It is a brisk fall afternoon in early October. The stadium is filled with numbers of 92,000 plus people give or take a few. Brightly colored shirts and sweaters adorn the seats with the school colors of the crowds favorite team. The noise is so loud it literally rocks the stadium as the teams take the field to do battle for the bragging rights of the game. The school band play the fight song of the respected schools and the crowd will rise to their feet and shout and cheer on their team when a play is made. In most cases the jovial rivalry between the spectators spark laughter and ribbing when the teams score or make a play against the other team. Everyone is excited, upbeat, happy and most have traveled a long way to get to this venue to enjoy the game. The atmosphere is one of gaiety, partying, and an afternoon of sheer happiness. Is there anything wrong with enjoying yourself at a ball game or venue where the atmosphere is one of excitement or enjoyment? Absolutely not, we all need to enjoy ourselves and have fun whenever we get the opportunity. Americans are hard working people, logging in many hours at the office, on the farm, and in my case as a "Road Warrior" and relaxing fun is a necessity. We all need something that we can be passionate about to relieve the stress of our everyday life and who has the right to begrudge us of our fun.
The Bible states, A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
Proverbs 15:13 (ESV). It is good that we enjoy the things that are provided us by our creator. Now I know that God didn't invent football and rock concerts, but he did give us the knowledge and the ability to do the things, create the things that make us happy. However he also gave us the sense to know that there is a time and place for everything. Standing at a piano recital and yelling WHOOHOO is simply not appropriate nor is playing loud music in a library where people are reading or studying. As Clint Eastwood stated in the movie Dirty Harry, "Every man has to know his limitations." We were given a brain to think, however some refuse to utilize this important feature of the human anatomy.
I am always amazed at how people react when it comes to worship. You say worship is a broad area? Well let us zero in at the worship I am referring to, God worship. Recently my wife and I have started attending a new church, a mega church with over 3,000 members and three, count them three services on Sunday morning. It is an awesome church with a six member praise team leading the song service, an orchestra, a full choir and several other instruments to balance the music. The songs are part new music that the younger generation like, but they also take some of the beloved older hymns and add a beat that brings it up to the new generation level and still pleases the older crowd such as myself. Now normally I shy away from the larger churches, mega churches, because they are so large no one knows anyone else, but this church is different. Everyone seems happy and they speak and greet and sing. They stand and raise their hands in praise and actually seem to be enjoying the time they are spending worshipping their Lord. There is no shouting and no one stands and yells you go Preacher, no one turns and chest bumps the person beside them but they are enjoying themselves. Over my lifetime I have attended churches where the people are sitting like they are bored just waiting for the service to end and they make their way to the local restaurant, then home to cheer on their favorite sports team. They stand in the singing portion of the church with a stone cold face and stare at the choir while the choir stares back with their stone cold face wondering where they might be going for lunch. What is wrong with this picture, who said we can't have fun in church while we worship our Saviour who gave it all for us. In 2 Samuel 6:5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. 2 Samuel 6:14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might. WOW was someone actually having fun while they worshipped? I have often wondered how people can attend sporting events, rock concerts, and other secular events, yell and scream, high five their neighbors on Saturday then come to church and sit like a knot on a log and expect to be filled with the grace of the Living God. If someone can explain this to me and make me understand then I am willing to listen. We should be scared to death that on the day of judgement we are questioned on this very subject. Our clergy should be in the pulpits preaching on this subject and stepping on the toes of everyone in the congregation. Worship should fill us, give us the needed fuel to endure the trials of the world that us filled with problems and hate. We should all raise our voices to praise our God and fellowship with the people who believe as we do. Romans 15:6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, the next time you attend church, think, ponder your heart and ask, "do I have the same excitement about worship as I do the sporting events I attend." "Do I cheer on the risen Saviour like I do my college football team or favorite rock star." The choice is ultimately yours, but how will you feel when you will be questioned on the choice you have made?
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