Monday, November 14, 2011

Worship God From Your Heart

But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him. -- 2 Samuel 6:16

Times are changing in our church service. A new outreach program has brought in many new people. We are thrilled. But not everyone worships exactly the same. There’s nothing wrong with that and, indeed, many things right with it. But change can open our eyes in ways we didn’t expect.

I attend a contemporary worship service. The congregation claps and sings along with the band performing on stage. We are outspoken and committed to learning and growing in Christ. The folks in the traditional services think we’re a little bit nuts. Maybe we are.

We are also a welcoming bunch. Unlike some Deep South churches, we genuinely welcome everyone into our fold. We have homegrown folks sitting next to people from different parts of this country and a few from other countries. We’ve got white, black and brown all sitting together. We’ve got young, old and some in between. Who you were doesn’t matter. Who you are -- a child of God -- is what draws us to this time and place.

I mention all this so that you can understand we’re open to just about anything. The new folks that have joined us fit right in. They do. And we’re slowly getting used to the “Hallelujah’s” and “Praise Jesus” being yelled out at unexpected times. And, well, we’ve had dancing before Jesus before so that’s okay too. Really.

But it’s amusing to watch the more conservative among us trying not to stare at those who are worshipping a little bit differently. They don’t want to be amazed or uncomfortable but they are. And that, in turn, makes them uneasy with themselves. We want to be open to everyone but what happens when we aren’t as open as we thought we were?

One thing I’ve always loved about King David was his willingness to show his love for God. He gladly danced in the streets before His God. So what if others didn’t approve? I want to have that kind of faith. I want to be open to worship God with that kind of love and abandon.

We are so delighted to have the new folks in our midst. I pray they learn and grow in Christ and that our church family can somehow be a blessing to them. I pray also that they continue to be a blessing to us, that we learn to let go and worship God from the deepest parts of our hearts and soul, without worry of how we’ll appear but focused totally on our LORD and our Creator.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Rejoice in God's Presence

"And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart." -- 2 Samuel 6:16b

I have to chuckle when I read this Bible verse. Saul's daughter Michal, who also was David's wife, would have fit right in with some of our conservative Southern churches.

People who attend these churches face a rigid set of unwritten, manmade rules. Failure to follow said rules will result in heavy frowns, ostracism and, in some cases, "advice" from the preacher, deacons or other church leaders. It is so ridiculous that it would be comical if it wasn't so sad.

I can assure you that dancing in one of these conservative churches is not allowed. Neither is clapping along with the music. Attendees are to remain solemn though an occasional chuckle is allowed if the preacher tells a joke. That is rare.

Some don't see this as a bad thing. Quite a few naps are taken during the service. This works fine as long as one spouse stays awake to keep the other from snoring and disrupting services. This person is also in charge of waking the other person when it's time to stand at the end of the sermon.

The dress code is fairly rigid. Men should wear coats and ties. Women should wear conservative dresses, complete with hose and heels. Older women tend to scandalize the preacher with their pantsuits. Personally, I think anyone who is critical -- and this person is almost always a man -- should be forced to put on and wear panty hose when he is 80.

To my knowledge, God never told His children to dress a specific way before they worshipped Him. He did instruct the priests who attended Him in the Tabernacle how to dress but not the rest of us. I've often said that God cares more about our hearts than about whether we're wearing jeans or a fancy dress.

I also find it fascinating that David -- a man God chose to be king over His people -- danced and celebrated God. Who in the world ever decided that we could only worship God with a certain, conservative style? I love to see children dancing along with the music. When people clap or lift their hands in praise, I believe God smiles as He watches His children rejoice at His presence.

God expects us to honor Him and show Him respect. How much more can we do so when we celebrate God with love that comes from the heart rather than restrictions that come from man.