When ideas fail me and I need a subject, I can always turn to music. It’s the one thing I know best. I love to sing and listen to music; it is the constant in my life. Certain songs, no matter how often I’ve heard them, give me goose bumps. I’m told there is physiological support for why this is so. Even certain keys, scales, or modes can do this to me. Some call them “earworms” – they get stuck in your head.

A Navy Bandmaster of mine once said, “music either sings or it dances”. I believe that is mostly true. A waltz is a style of music and a dance. A ballad definitely sings. When it comes to music and hymn selection in our congregation, the musicians and I get together and consider possibilities. We even make a game out of it, seeing if we each come up with the same suggestion. It’s collaborative, which is important for all who attend Joy to know! No one calls all the shots. There are certain songs and hymns that are more suitable as gathering or sending music, so it’s also about the words. The Hymn of the Day after the sermon is meant to reflect the main biblical text or theme.

 What is the right music for your life? I think most of us would answer “uplifting”. It is comfort and balm for the soul.  It is feeling, subconscious communication that may or may not be Spirit-infused. The right music is as varied as our moods and emotions. Like the inability to explain how or why prayer works, it just is. We can all be thankful for those who create music that moves us in singing or dancing. Because God loves unconditionally, all that matters is safely stored for us, and our self responds. We don’t need to be more analytical than that.

Pastor Art