How do you worship?

Sunday night I took my son to his first Rock concert.  Tesla.  Styx.  Def Leppard.

It was awesome.  The music was loud, the energy was electric.  Fans were screaming, dancing, raising their hands in the air.  No one cared what they looked like - they were "worshiping" with the music.  I too enjoyed the music, but at one point I found myself looking around and thinking some different thoughts.

2 Samuel 6:14  And David danced before the Lord with all his might...

Psalm 149:3  Let them praise his name with dancing...

To the many concert goers, these men singing these songs are Gods.  They love them.  They worship them.  They follow them and their music.  They pay lots of money to hear their songs and go to their concerts.  We don't worship God with our money like we should. We don't give him the honor and praise he deserves.   I wonder why don't we worship God with the same fervor I witnessed at this rock concert?

We go to church and we are embarrassed to raise our hands.  We cross our arms and barely open our mouths to sing the verses of the songs.  We are worried about what others will think if we lift up our hands to heaven to worship the King of Kings.

Why???

Why can't we go to church and display for the one who made us whole the same excitement and fervor we see at rock concerts?  These people at the rock concerts are unashamed of their outward show of worship, yet we sit in churches on Sunday and stand because we have to, and sing when we don't really want to.

I've found myself guilty of it on occasion.  I will worship freely when I'm alone - in my car, at home, in the shower.  I will raise my hands as the spirit leads, but at times in church when in corporate fellowship, I will hesitate.  What will the people behind me think?  Will they think I'm weird?  Will the people I'm sitting with think I'm different?  Why do we care what others think?  Why can't we be unashamed to worship the Lord with singing and dancing, raising our hands to worship him, to lift him up?

I know that watching this display of worship at the concert definitely opened my eyes.  It made me see that our priorities have gotten a little skewed.  We raise our hands in stadiums watching our favorites teams...when a home run is hit, when a touchdown is scored, when a buzzer beater goes in the hoop, and when our favorite band plays our favorite song.  Next time I'm at church, I want to worship with abandon the one who died on a cross to give me eternal life.Watch this video and tell me He doesn't deserve more than we give Him...  I want to lift my hands in surrender to him, opening myself up to receive all he wants to give me.  And I won't be ashamed!