With a worship theme of cardinal, the cardinal directions are celebrated, sung, and danced in R.E.M.’s song “Stand.” Lead singer Michael Stipe has said of the song’s meaning, “It’s about making decisions and actually living your life rather than letting it happen.”

While written in the late 1980s, the music alludes to pop of the 1960s including the Monkees, the Archies, and more. The lyrics also encourage joy and a fun sense of wonder as you take stock of the earth, the ground, the sun, where you live, perhaps even where you worship and those around you…

Before that, we’ll hear Brett Dennen’s exuberant “People I Love.” The lyrics unabashedly celebrate a life grounded in community, friends, family, and those that are dear to us. It also encourages a playful sense of self determination—“If it makes you feel good/ride around in the wind/listen to your tires spin/if it makes you feel good/throw your phone away, do nothin’ all day”—and more.

—Chris E.