Psalm 100 (NIV) 1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
In the midst of church history, someone got the idea worship should have many attributes that most today find boring. Worship should be proper. Worship should be stoic. Worship should be quiet and reflective. There is a place in the worship of God for each of these attributes; however, that’s not the way worship was in the past.
Psalm 100 dates to the earliest times of organized worship in Israel; 3,000 years ago worship was a raucous occasion. Even as recently as the 1800s, the earliest Methodists (Good Shepherd’s denomination) were considered to be rowdy worshipers. There is more evidence for the validity of worship as a joyful celebration than the restrained boredom experienced in much worship today.
Gathering for worship is an act of worship in itself. Just showing up is the beginning, but if that’s all we do we’re missing the opportunity for a spiritual journey with God. Think of worship like a concert with your favorite musician or a ballgame with your favorite team. You cheer or chant with the crowd. You sing along with the music. You may raise a lighter (or cell phone) to show your support and appreciation for what they are doing. None of this is out of bounds in worship, if we make it clear that God is at the center of our worship.
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