The reason that we are to include all forms of music into our corporate worship is because it reflects God's whole intention for our experience. In other words, music used in corporate worship should reflect life -- joy, pain, celebration, aging, grieving, birthing, finding, rehearsing, losing, persevering, repenting, receiving, giving, transitioning, living and dying. All these things and more sum up how we - the Church - feel when we come to a service together. Our music should find us in these places and inform us on the redemptive path of life.
This teaching - remember I gave the nutshell version (it took 50 minutes to teach) - was on my mind last night when I visited a colleague at the funeral home last night. His mother had just passed away. It was on my mind this morning when I plugged my ear buds, descended to my basement, and began working out. The iPod was on "shuffle"
Listen to the songs that played and see if you they take you on the same full experience-tour that I went on. It may be fun.
