Lost in wonder

Why is it that dancing while singing in church seems so natural here in Africa and so awkward at home? (Apologies to my daughter who is not awkward about it at all.)  We sang this morning some African songs in praise to God.  Nigerian bishops moved to the front  of the auditorium and danced, exuberantly, as they sang.  Here's the great thing.  They were joined by equally exuberant bishops from the West.  Let me say that the Right Reverend Martin Minns plays a mean tambourine.

Part of this, of course, is cultural.  When in Rome...  But it is also instructional.

The worship we do when we are gathered (as opposed to the worship we give in our lives at home, at work and in the community) is meant to be a foretaste of the great wedding feast of the Lamb.  Yet sometimes it feels like we are at a shotgun wedding and no one is very happy.  But why?

First, it is the Spirit Himself  who brings our hearts to worship when we gather.  It is the Lord who leads us to true repentance and the joy which brings praise and thanksgiving to Him. I don't want to whip up emotional response or advocate that people force exuberant worship.  Both of those flow from us and not from God.  But we need to be open to Him and to worship in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:23)

It is an image of being set free, from our sins and all else that binds us, like the spirit of the age, or even of Western secularism.  Two great hymns allude to this:

As he died to make men holy

Let us die to make men free. ( Battle Hymn of the Republic)*

Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature's night

Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray

I woke the dungeon flamed with light

My chains fell off, my heart was free

I rose, went forth and followed thee (And can it be?)

I long to be free from all that binds me, my sin, my unforgiveness and resentments.  From all that stills the praise of God on my lips.

And here is another reason.  The Spirit will not descend to us for worship unless He has first descended to us convicting us of our sin and inviting us to repentance.  If you are anything like me you want to skip to the happy, joyful bit without stopping at the humbling experience of repentance.  Perhaps our gathered worship of God is comparatively lifeless because we our comparatively unrepentant.  The natural fruit of true, Holy Spirit inspired repentance is thankfulness, joy and praise.

Dancing in the aisles in praise is not the only expression of the joy of liberation in Christ Jesus.  I do not expect that when I get home I will find my congregation dancing in the aisles - although I would not be distressed by it.  But there are other expressions of that praise that are equally valid.  But it does rather need to be expressed.  I pray that we would be open to and waiting on the Holy Spirit to lead us first to  repentance and then to the expression ofpraise.

Charles Wesley paints the picture well:

Till we cast our crowns before thee

Lost in wonder, love and praise

*Which republic? Dreadful name for a hymn about the judgement and grace of God which brings us to praise His glory.  Makes it sound like a nationalist anthem.