For many people in the church, if you ask them when they most feel God’s presence in worship, they will say something about the music. Religious music, worship music, no matter the genre, is meant on some level to foster an experience of God’s presence. How many people have shed tears of joy during a particularly well done organ piece or choral anthem? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, how many have felt themselves pulled out of a time of worship by a discordant piece that does not seem to fit the moment?
Music has the ability to instill in us a sense of divine presence and majesty. And when we join together in song, we are given the opportunity to respond to God’s work in our lives. This is why many of the classic masterpieces we appreciate were originally written as religious pieces. It is why those of us who are Methodists are called “a singing people.” It is why we get teary when we hear voices that bring to mind angels. Music is an integral part of our faith.