Wave Your Hands In The Air
Jon Acuff recently wrote a blog post about holding your hands in the air while worshipping in song. Of course, his post was a humorous take on it. I read it and commented. Why? Like Jon, I don’t raise my hands while worshipping.
Why?
I commented and said that it was because I wasn’t raised like that. I also asked if I should hold my hand up while I jumped on a bridge. I jest, I jest.
I grew up a traditional Southern Baptist. I mean, what would have happened if we had raised our hands? We would have gotten the same looks as the first lady who wore pants to our church got. I mean, that was scandalous.
In 1986, I began attending a good Baptist college. We couldn’t have dances on campus. We couldn’t even advertise having dances off campus. We could, however, advertise our off-campus ”foot functions.”
I went to one such ”foot function” in a dilapidated skating rink. Word Up by Cameo was a popular song at the time. I even danced, or foot functioned, to the song.
What would have happened if the choir director (this was before the days of Ministers of Music or Worship Pastors) at our church had said while leading music, “Wave your hands in the air like you don’t care!!!” We may have broken every Baptist law about dancing ever devised.
Now days, of course, it is very common to find good Southern Baptists putting their hands in the air. My church is a traditional, non traditional Southern Baptist church. There are people putting their hands up and lots of clapping. Sometimes I think I’m the odd one by not doing it.
Let’s make sure that we don’t move in the opposite direction. Let’s leave room for those like me who don’t put their hands up. I promise that sometimes I will beat the pew to the music. Just like last Sunday.
How about you? Are you a hands up or hands down kind of person?
I will never forget when i was in a worship gathering (a youth pastor’s convention) and people raised their hands. I broke out in a cold sweat cuz I thought for sure “tongues” would be next. The first time I raised mine was in an environment where it was normal and natural. but when i went home, the hands stayed down. Because we did not have Sunday evening worship, I started attending a worship that was geared to the 18-30 y/o. Yeah, I was way past that, but it was something my daughter and I did together. That is when I felt the “freedom” of it being okay to raise my hands. I do it now, but only on songs that exalt God/Christ. I have no idea though how many others do since my back is to the audience.
Bill, I sit in the back, so I can see it all. I can just envision the day or the church when someone who doesn’t is the odd one. I say do what you feel is right between you and the Lord.
I don’t most of the time, BUT I have been known to raise my hands a few times when my focus is drawn so closely to Christ. I think hand raising can be a natural and Biblical response when we worship. My hunch is that those who don’t raise their hands will be in a minority when it comes to heaven.
I think there’s a good chance
” I think hand raising can be a natural and Biblical response when we worship.”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20141:1-2&version=NIV
I lift my hands but not to every song. It can become a ritual like anything else and lose it’s meaningfulness.
Do You know WHY people raise their hands?
I think it can be legitimate and can be showy. Kind of like what Rob said. I don’t know their heart, so I don’t try too hard to figure it out. I think there are people who raise them superficially and people who don’t who are worshipping mightily. It varies from person to person.
lol..i meant more along the lines of the legitimate ones…
It’s a sign of surrender…
You know…like when the police say freeze and point a gun at you…people throw thier hands in the air to show they have no defense and surrender to them…
that’s the WHY i was taught growing up…
It’s surrendering to Christ…not just for show or because a song told me to…then again…i come from a latin chruch…we love to DANCE!!! lol…
Arny, are you sure you’re not Greek?
I don’t raise my hands. Several folks at my church do and that’s fine by me. I’m like you, I sometimes drum on the seat in front of me or dance (wiggle) to the beat a little.
Eileen,
Wigglewiggle, wigglewiggle, wigglewiggle, wiggle
I was raised in a VERY quiet, reserved Methodist church. The first time I heard an “amen” from the back corner was in a Baptist church and I almost jumped out of my skin. I was never a hand-raiser, not even when I knew the answer in class. I have become one, not because I’m a chameleon, but because I have been moved to do so. I would never make anyone else feel that they should do something that they don’t feel led to do, nor would I judge anyone that chooses not to worship in the same manner that I do.
Emily, one of the reasons I sit in the back is because I’m afraid you will get excited, jump off the stage and into the row of seats I’m sitting in.
Did you foot function when we were in college?
Don’t worry….I’m certainly not a pew jumper!!!! I didn’t “foot function” but maybe a couple of times. I usually went home on the weekends
I’m ok with you jumping pews.
I’m a moderate hand raiser–not too high, or anything, and only when I feel moved. I’ve even been known to continue sitting when everyone else is standing–because I don’t want to do something just because everyone else is. I want to honor God.
Chad, I tend to not do things so that I’m not conforming as well. Gets me in trouble sometimes.
It is a worship custom which was foreign to my Baptist upbringing. However I hung out with some “Jesus People” types in the 70′s and it became a familiar experience in those settings. It is no longer a part of my regular worship experience, but it can be meaningful at times for me to “lift up holy hands to praise the Lord.” However, as some of you have already commented, I will only do it when I feel a real leading of the Spirit as I hate to be a conformist or to do anything as a mere ritual in worship.
By the way, as a fellow alumnus I too remember the foot functions at that good Baptist school! Of course, as my foot didn’t function in that manner, I avoided showing off my lack of coordination and found other activities…