St. Francis of Assisi is often quoted to have said, "Preach the Gospel, if necessary use words." I'd like to expand that to a different level - Worship God, if necessary use words.
There is a lot of criticism I've read on other blogs about "contemplative spirituality" and the Emerging movement. One thing we all have to realize is that each of us is different, and therefore we experience God differently. For some people they feel that they can pray best with quiet solitude or quiet music, others feel that they need to be in a church or outside in nature, and still others feel closest to God when they are exuberantly praising God with loud noise or music. I do not think that God gave us free will so that when we become Christians that we all then suddenly become robots and all have to approach him in the same way. We all need to stop criticizing other believers just because they don't "do church" the same way we prefer to.
BUT - don't jump to conclusions here! The "way to God" is truly limited to one way - through Christ Jesus and receiving him into our hearts. I may be a little "postmodern" in my belief that there is no one "correct" denomination or worship style - they are all equal in God's eyes, all valued and cherished when His children are honestly lifting their worship up to Him. I get so tired of the "worship wars" and the back-biting we do to each other, to our own brothers and sisters in Christ! However, I am not so "postmodern" as to believe that any religion is a way to get to God - that is just plain and simply wrong according to the Bible. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The basics of Christian belief are consistent and plain, and they are the most important thing we need to use as a filter when we fellowship and worship with other Believers.
I have played the piano since I five years old, and I love to sing. I love to listen to music that has a vocalist singing words, and instrumental music with no words. Both have a time and place in my personal worship time. Both feed my soul. God is The Creator gave us creativity, and for me that means that I create through the music that I play or sing. A friend recently said that I pray through my piano playing. I had never thought about it that way before, but I realized that she is right.
So, when you pray, be willing to open your mind and heart to a new way of connecting with God.
