Religion Through Music

"Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!" (Psalm 95:1-2, The Message)

Many religions make use of music during their ritual observances. Song allows us to connect to prayers in a different way - we experience words and music in different parts of our brains, and we can feel the music in our bodies themselves. Furthermore, familiar hymns and tunes can bring communities together as they share a song they've all known since childhood.

What role does music play for you in your religious observances? Does music help you feel connected to God? To the community? What are some of your favorite hymns or songs and what meaning do they hold for you?

God is everywhere

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?"
(Psalm 139:7, NIV)

This past weekend, while celebrating Halloween, I met a woman about my own age who was in Protestant divinity studies. During the course of the evening, it came up that I attend both my own synagogue as well as my wife's church, and that I often find the church to be the more meaningful and spiritual experience. She immediately commented on the irony that she found her most spiritual experiences at a synagogue across town. We began to discuss the details, and here's some of what we found.

First, as the name of this blog is intended to remind us, one of the important factors was community. If was of the highest importance to feel deeply connected to the entire community we practiced with, and for that entire community to be feeling God's presence together.

Secondly, we commented on the role of ritual in this experience. By sharing consistent, common rituals, the community came together more readily - a congregation that has its act together is easier to connect with than one that is hit or miss.

Thirdly, we couldn't help but note the importance of the clergy - the person preaching often makes a big difference in how we experience a religious service. As such, despite that I constantly argue that clergy aren't essential to connect with God, I had to admit that a good preacher definitely makes the process easier.

Finally, could we be having a more spiritual experience simply because it's different? Does immersing ourselves in a different method of connecting to God make us think harder about it? Obviously God is still there, but perhaps it requires moving out of routine to notice the divine presence.

God is always with us, and there is no one path to connecting with God. However, we will each find ourselves connecting in different ways and at different time and in different places. Reflect on these instances and learn what works best for you. I invite readers to share their thoughts on what makes for the best connection with God and the most spiritual experience. Perhaps we can find a common ground on which to build future religious communities.