Isn’t it interesting how a sound can be welcome in one environment and unwelcome in another? What is completely acceptable and encouraged in one situation might be entirely unacceptable and even considered rude in another location.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
Exhibit A: Belching.
Some of you might have cringed at the mention of the word. In general, in our culture, among a “polite” audience, belching/burping/gurking (a new word for me…used the thesaurus!) is considered to be impolite, rude, crass, a no-no. That’s the general rule for the general audience.
Change the audience to a group of elementary school boys?
Belching becomes a welcomed sign of respect. Able to recite the entire alphabet during a burp? You rule! You are awesome. You have talents that will get you somewhere. In this context of elementary-aged boys, a burp is a sign of awesomeness. Now, you might be tempted to think that this is just because those boys are immature, but this isn’t the only environment where this type of expression is welcome. In fact, there are some cultures where belching, in general, is considered to be a compliment. If you are in China and enjoy your food, what do you do? “Braaaaaappppp!” “My compliments to the chef.” A belch in this environment can be considered to be a compliment. When one belches, one is saying “That was quite the tasty dish!”
What is considered rude in one context is considered complimentary in another. What is an unwelcome sound in one situation is a welcome sound in another.
Exhibit B: Crickets.
Many people like the sound of crickets. Their chirp is a welcome cadence to nature enthusiasts and to those who enjoy their gentle call. In fact, a number of white noise machines (you know those apps on your phone that you use, or the pre-programmed speakers you can buy that make different sounds to help you sleep…sounds of the jungle, ocean waves, whirring fans, etc.) include the sound of crickets as one of the selections. In some contexts, the sound of chirping crickets = awesome.
If white noise machines aren’t enough to convince you, let’s consider China again. China has a history of raising and keeping crickets. Sometimes this was done so that people might enjoy their sound at night. Sometimes it has been done for sport (cricket fighting…a harmless battle between two crickets. In the past, they even bred crickets just for this sport!) Crickets have been highly valued, their chirping has been considered soothing, and it is desirable to have a cricket in one’s home. Again, the sound of a chirping cricket = awesome.
Do you want to know where the sound of a chirping cricket is unwelcome? Where it is un-awesome? In my house! Outside crickets are fine. Inside crickets? NOT WELCOME! Those buggers can be loud, irritating, and a source of stress. Instead of helping people to sleep, a cricket within our home has the opposite effect. People are unable to sleep. When people are unable to sleep, problems occur. In my home, the sound of a chirping cricket means one thing…it’s go time. It’s time to find that sucker and escort them to a new location. It’s time to wage war on the crickets until their population has been eradicated from our domain. In our home, within our walls, the sound of a cricket is not welcome.
Recently, we’ve run into this problem. We’ve heard the sound of crickets in our home. To date, there have been about 8 that recently have needed to enter a relocation program of sorts. (One of them wore a top hat, a tail coat, and was carrying a tiny umbrella. He mentioned something about a mouse. I told him he and any of his mice friends could take a hike. I’m not interested. Same rules apply to mice as to crickets…fine outside. Stay out of our house.) We’ve heard the sound of the cricket chirp. Their war cry has been raised, and we’ve sprung into action. Hopefully, we’ve evicted the entire clan, but we will still be on our guard in case another one appears.
What is a welcome sound in one context can be completely unwelcome in another.
This idea got me to thinking about our church environments, and it made me wonder…are there sounds that are unwelcome within our worship service that would actually be considered welcome to God? Conversely, are there sounds that we welcome in our worship services that are unwelcome to God?
A number of years ago I was visiting a United Methodist Church in another community. It was fairly typical of most United Methodist Churches…responses were either communal, printed in the bulletin, and recited together, or they were silent. No “Amens” during the preaching. No “preach it brothers” were said. No “hallelujahs.” Nothing of that sort. I get it. Some call us the “Frozen Chosen”. I’m not going to dive too deep into that conversation for now. But, there was one gentleman with Down Syndrome who didn’t follow the pattern. He let out some “Amens”. He said some “Hallelujahs.” He might have even said “Praise the Lord” at one point. Gasp! I was sitting behind this gentleman and his caregiver, and I noticed the caregiver was responding to his “outbursts” by “shushing” him. “Amen!” “Shhh!!!” “Praise the Lord!” “Shhh!!!!” “Hallelujah!!!” “SSSSHHHHHH!!!!!!!” It was obvious to me that the sounds that this gentleman was making were unwelcome to the caregiver. He needed to learn the proper procedure for church. That behavior was out of place.
But was it, really? Was it really out of place? Should he have been quiet?
He wasn’t being disruptive. He wasn’t being rude. In fact, to me, he was responding in ways that were completely authentic, genuine, and appropriate.
The preacher would say something like “Jesus is Alive!” He would respond, “Hallelujah!” The caregiver would say “Shhh!”
Which, do you think, was the welcome sound to God? Which, do you think, was the response that blessed the heart of our Savior? Which, do you think, was appropriate? “Hallelujah” or “Shhh”?
I know. I know. Even Paul teaches about being orderly in worship. What about 1 Corinthians 14:26?
I’m not arguing against being orderly, but sometimes I wonder if the order has become the god instead of allowing or even encouraging people to respond to God within the context of an orderly worship service. Sometimes I wonder if we have squelched some crickets, have quieted some chirps, have “Shhh’d” some sounds that would be welcome noises to the Lord all for the sake of “order”, “respect” or a general “that’s not how we roll around these parts.”
Think on that for a while and see what you come up with. Where have we quieted sounds that would be welcome to God just because they are unwelcome to us?
On the flip side of the coin is the opposite issue. Where have we welcomed sounds that are unwelcome to God?
There’s a warning found in the book of Isaiah. This is what it says:
Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
~Isaiah 1:13-17
Or how about this passage from the Psalms?
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
~Psalm 51:16-17
Here is what I am trying to convey. It’s not so much the words, the songs, the gifts, or even the celebrations that matter (even Easter & Christmas). You could say all of the right things on Christmas Eve, singing O Holy Night with a voice that would make Pavarotti jealous, and light the candle at the perfect time during Silent Night, and it still would not be a pleasing sound to the Lord if you are just “going through the motions” without your heart being in the proper place. You could wake up Easter Sunday and proclaim “He is Alive!” in a voice loud and clear, but if it’s just words, it doesn’t amount to much. If Sunday morning worship is a “check box” where you “have” to say the right prayers, sing the right hymns, respond in just the right way…well, it may not actually be worship. It may be something else…like a performance or a ritual.
It’s possible for us to do/say/act in a way that looks like worship to others but is actually unwelcome noise to the Lord. As a last example, check out the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).
Even though the words we say are important (that could be the topic for another lesson), God is more concerned with our hearts, our lives. The Lord’s Prayer said in faith with a heart of worship will be much more pleasing to God than the same words being perfectly stated with absolute eloquence by one who has no faith and is simply trying to look a part.
My hope, friend, is that we seek the Lord with all of our hearts. My hope, friend, is that we are more concerned with what sounds are welcome to His ears, what noises bring joy to His heart, than we are with what may appear to be appropriate worship but is actually empty words. My hope, friend, is that we will worship the Lord…in spirit, in truth, in humility, in love, in faith, in honesty.
Even if this means uttering a “Hallelujah” and being “shushed.” Even if it means sounding like an unwelcome cricket in a quiet house. Even if we are looked at with condemnation. My hope, friend, is that we would be concerned with making sounds that are welcomed by our Savior, that would be pleasing to His ears, that would cause His heart to smile, and that would bring Him joy.
~ Pastor Chris
