New Songs for Worship!
1 At the most recent annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, which was held on October 4, 2014, plans were announced to revise our current songbook. That truly was exciting news! All in attendance were reminded of the important place that our Kingdom songs ought to have in our worship.—Ps. 96:2.
2 You may wonder, ‘Why is it necessary to revise the songbook?’ There are several reasons. First of all, our understanding of the Scriptures continues to be refined, and that can affect the lyrics of our songs. (Prov. 4:18) Another reason for the revision: Many expressions and phrases that are used in the current songbook were drawn from the earlier edition of the New World Translation. Those lyrics must now be adjusted to correspond with the wording of the revised edition. Since extensive work would need to be done just to bring the lyrics up-to-date, it was decided to add a few new songs to the book.
3 Will we have to wait until a new songbook is printed before we can begin using the new songs? No. We are pleased to inform you that over the next several months, a number of new songs will be released on our Web site, jw.org. When a new song is released, it will be scheduled at the end of a Service Meeting with the notation “new song.”
4 How to Learn the New Songs: It can be challenging to learn a new song. Still, like the psalmist, we want to sing out at congregation meetings and “not keep silent.” (Ps. 30:12) To learn a new song, follow these simple steps.
• Watch the song repeatedly after it is posted on our Web site. As with any new song, it takes repetition to learn the signs and get used to the movements. The more you watch the song, the easier it will be for you to remember it.
• Watch for key signs in varied forms that are woven throughout the song as these highlight the main point. Also, watch how handshapes and movement are used to pull the song together in a poetic way creating a visual pattern or melody. For example, take a look at song number 44, entitled “Sharing Joyfully in the Harvest.” Do you see the main point of this song? Can you see how it relates to Matthew 13:1-23 noted at the beginning of the song? How does the second verse depict the spiritual application of the first verse? How do the signs that are used highlight this?
• Practice signing the song until you have mastered it.
• Rehearse the new songs a few times during your Family Worship session until your family is comfortable with them.
5 In future months when a new song is scheduled to conclude the Service Meeting, the congregation will watch once to the learn the song. The audience will then sign the song, as we do for the other songs.
6 When you think about it, singing at our meetings affords us the joy of unitedly joining together to praise Jehovah. Therefore, we should not get into the habit of leaving our seats unnecessarily when a song is introduced at our Christian meetings.
7 Similarly, when the chairman at our assemblies and conventions invites us to take our seats before each session begins and watch the video compilation that has been prepared, we should do so. Our doing this will help us to prepare our hearts for the information that will follow.—Ezra 7:10.
8 We will conclude our meeting today with the new song entitled “The Kingdom Is in Place—Let It Come!” This song, which was featured at the recent annual meeting, was specially composed to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Kingdom.
9 The new songs are certainly “good things” from Jehovah. (Matt. 12:35) Let us make it our resolve to learn these new songs and sing them from our hearts, giving fitting praise and honor to our God!—Ps. 147:1.