Awesome and Awkward
I’ve given them and I’ve received them. I’ve watched programs and concerts and ballgames where standing ovations were the norm.
We’ll stand and cheer for a great play on the field. We’ll stand and clap and scream for our favorite band’s encore performance. We’ll stand when someone gives a compelling speech or sermon that really struck a nerve.
And we’ll gladly stand when the service is over.
The Prompting
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of prompting people to stand in worship. I’m tired of hoping they’ll stand on their own without hearing someone with a mic tell them to.
It’s something many of us do each and every service we lead. Granted, there are times when folks need to get specific directions, but this isn’t something that should be the norm.
Case in Point
We do a series every August called “School of Rock.” It’s a fun series where we feature some popular rock songs that the band performs live. This year, we got standing ovations almost every week. Now I have to admit, we really rocked these songs out and if I wasn’t leading our worship, I would have been standing too!
But this really bugged me and I’ll tell you why. Previous to performing our featured songs, we had worshiped with not one, not two, but three worship songs and we (God) didn’t receive one standing ovation. We did have a few not-sure-it’s-OK-to-clap moments, but they really lacked the zeal and enthusiasm of the rock songs.
And as good as the standing O made me feel, I really felt like we shorted God.
He was the reason we sang. He was the reason we got up this morning. He was our reason to celebrate.
The Questions
So I started questioning everything … my leadership, my communication, the worship I lead. It was an ugly battle in my mind.
I mean, should this bug me? Am I being a little too serious? Isn’t this OK?
I guess I was more afraid of encouraging and creating an apathetic group of worshipers who are more interested in the top 40 than they are in praising God.
But is that even right? One of my most visited posts was on this very subject, the responsibility (or heavy weight) of worship leaders.
I guess I long to see the church, my church and your church, so desperate for our God that we are willing to give Him a standing ovation every time. I long to see the church pursue God with reckless abandon regardless of outside forces like opinions and perceptions.
But you know what … it starts with me. And it starts with you. Let’s be the change.
What’s your most frustrating thing about your weekend worship?
