We are in the process of moving into our new-old-apartment.  New because it is has new carpet, new flooring, and a new refrigerator.  Old because this is the apartment we lived in before the flood, the apartment in fact that was flooded.  So we have some of the old with some new mixed in.  We are moving back in all of our stuff, and getting some new stuff to mix in with it.

Yesterday our brand new bedroom set arrived!  A brand new bedroom set to to go with the brand new carpet in the old bedroom.  Same sheets though.  I even dug out an old quilt we had stored away because the comforter we had on the bed at the day of the flood got ruined.  Soon I will rehang the plate my grandmother made nearly 70 years ago.  So we have new, old, and even older all mixed together.  Isn’t that kinda like what all our houses probably look like?  Look around your house-what is new, old, and older?  There is likely something of every category.  It is what makes your house feel like your home.

I bring this up because last night I watching the Dove awards and was just delighted.  Delighted for many reasons.  Partly because I was watching people who were being who God asked them to be, watching people who were aspiring to allow Christ to shine through them.  I was also delighted because I was allowed to be delighted by every style of worship from new to old to older.  I was able to see others experience worship in a way that inspires their hearts to see God, whatever that style might be.

When we have things in our home that are new old and older, then we feel like we are home.    When we worship we experience the ability to be closer to God, closer to Him and we get a tiny bit of what it will be like to spend eternity with Him.  When we worship we feel a little closer to home.  When we allow those around us the right to use whatever style of worship that allows their heart to see God, then we are allowing them to feel closer to home.  Worship is about lifting up our Lord and putting Him in His proper position, and if we are so focused on doing that that we feel closer to home then we have accomplished worship.  Whatever style of music, wether we deam it new old or older, if we decide it isn’t acceptable we block someones path to lifting up the Lord and feeling closer to home.

We would never tell someone they couldn’t make their house their home by putting things in it that made it feel like home because they were to new or too old?  We wouldn’t.  That is why I was so delighted to see a celebration of every style of music at the Dove awards last night, wether you call it new, old, older, too old, or too new-it is worship and it makes people feel closer to home.