, you are seeing the Father.’  This is our God!
• From the Epistle reading – Jesus is the living stone and we ourselves are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood; We are being built so God will inhabit us. (Ephesians 2:20) We, in Christ, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own choosing.  We are to sing, announcing the praises of him who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”
• The Psalm Reading – Pick up your guitar, your harp, your ten stringed lyre, chant, clapping hands, whatever you have, to rejoice in the reality that God has given us His Word, to know that ALL His works are trustworthy.  He loves justice and right, and oh, He is kind, in fact, the kindness of the Lord fills the earth.  He is watching us, not in a condemning, judgmental way; but to rescue us and preserve us.
• Our song: First verse begins with who God is and what He has done for us.  Second verse speaks of who we are now that we are living in the reality of what he has done.  And the third verse is about the kindness and love that this God has for the world.  That song is not just for us to sing, but for the whole world.

Now these are some things to sing about!  The goodness of God here in the land of the living.  So,

“Sing, sing a song; let the world sing along;

sing of love that could be; sing for you and for me:

Sing, sing a song make it simple to last your whole life long,

Don’t worry if it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear;

Just sing, sing a song

Just sing, sing a song!

In Acts 6, Luke tells us that when the church works together, each in their own place and ministry, the preachers, the deacons, the servants, the church together showing forth who God is and what life with him is like, they will sing along.  Well, Luke says it this way, “. . .The Word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”  They sang and the world joined in.  We may not sing well, or can play an instrument, but we can rejoice and live in the realities of all God has done for us in Jesus.  So,

Sing, sing this song, sing out loud, sing out strong, sing of good things, not bad, sing of happy, not sad.

Sing, sing a song make it simple to last your whole life long,

Just sing, sing His song!

Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen