Full Worship

Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy -Psalm 47:1

We Lutherans are a funny bunch.  We love our worship styles whether it is traditional or contemporary... organ music or guitars and drums... but it sure is hard to get many Lutherans to participate fully in even their favorite songs. 

I used to get so frustrated that only a half-dozen or so folks would clap their hands to music that almost demands hands to  be clapped or when we'd sing the line "we lift our hands" maybe three people would actually lift their hands.  But I have learned over the years that just because people don't "seem" to be fully worshiping, it doesn't mean they aren't.  I realize that a lot of personal tradition goes into how we worship and sometimes change doesn't just mean change... it can mean feeling irreverent.  And we certainly want to approach God reverently.

But there is so much in the Bible about praising God by clapping, dancing, shouting, raising our hands and putting our whole body into it.  It's okay to be emotional in our worship.  God created emotion.  It doesn't mean that faith is about emotion because we know that faith is about believing even when we don't feel emotional.  But when we think about our blessings and the grace upon grace upon grace and God's incredible love for us, why WOULDN'T we clap our hands and shout for joy?  This is stuff to really get excited about!

When Cecelia comes over the first thing she does is run to me with wide-open arms, shouting "Kaymee!"  Would I love her any less if she just came in and went straight to her toys?  No.  But her greeting makes me feel so loved that sometimes I think my heart might burst.  God knows our hearts, but what joy it must bring him to see us actively express our love our love to him. 

When you worship tomorrow, perhaps you might step a little out of your comfort zone by singing a little louder or clapping your hands to an appropriately "clappy" song or raising your hands (at least to your waist) when we sing "we raise our hands."  No, it's not necessary, and no one will think you love God less if you don't.  But just those little actions can make us feel a little closer to our Heavenly Father... and what joy we will bring him with our effort to express our worship a little more deeply.

Father,
We love you.  And you know our hearts, so you know we love you.  But we want to bring you a tiny fraction of the joy you give us.  Help us to step out of our worship comfort zones in order to praise you more fully.  Amen.

Joys: a good evening at Relay For Life; an invitation to serve to pray about; Plans with Cecelia for this afternoon