"Mom, can we lift our hands in the sanctuary?"

I grew up in the Presbyterian church for the most part. The "frozen chosen" are not known for being demonstrative in worship. After all, it's pretty hard to lift your hands in the sanctuary when you're holding the hymnal open. (Don't get me wrong, I love singing hymns. I'll just mention again the "Greatest Hymns" album from Selah that I download from iTunes the other day. I love it!)

Anyway, active, demonstrative worship wasn't something I grew up with. Worship has always been reserved, calm, staid even.

So when I opened my prayer book (Venite by Robert Benson) this morning to the Psalter reading, I came across something that surprised me, challenged me. From Psalm 95-101, I found this: we are to be a demonstrative people in our worship and praise.

We are to:

raise a shout of triumph
sing songs
bow down in worship
kneel before God
proclaim the news of salvation
declare God's glory
rejoice in God
shout with joy
lift our voices and sing
confess God's holy name
proclaim God's greatness
enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise
tell out our thanks
call upon his name

This kind of worship is spontaneous, full of emotion, active, demonstrative.

This is something I'm working on--being lavish in my worship of God, who is so lavish with me. It comes most easily in the car--alone or with the girls. (We really worship on the way to school each day. The current favorite is "In the Sanctuary" by Kurt Carr. I just love hearing Emma say the words that begin the song: "Oh God, we know you're gonna bless us, and so we give you glory and honor and praise!" Picture six-year-old girl trying to sound like a gospel singer!)

At church, in the presence of others, it's a little bit harder to be authentic for me. I confess that I worry what others will think, that I blink away tears and remain upright when I really want to fall to my knees.

The funny thing is, the more I think about this, the more I pursue authentic worship, the more I want to worship like this--with all that I am, with all my emotions, with my whole self. I don't know that I'll ever be one to dance in the aisles, but I'm definitely not standing still.

Comments

[Holly Smith]

I love how your heart is responding to God...that you even are thinking about this! Your heart of worship, my friend, is ALL over everything you do...your preparations, your work, your care, your smile, and you are quite a demonstrative worshipper, I'd say. Quite. For you have allowed your worship to permeate all that you do...and most of that is done out of the spotlight behind-the-scenes as a servant. I admire your heart of worship. But keep asking questions...that is a good thing.

Love you much in Him,
holly

[Puva]

Hello! I just ended my exams today!! -victory dance- I packed away my iBook just before my exams, so I wasn't able to read your entries. I just had a good time reading your entries =) Hope you and your family are doing well!

-Puva-

[Susan]

As soon as I read this post I knew I had to track this down for you:

http://www.youtube.com/v/IpVsF4W8V2Y&rel=1

I would love to be so overcome, out there, that I could do this.

[Queen B]

I love it when we see what God has for us...not what we learned from our family or our church. Whether it is what we believe or how we worship, it becomes so personal. It is so amazing when we feel that intimacy with God and know that it is a gift from Him. That is something to be thankful for!!

[Sam]

I have thought about this very topic a lot, only my experience has been the opposite. I grew up in a very charismatic church & as an adult I have sought out the reserved and calm. I avoid the contemporary services. I find it funny that as adults we don't always stay with what was introduced to us as children. Thankfully there are choices for us to make to help us grow in our relationship with Christ!