From Father Abraham to John the Revelator, from the first century church to this moment, the people of God have always seen themselves as pilgrims — never settlers. "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through" is more than a line from an old song. This sojourner's theme has been told to children in stories, sent in letters of encouragement to friends, preached from pulpits and whispered behind the closed doors of the underground church in times of persecution. But mostly, it's been sung. When kings were unjust, they sang of a kingdom whose builder and ruler was God. When the world seemd like a foreign country and when the strange language of power and materialism was the accepted tongue, these pilgrims reminded each other that they were natives of a far better place to which they were traveling. When they were separated, estranged or lonely, they sang of a great homecoming when all the singers would one day be together around their Father's throne.

• Music