Any hipster/21st century Christian has their go-to worship playlist. Whether you're enjoying your Sabbath, commuting to work, or spending time alone meditating in God's Presence, we all carry around that playlist of tracks that help us get in our "now I can feel like a Christian and claim I know Jesus" mood.
But it doesn't have to be that way! Instead of seeing your worship playlist as another "feel good, positive vibes" Spotify session, try incorporating these songs to not only spice up the same old Hillsong/Chris Tomlin tracks you got going, but also to appreciate the greater sonic and lyrical diversity of how God's people discuss faith and get themselves in their "feel like a Christian" mood.
"Let's Begin" / Jon Bellion (feat. Roc Marciano, RZA, B.Keyz, and Travis Mendes)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYpCYz_hZPw/
"I spoke with Yahweh, He told me Jesus crafted us in / which means my brother's my brother, it don't matter the skin / America needs to watch how they treat His chosen people / But that's for deeper than surface records, now let's begin." Didn't think one of the biggest pop/rap producers desires for people to know the Gospel? Well, now you do! Jon Bellion's most recent album "Glory Sound Prep" doesn't necessarily explore faith, because his relationship with God is so natural to him that he name drops God throughout the whole project!
"Chlorine" / Twenty One Pilots
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpxUOmqBAeZ/
"I'm so sorry I forgot You / Let me catch You up to speed / I've been tested like the ends of a weathered flag that's by the sea / Can You build my house with pieces? / I'm just a chemical." Twenty One Pilots' most recent album, "Trench", explores the overarching theme of doubt mixed with faith. It will bring a healthy amount of rawness and honesty to your playlist.
"Everything's New" / MuteMath
https://www.instagram.com/p/BayHla_lAOz/
"Can You tell me again / There's a means to an end / For the tears in these eyes? / Beautiful city lights look bright tonight / and calling out for You / Everything's new." Paul Meany consistently has laid it out in his lyrics that he is a Jesus follower, and does his best to allow God to shape his life. What if we were to use Paul's prayer as our own, to try to grasp the good news that, indeed, everything is new.
"Off My Back" / Aaron Cole
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpyAqKEhrhk/
"I cannot disguise / Feel like suicide / But I'm God's child." We never hear that "s-word" in our music too often. This is a track for those who want an unfiltered meditation and prayer to God, to those who feel overwhelmed and seek a song that doesn't just suppress everything into manufactured happiness, but allows God to take and use those pain and burdens out of confession and honesty.
"Heart Change" / Seeker and Servant
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn7nhftHtGA/
"I need the real thing / Not the American dream of choosing the world and still having You / I need a heart change to see the Truth." How often do our worship songs call out the hypocritical Nationalism the American Church often finds itself holding onto? Not only does this song address that beautifully, but the entire album from this band (the album is called "Exiles") wrestles with that very fact, that we are Christians first, despite living in a physical nation.
