One of the most defining things about Christians is that we sing songs together. The kind of songs we sing, and the way we sing them, has an incredible impact on a Christian's life, faith, and theology. Contemporary band-led worship services often result in a set of expectations for what can or can't be sung, similarly to the older tradition of a particular order of hymn-singing. There is, however, a far broader range of worship expression to be found throughout Scripture and church history, with not only a deeper theological focus, but numerous challenging themes we often ignore, such as divine triumph, judgement, lament, and exuberance. What can individuals, families, and congregations do to aid our times of worship together? Should we be singing different kinds of songs? Are there patterns we ought to avoid ... or rediscover? What about the relationship between the spiritual and the aesthetic, and the Word and the Spirit? And what about when we just don't feel like singing at all?
