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One of my favorite parts of my job is choosing music for the choirs and Praise Team to sing. I start by reading the scriptures that Karen has chosen for worship and understanding what her emphasis or theme will be for each worship service. Then I set out finding music that will hopefully deepen worshipers’ experience. Sounds pretty straight forward – sometimes it is. There are times that the obvious song jumps right out for me. More often, however, it involves looking through many songs, finding the one that has the right emphasis. For instance, consider the general term “love.” Love may well be the most sung about word in our faith. But are we focusing on God’s love for us or our love for God?  Or about our Christian love for each other, Christ’s sacrificial love, Christ’s examples of love? Singing a song with the wrong focus misses the mark, but the right song can transform worship and lift the experience to a higher plain.

Why don’t you give it a try? On July 30, our scripture passages will be Deuteronomy 23:1-7 and Matthew 5:43-48. Karen’s sermon title is “Sometimes We Must Change the Rules.” What songs or hymns can we sing that will illuminate the theme?