“A lot of people don’t know this… but it is possible to be emotive in corporate worship, and still be a Baptist.” That is how I encouraged and challenged? Our church to engage with Psalm 134. This psalm was both our call to worship and the name of the song we were about to sing that morning:
“Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!”
Some churches, denominations, cultures, and people groups are naturally emotive in the way they participate in corporate sung worship. Some are naturally more reserved. While I do not believe there is a moral high ground, as I wrote last week, I do believe that it is right and good that the truths we sing move us - and that we encourage our people to be moved.
If you would like to encourage your people toward responding in worship, how might you do that - you know, without poking fun at their denominal affiliation like yours truly? Here are a few things to consider:
Look around the room
Ask people not just to look at a screen, or at a hymnal, ask them to look around the room. We sing to God, yes, but we also sing to one another. Look at the faces of your brothers and sisters, sing to them, sing on their behalf.
Speak these words aloud
Whether the songs are new and unfamiliar or people feel they ‘aren’t really singers.’ Encourage people to at least speak the truths we sing aloud. Our words have power, and we need to proclaim truth not only have it sung around the room.
Open our hands
For some people, any physical posture in worship feels uncomfortable. I have encouraged people, even if they are uncomfortable raising their hands in worship, to open their hands - even if they are shoved in your pockets, will you open them as a posture of surrender, openness, and receiving?
Raise our hands
Lifting up holy hands in worship is a posture we see throughout Scripture, but can feel too odd, uncomfortable, or vulnerable for many worshipers. Why do we raise our hands? In victory - Jesus victory over Satan, sin, and death. In surrender - realizing that we can no longer fight. In dependence - upon God for our very breath. In faith - allowing our physical posture to aim and reinforce what we desire to be true of our hearts and lives.
Don’t just tell people to respond. Encourage, invite, model, maybe even be cheeky, and give them a loving rebuke. But help them see why we do what we do. I have often found people eager to respond, they have been waiting on permission, waiting on an invitation.
If this was helpful, you may also appreciate Postures In Worship.