Why Do Some Expressions of Worship Make Us Uncomfortable?
Different but Same Worship
We quickly form judgments about what looks appropriate and mature in worship. We may regard ourselves as reasonable and discerning, yet our standards are shaped not only by Scripture but also by familiarity, respectability, and the opinions of others.
Reason is a valuable gift from God. Sin, however, can turn even reason into a tool for protecting our comfort and social standing. When renewed under God’s truth, reason leads us to offer our bodies, emotions, thoughts, and wills to God.
I remember attending a special needs worship service. About ten students and adults with developmental disabilities were worshiping with the praise team. One person danced with his whole body, while another stood almost motionless with folded hands. One or two moved so energetically that their dancing resembled movement to K-pop music.
As I watched them, I considered how these different bodily expressions could all be sincere acts of worship offered to God. A person attending with me, however, found the scene unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable. These were expressions seldom seen in an ordinary church service.
We may respond similarly when we see an adult with a disability dancing or singing loudly in worship. We might think, “That is not appropriate behavior for an adult,” or, “I could never do that because I would feel too self-conscious.” We may speak about order and discernment while actually reacting to bodies and expressions that are unfamiliar to us.
In many churches, calmness and restraint are treated as signs of mature worship. This tradition can contribute to reverence and congregational order. Yet when we decide in advance which behaviors are appropriate for a particular age or social position, a body that does not conform may be labeled immature or disorderly before the meaning of its worship is understood.
We must also be cautious of the opposite interpretation. Some people say that those with developmental disabilities worship freely because their souls are especially pure. Others suggest that they are less aware of social expectations because they lack discernment.
Such statements may sound complimentary, but they confine people within a fixed image. People with developmental disabilities also know, love, and respond to God as active participants in worship. If we explain their praise only as a result of disability, we fail to recognize the faith and choice expressed through it.
We should also examine why their worship inspires us. If we are surprised that someone can worship joyfully despite having a disability, our sense of inspiration may conceal low expectations. On the other hand, some people may feel guilty because they cannot express themselves as freely.
Yet these worshipers are not praising God to inspire us or make us ashamed. Their worship is directed toward God.
That day, the person standing quietly with folded hands and the person dancing energetically were each worshiping through their own body. The size of an expression cannot measure the size of faith. Energetic movement does not guarantee spiritual purity, and a quiet posture does not automatically prove maturity. People respond to God in different ways.
In 2 Samuel 6, David dances with all his strength before God as the ark enters Jerusalem. Watching from a window, Michal despises him because she views his actions through expectations of royal dignity and respectability. David’s attention extends beyond the people evaluating him and remains fixed upon God.
The passage does not instruct every worshiper to dance like David. It shows what can be lost when concern for human evaluation controls the joy we offer to God.
In Romans 12, Paul urges believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices pleasing to God. He then calls them to resist conformity to the present age and to be transformed through the renewal of their minds so that they may discern God’s will. Offering our bodies and renewing our minds belong together. God receives our whole lives—our bodies, emotions, reason, and will.
Sin can make reason a servant of respectability. Familiarity then becomes the definition of normal, and unfamiliar expressions are quickly judged inappropriate. When reason is placed under God’s truth, it recovers its proper purpose. We become able to recognize worship offered through bodies different from our own rather than rushing to judge them.
Corporate worship needs order that considers others. That order should protect every worshiper and make participation possible. When the comfort of the majority becomes the controlling standard, order can become a language of exclusion.
The church must make room for different expressions without romanticizing the person who dances or burdening the quiet worshiper with guilt. Worship is not offered through only one kind of body or movement. Our discomfort may reveal more about our familiar standards and low expectations than about another person’s worship.
Expressions differ, but the One who receives our worship is the same.