Here’s a beautiful prayer of praise from Walter Brueggemann.
We Will Not Keep Silent
(based on Psalm 96)
Sing a new song to the Lord! Psalm 96:1
We are people who must sing you,
for the sake of our very lives.
You are a God who must be sung by us,
for the sake of your majesty and honor.
And so we thank you,
for lyrics that push us past our reasons,
for melodies that break open our givens,
for cadences that locate us home, beyond all our safe places,
for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control
and our futures beyond despair.
We thank you for the long parade of mothers and fathers
who have sung you deep and true;
We thank you for the good company of artists, poets, musicians,
cantors, and instruments that sing for us and with us, toward you.
We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;
We will not keep silent… ever again. Amen
— from Walter Brueggemann, in his Psalm class on January 20, 1999. Posted on the Gladly Listening blog.
