I went to one last night.
What fascinates me is comparing the behavior at a wedding dance to the behavior at a worship service.
The behavior is so different and I'm trying to nail down why!
Last night we all had so much fun dancing and singing! People showed practically no inhibitions, even relatively quiet and demure people who are respectable and conservative in church services. Everyone was on the dance floor leaving nothing behind!
Such passion! Such joy!
Why are wedding dances fun but the same people glower and look like deer in the headlights in a worship service?
The same people.
I have some theories.
1. Joy. The wedding celebration is fun and it brings people joy. Worship is not and does not. Gulp. OK – if this is true, where are we failing in our worship theology? Does a couple need to get married before every worship service to inspire a celebration?
2. Ethanol. Let's be honest – ethanol helps reduce inhibitions. Maybe that is part of it. If so, I can only say that either we should have ethanol in worship or we should consider that the Holy Spirit is at least as powerful as ethanol. Inhibitions and self-consciousness are huge obstacles to passionate worship. We haven't figured out how to overcome them in worship, at least not in my church. I didn't detect many self-conscious inhibitions last night at the wedding dance!
3. Ambience. We try to make our worship ambience encouraging of passion and transcendence. At a wedding dance this is so easy. The room is dark and there are flashing lights everywhere. Nobody is watching the DJ. People are dancing with joy, clapping, singing, and stomping. They are doing it for hours on end. During worship in church…not so much. At the dance most people knew most of the songs. They were pop/rock classics from the past 40 years, shared deep in our culture. People belted out the lyrics in full voice, unable to hear themselves, sharing happy memories of the songs. Not in church.
4. Examples. At a wedding dance the kids hit the floor hard and immediately with joy and passion. They basically create role models for the wallflowers who soon follow. Who is setting this passionate example in worship, granting permission to shed inhibitions?
5. Volume. This is the observation that most inspires me. I listened carefully to the music at the dance last night. It was well above 95 dB the whole night. More importantly, it was dance music with simple messages inspiring simple joy. The subwoofer blasted punchy bass lines and powerful backbeats all night long. The sound carried the power to hit us right in the gut where the rock experience belongs! Even more importantly: nobody complained! No critical comment cards were submitted – there was just joy and smiles and passionate abandon. People came expecting powerful music in that style and they embraced it.
What is going on??
These joyful dancers are the same people trapped motionless in their seats at a church worship service the same weekend.
Why?
Is it unfair to compare worship to a wedding dance? If so, why? Why is our culture confused about this?
Why should so many Christians settle for passive, inhibited worship when they really do know how to party?
I'm beginning to understand why Jesus launched his ministry by supplying supplemental wine for a wedding dance.
5.15.16
2 comments:
I may be dancing for the very first time at my daughter's wedding. I am glad I read this blog first. With that in mind I will celebrate without restraint and then hope to carry that over to worship. That certainly happens in my heart...but ourside??? Yes...that is the way it should be. Thank you! Bless you!!! Brenda...still blessed in Blaine
Very interesting post! Thank you for sharing.
Post a Comment