It was below zero when I decided to go to Arlington National Cemetery where the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers are located. These tombs are guarded, night or day, rain, snow or sunshine, cold, heat or humidity, 7/24/365. They are not just guarded, they are guarded with great precision and grand ceremony. If you've never been, you should really see this daily, national spectacle. Amazing!

Even cooler than the guarding is the changing of the guard. The guards don't look human. They look like robots because of how precise they are. They did this incredible ceremony on a freezing day when I was the only audience they had. At that moment, I was saw love. What would hold these men to the "honor" of guarding these tombs? Such sacrifice could only be love.

I do not want to pass judgment on these fine soldiers, but I am left with a question: What do they love? Do they love the soldier? Or do they love the ceremony?

For those of us in the worship music business, that question needs to be asked constantly. Do we love the music, or do we love the Lord to whom we sing? For those in liturgical ministry: Do we love the beauty of the ceremony, or do we love Jesus, the one who is made present in the ceremony? Do we love the feeling we get from praise and worship, or do we love the one to whom we sing? Do we need songs to stir our emotions toward God, or do we make the not-so-easy decision to love the Lord regardless of our feelings?

Listen to Matt Maher's cover of the Kathy Troccoli song All Glory to God.

Everything I say and do,
everything I am to you,
oh, I pray that you will know.

Whatever is good in me,
wherever there's joy to see,
hear me say, "It's not my own."

All glory to God,
all honor is his,
no other is worthy of his name.

All glory to God,
I'll always be his,
forever I'll live to sing his praise . . .

© 1997, 2003, 2005 Pants Down Music (administered by Bug Music), Sony/ATV Songs LLC and Lehsem Songs.