"Jumping up and down like Hippies"
I was talking with someone who has been going to a church for a little while now and is struggling to engage in worship there. She says,
"I thought this was a "'Believer"' service, why are the people on stage jumping up and down like hippies?"
I suppose her point here is that these people don't seem genuine. They paint Christianity out to be some beautiful picture, something Rembrandt might put together. This is an interesting point. Are these people so in love with God that they want to look like "jumping hippies"? If so, then she, (along with myself and millions of others) are missing something. From the sound of it, it seems like there is no authenticity coming through these people. Christianity is not always a "pretty picture". Following God sometimes involves being physically and emotionally drained, psychologically wore down, hurt and broken. This sounds all "emo" but if Christianity is about jumping up and down week after week then I have missed the boat, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want to be on that one anyways.
I want to be on the boat that has people who work really hard to find God. I want to be with the people who hurt, who are broken, who don't have it all together. Because only with these people do I feel real.
Don't get me wrong, Christianity often has something to be extremely excited about. But the Journey can be long and strenuous at times. It's not about Spiritual Highs or Lows, it's more about how I connect with God on an average day. That is the true measure of my relationship with God.
posted by Chris | 10:01 AM
1 Comments:
I think that there is something to be said about being excited and in awe of God, but sometimes cheerful faces and a painted smile doesn't always seem to be that 'real'. I hope and pray that I can constantly live with the reminder of what Jesus did for me, and maybe if I could do that, I would be jumping around like a hippie a little more too. For some reason though, smily and showy worship pushes God into a corner in my mind, even though I realize that is not always true. But when I see people raising their hands and crying out to God I see people who are broken and in need of a Savior. That is what I see as real, authentic, and appealing worship... My fear is just that the church, in general, is becoming too concerned with looking like we have life all figured out. In a way that is why Teletubbie Christianity is so scary to me. Are non-believers more attracted to joyful and fruit-filled spirits or people whose lives are a complete wreck yet find refuge in God? I think about that a lot. Just a thought, and a long one at that.
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