It’s Not About Me

Ok. So yesterday I got a very stark reminder that corporate worship is not about us and not about me.

I’ve told the folks in our church that we shouldn’t get too uptight about worship styles as long as God is honored. Well, I had to put that theory to the test yesterday as we had the Continental Singers in concert.

What can go wrong in a concert, right? I mean, a group of young people get up and sing. The worst thing that can happen is that the songs are a little too peppy for the normal Baptist. Maybe they rock a little bit. Or maybe they’re just not very good. You say, “Amen” and move on.

Or, they dance. In a Baptist church. Yes. They could do that.

Now, I’m not one of those who thinks dancing is a sin - or just one off from one. Truth be known I participated in not a few “creative movement seminars” whilst I was in college. Some of the young ladies actually complimented me on my “moves.” Of course, you can move like a wounded manatee hopped up on Red Bull and your average Baptist girl wouldn’t know the difference between that and a real dance move. She thinks as long as you don’t spontaneously combust that your moves are good. But I digress.

I’m just not used to dancing in church. I’m not used to dancing within 1000 feet of a church, much less in a worship service. I’m not saying it was bad dancing, though on the whole I’m not saying that it was good, either. For the most part average Christian young people do not dance well and these were average Christian young people. Just to give you an idea, one of our deacons thought that one of the young men bore an uncanny resemblance to Austin Powers. Now, get an image in your head of Austin Powers dancing. Yeah, baby. That’s a frightening image, isn’t it? For the most part, unless you are Independent Fundamentalist Baptists or hard-core Pentecostals you do not go to church to be frightened.

But at the end of the day, I was thankful for the hearts of these young people who, at great personal expense, have given up three months of their lives to go on the road singing and telling people about Jesus. It may have been out of the ordinary for what we expect in a typical Baptist church, but at the same time I couldn’t shake the image of David dancing before the Lord and his wife thinking he was making a fool of himself. He did it to honor God, and that is why these kids were there as well.

So, my sensibilities were a little offended. But I got over it.