From what I've read, most religions involve music, unless they are into group silence, and about that I have nothing useful to say. Many (most?) religions throughout the ages have music. I'm told that when people sing together the brain releases a bonding chemical in the brain (oxytocin). This, I believe, is one reason that the choir is always one of the most fun groups in any church--we're "high" on music and bound in love. Is that saying too much?
There are people in the church business who think congregational singing is out of date and should be eliminated, as people don't sing together in public any more. Of course, there are Sweet Adelines and barber shop quartets, community chorales, and in the Big City, the Gay Men's Chorus. The crowd sings the national anthem together at baseball and football games--I don't know about rugby or basketball or swimming, golf or tennis. Or soccer. (I need to pay closer attention, I see that.) I imagine that before I-pods, hey, radio for that matter, if you wanted music you had to go to a gathering of professionals or make it yourself. And think of the importance of the bards of pre-history, like Homer. And drinking songs. And Christmas caroling.
Back to my point--it interests me that the Creator installed a music bonding chip into us. That group singing is part of the design concept, though for Methodist a little embarrassing. I think the point of the sermon, Risking Worship, is that God enjoys the praise of innocents and the whole-hearted ecstatic praise of the cynical, the shy and the self-conscious, when we try. Even if we make a tentative effort. Singing not only binds us to each other, it binds us, I say, to God. The elderly woman next to me whispered that she couldn't see the words for the hymns. I told her I would sing louder. She carried the tune. It was lovely.
The Bible tells us that David was beloved by God. I believe it. Despite his faults and his wife Michal's utter mortification, David's whole-hearted passionate singing and dancing before the Lord had to make God laugh.
Pastor Steve didn't go into the problem that the apostles had with early churches that got carried away with their worship, prompting admonitions that "everything should be done decently and in order." With a name like United Methodist, you have to figure that method is our strong suit. A little more passionate praise, regardless of our life's ups and downs, might be in order.
Experiment: Read Psalm 100 in a loud passionate voice once a day this week. Or make up a tune and get someone to sing it with you. Let us know what happens.