Music is how most people learn their theology, whether or not anyone intends it. You remember what you sang far longer than what was preached, which makes the question of what you sing more serious than it looks.

Three questions worth asking about the words

Who is the song about? Sing the songs that are mainly about God alongside the ones mainly about your feelings. A diet consisting only of the second leaves you with nothing to sing on a day when you feel nothing.

Could you defend the line from Scripture? Not every phrase must be a quotation, but a song teaching something the Bible does not say will teach it anyway, repeatedly, and set to a tune.

Does it have room for sorrow? A collection with only celebration is unusable for a third of a life. The Psalms manage both, which is a reasonable standard.

Where to look

Start with what your congregation sings, since learning those at home makes Sunday less strange and connects the two.

Look for hymns as well as recent songs. Older hymns have survived a selection process of two or three centuries, and they were often written by people in serious trouble.

For non-English languages, search in your own script rather than in translation, and look for material written locally rather than translated. Locally written worship usually fits the language better; translations often keep the tune and lose the metre.

Practical habits

Keep a short list rather than an endless feed, since repetition is how a song becomes yours.

Sing rather than only listen. Something happens in singing that does not happen in listening, which is why every branch of the church has sung for two thousand years.

Use it in the gaps: commuting, cooking, walking. Music is the easiest devotional habit to keep because it requires no free hands.

Be careful with sung theology you would reject if it were spoken. A memorable tune bypasses the part of you that would otherwise object.

Our resources list material in several languages, and if you want to know what a congregation near you sings, the honest way to find out is to visit — the directory will show you what is close.