We’ve all got our ideas of what Sunday morning singing should look like.
Some people envision a congregation full of exuberant, hand-raising, worship-hopping, “glory!”-whooping worshipers. Others picture a more reverent, solemn scene. Some might say that if you’re not clapping, you’re not worshiping. Others might say that if you are clapping, you’re being irreverent.
But what does scripture say?
I find Psalm 108:1 to be particularly helpful:
My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Our Sunday morning worship is to be done with our whole being. Not half of our being, not part of our being, but our whole being. And my guess is that some scriptural expressions of “whole-being” worship might make us squirm in our denim.
For example:
- Ps. 47:1 – Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
- Ps. 149:3 – Let them praise his name with dancing…
- Ps. 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
How comfortable are we with clapping, shouting, dancing, bowing, kneeling, and every other physical expressions of worship described in Scripture? To be honest, I’m not real comfortable with the thought of giving a shout-out on Sunday morning. And yet Scripture seems to describe shouting to the Lord as an appropriate and God-honoring expression of worship.
Worship for God starts in the heart, and then moves outward into physical expressions of worship.
Isn’t this always the case with all loving relationships? I love my wife Jen very much, and it would be really freaky if she came to give me a hug and I said, “You know what, I love you very much in my heart, but I’m not really into showing affection.” She would think I was crazy. It’s the same with our relationship to God. We love him with our heart, and then display it outwardly.
In his book Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin asks the following helpful question:
Is there any physical expression of worship that God has given us in scripture that I’ve never displayed? And if so, why not?
None of us worships God as he truly deserves, which is why I’m so grateful for the gospel. But I do want to grow in my expressiveness in worship. Maybe I need to get more comfortable with a shout. Maybe I need to care less about what others think of me.
What about you? Do you struggle with being expressive in corporate worship?
–
Written by Stephen Altrogge
Topics: Worship