There are weeks when God’s Spirit feels especially insistent, almost like a quiet nudge on the shoulder saying, “Pay attention. I am doing something new.” This past week has felt like that for me.

Pastor Abbey and I were asked to contribute to the launch of a new album called Witness – curated by United Creative at Newtown Mission on Saturday evening. The music still rings in my ears. Every song testified to a God who is not finished with us, who keeps calling us into life, courage, justice, and wonder. The writers and musicians offered more than melodies; they offered themselves. Their faith became something we could hear and feel.

I kept thinking of a line from Isaiah 65:17–25, one of the lectionary readings for this Sunday:

“Look, I am creating new heavens and a new earth.”

This is not wishful thinking. It is God’s determined promise. The prophet speaks into a weary people’s disappointment and tells them that God’s imagination is larger than their despair. That same promise holds for us. New creation often begins like that with ordinary people daring to sing a different song.

Music teaches us that faith is lived in rhythm. Sometimes praise feels effortless, like a strong chorus. Other times it feels like a lone note sung in the dark. Yet God gathers every note and makes something whole.

Saturday’s album launch reminded me that the church is at its best when we dare to sing the gospel into places that feel fragile. Hope is not passive. It is a choice to keep offering our voice.

Isaiah’s vision stretches us. A new world requires new habits. New courage. New compassion. New ways of being the Church. It asks us to release resentment, to seek peace in our homes, workplaces, and community, to speak kindness even when it feels costly. It asks us to believe that God still transforms what feels immovable. That belief is not naïve. It is obedience.

So I invite you to carry one question into the days ahead:
What song of Christ’s love will I choose to sing this week?

It might be the song of forgiveness. Or truth spoken gently. Or generosity. Or advocacy for someone who has no voice. Whatever your note is, do not underestimate its power. The Spirit of God has a way of weaving every small act of grace into God’s larger symphony.

Sing out loud!

Blessings — Rev. Carmel Sheraton