I attend a contemporary Church, where most raise their arms in worship…I just don’t yet feel comfortable doing that in public.
I was raised in Lutheran Church. People did not raise their arms while the organ routinely played "A Mighty Fortress is My God". People were (hmm, hmm) 'dignified' at all times – possibly a legacy of repressed emotion in German culture. Besides ones hands are to be used for holding black hymnals!.
Call me aloof, regard me as reserved, I do worship God, no more, no less than my arm raising Christian friends.
I see the clearly His wonder and majesty in nature, in the excellent handiwork of man who is made in his image. I hear his thoughts within melodies and praise his wisdom when contemplating principles of design in economics, in biology and or naturally occuring patterns such as the Fibonacci curve.
Most of all, I see clearly His face, His Character and His presence in spending time with Children, in particular my own, - watching them as they learn and grow.
Sharing fiest-time experiences with my eldest son, with whom yesterday I swam across a kaleidoscopic reef on a pristine day, and watched his face as he looked over the 'drop-off' - deep into the abyss below.
Or seeing the joy in my eleven month old son, whose beaming smile and uninteligable sounds of joy cause my heart to race as he recognizes my face early in the morning.
And with welcome irony, he raises his arms without inhibition as a natural expression of love - and in a silent language that beckons his Father to come closer and to lift him up and take him into his own arms.
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5 comments:
Nice thoughts Lionfish. As a non-"butterfly catcher" myself, I often wish I could be more uninhibted in worship.
I don't have kids, but I have a cute little dog who gets so excited to see me that his whole body wags!
I guess God knows that folks like us are dancing on the inside!
Very true Lionfish. I do raise my hands (not arms) when I feel especially close to God in worship. But it took me a long time to get to that place. It is not a guage of spirituality though, as some would have you believe. It is simply a personal expression of worship. God could care less about the outward appearance, but rather looks at the motivation of the heart. He knows that when I get to that point in worship when I raise my hands, it's because I have finally stopped thinking about the world around me, my problems, my daily concerns and am 100% focused on Him. For you, that moment may be a completely internal thing. But God still sees it in you. Sarah Ban Breathnach says, "An authentic life is the most personal form of worship." That's what really counts! However, all that being said, if it's something you want to experience...then just go for it. Make a decision to just lift one hand, keep it on your lap if you want (that's how I started) and see if it expresses how you feel. If not, in the words of Mikey Blue Eyes, "Fuget about it."
Thanks Kel, and Becky,
Thats an interesting contrast in perspectives - yet pardoxically no-one is too far apart from God.
I would love to be completely surrendered to god, and uninhibited in worship, to lose my sense of self in worship like Becky...but it could be that I am wired differently.
God, as we all agree sees the heart - not the hands. raised hands as an outward manifestation of selfless worhsip is a wonderful thing.
And so is honesty and transparency in being yourself and being honest to God.
When my, now 9 year old son, was almost 2, we went to Sunday night service at our traditional Baptist church. We had only attended for a month and really didn't know many people yet. It was the Lord's supper and everyone was quiet but the Pastor. He was praying outloud and then said, "AMEN". We were sitting in the front row and my son YELLED AMEN and threw his little arms in the air, pacifier in hand. The pacifier flew through the air and landed right next to the Pastor. Children are a perfect example of spontaneous worship. You should worship the Lord in whatever way you feel comfortable--He knows your heart!
Great story Teresa, thanks. Kids are beautiful.
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