Expressive Worship with Reluctant People
April 1, 1994
During the opening of the last Olympics, everyone in the stadium joined hands and sang. On television talk shows, the guests greet one another and the host with smiles and handshakes or kisses. Athletes give each other high fives or dance in the end zone. We're a far more expressive society than thirty years ago when I began ministry. Along the way, many churches have also become more expressive, displaying more openly their joy and praise. It's not that they have a diminishing respect for the mind. They simply have an increasing need to experience their faith emotionally. At Church on the Way, we've tried to offer worship that engages the whole person. We teach the Word, and we sing praises through both choruses and hymns. We pray with heads bowed and other times with faces up. We praise God with voice and hands and, on rare occasions, with feet (yes, a simple dance!). In short, we aim to worship not only with our minds, but to express openly our heart-felt worship. Certainly, the Bible (the Psalms especially) shows that worship engages both the mind and the deep emotions. And countless individuals testify that expressive worship dramatically nurtures their faith. But not everyone, of course, is comfortable expressing emotion in worship. Some are concerned it will lead to unseemly behavior. Others believe that expressive worship is unworthy of thoughtful Christians. We've tried to address those concerns. FITTING EXPRESSIONS
In our services, we encourage people to do four things, each of which helps engage the whole person. 1. Personalize their praise. Worship leaders help people praise God for his great gifts, like creation and salvation. But sometimes even devout Christians have a hard time grasping the immensity of these magnificent ...
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