Looking for Balance
"Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God, and all the people said AMEN, AMEN!! While lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground"
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It would be a vast understatement to say that the church is divided by worship styles. Today's church is FRAGMENTED - offering various kinds of services to meet the needs of various demographic people groups, trying to please everyone while pleasing no one, losing sight of our true audience, our Heavenly father! There seem to be 3 schools of thought. Worship should be:
UPWARD - with a sense of holiness and a "proper" liturgical approach to the Almighty
OUTWARD - with great celebration, joy, participation and exuberance
INWARD - reflective, quiet, introspective and humble In Nehemiah 8 we see all three perspectives simultaneously! There was an OUTWARD expression ("AMEN, AMEN!!"), an UPWARD expression ("while lifting their hands") and an INWARD expression ("they bowed low") as God's people worshipped Him.
When I was young my family loved to gather around the piano and sing hymns or carols together. Each of us had our favorites, and we sang them ALL during those times. As a church we need to remember that we are a family, and we need to appreciate various expressions of worship so that each family member will be able to communicate with God in their language. |
THOUGHT:
"Blessed are the balanced."
- Warren Wiersbe |
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