ARE YOU IN STYLE?

2 Samuel 6:12-2112 David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those whowere carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificeda bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the soundof trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City ofDavid, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. . . . 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said,"How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobingin the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 21 David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when heappointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel--I will celebratebefore the Lord.

"What style of worship does your church have?"

I knew what the woman was asking, but I decided to play dumb. "Oh, the regular kind," I said, "the one where we love God and praise Him."

"No, no," she persisted. "I mean, is it contemporary or traditional?" "Yes," I replied.

Someone interrupted our conversation, and I was left wondering, When did worship style become such a big deal?

I don't remember anyone talking about styles of worship when I was growing up. We just worshiped. Sometimes the morning service wascalled the "worship" service and Sunday evening was the "praise"service, but they didn't seem that different to me. We sang songs in both services, we prayed, we had special music, the pastor spoke from the Bible. Maybe the songs in the evening were a little more upbeat, but otherwise both services focused on one thing--God.

In 2 Samuel 6, we read how David upset his wife because of his style of worship--and the way he was dressed. When the ark of the covenant was finally returned from the house of Obed-Edom, Davidrejoiced--big-time. He "danced before the Lord with all his might" (v.14).

Styles do vary in the church. My sister Kathy, who was a missionaryin Africa for many years, told me that when her family visited a newchurch it never mattered if they didn't know the language. Theycould feel the sense of worship among the people. Sometimes thesinging was very different from what they had experienced in theStates, and dancing was an integral part of the service. But it allcommunicated a love for God.

Our brothers and sisters around the world have cultures andbackgrounds that move them to celebrate their love for God invarious ways. Is another's style of worship less acceptable in God'seyes than our own church's style?

It's not about what we think. It never was. It is and always will beabout what God thinks. --Cindy Kasper

DESTINATION POINTS

* What is my attitude about different worship styles?
* What kind ofworship is God looking for?

LINKS
What Is Worship?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0902/

Sparring Over Worship
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/worship/articles/le-7l1-7l1037.html

bottom line: Worship is about God, not me.

cbn