Throw Your Hands Up, Part 2

So, you have chosen to return. Part 2 of the story beckons you back. Wait … You have no idea what I am talking about? Check out Part 1 of the article here, then come on back. For the rest of my readers, you know the drill. Lean back, strap in, and ensure the airbag is turned on because here we go.

Previously on Christian Sanity 

Throw your hands up for God! Why? If we will raise our hands in class to either ask for the answer or give the answer, then why can’t we petition our heavenly Teacher for the Answer or give the Lord the Answer we have learned? The first facet of raised hands is all about Giving and Receiving. 

Next is the Volunteer. What possible reason do we have to offer ourselves as tribute (Hunger Games style)? Need, Duty, and Desire are some of the most powerful motivations to volunteer. And what do these three things have in common? Each is a form of Service. 

Are we, as Christians, willing to participate in Giving, Receiving, and Service for the Kingdom of Heaven?

Now that we are caught up, it is time to dive into the third feature of raised hands.

Celebration

What does celebration mean? Its definition is to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies and festivities. To proclaim publicly. We need to understand that when we gather before the Lord, it is a day of celebration. We should be glad and rejoice in it. 

How weird does that sound about church? Celebrations often have dances. And King David comes to mind when he danced before the Lord with all his might. Not the Robot, Moonwalk, Electric Slide, the Twist, or the Hokey Pokey, but a dance to glorify God.  Don’t even think about Tango or Line Dancing. 

Imagine King David cutting a modern rug … 

Oh, that’s just me? 

Onward to a few celebratory examples!

Birthdays

The first thing that comes to mind with the word celebrate is excitement. Energy fills people. It’s impossible to sit in nonchalance in a charged atmosphere. I’ve never been to a birthday party where the celebratory song is sung in lackluster boredom. That would be a horrible party. 

Imagine a birthday party without a pinata! Boring! Those kids raise their arms over their heads, wielding a weapon aimed at the destruction of a candy-laden, multicolored figure. In the words of Worf, son of Mogh of house Martok, “Death to the opposition.” Yes, I’m a Star Trek fan. The opposition is the hanging figure filled with a dentist’s worst nightmares in this case.

Sports

A football perfectly spirals through the air. The wide receiver catches it and sprints to the endzone as the horn blares. Time’s up, and this play is the last one of the game. Three defenders are on his heels as the receiver hauls butt down the field. 

Everyone is on their feet with breath frozen in their lungs for the preparatory squeal of victory or shriek of defeat. I might even hold arms with a stranger beside me as we whisper the mandatory countdown. 

Twenty yards, fifteen, ten, five, the defenders are diving, and touchdown!!!

Hands are raised as grown men embrace and throw their arms up in a wave of victorious fervor. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a football game, a wrestling match, or the Kentucky Derby. We cheer and celebrate the win. Unless it is baseball, that’s just a slow form of meeting death. 

Of course I’m kidding… I loved “The Sandlot” and “Major League.” Contact sports for the win. 

Concerts

I don’t care if you’re nine or ninety, we’ve all been to a concert. Can you imagine if we went to a concert and everyone was seated with phones gripped in clammy hands, and our attention was torn between emails, messages, surfing the web, the newest notification, and the cutest little puppy video on any number of social media platforms? 

Seriously. How many acorns can that chipmunk shove into his cheeks before his head explodes in the form of crazy old-school animation?

Ignited lighters ride a wave of raised arms—a sea of earthbound stars made from butane and flammable liquid. Various forms of accelerant burned in a grand vista before the band. An epic scene of raised hands with burning flame celebrates the band on stage. Moshpits leap to existence on the right. And don’t get me started on body surfing. 

Why don’t we get that excited at church or over God? Will you start a Holy Ghost wave in the pews? Ignite the torches of the lighters in enough numbers to set off the smoke alarms. If we can jump up and down over a sporting match, a concert, or playing pyromaniac, then why won’t we throw our hands up in celebration of God

Special Speakers

Motivational speakers for work, school, college, or at those hotel ballrooms must be exciting, engaging, and captivating. If they weren’t, then we would never go to them. I’m looking at you, pyramid schemers, with your fancy dancy words and charismatic ways!

Anywho … The purpose of these people is to light a fire of passion in the hearts of the listeners. 

What about standup comedy shows? If a comedian isn’t funny, he isn’t going to make it to any large venues. Not TV specials for them. Because we are the ones who spread the news, we jump to our feet with hilarity, clap our hands in amusement, and burst out in laughter. It is a sign of poor performance if the audience doesn’t react. 

What about preachers? Can I get an amen? No? Either the sermon hits close to the mark and you’re uncomfortable or you are asleep. You know what I’m talking about. The nods wake you with a sharp head jerk before we nod as we agree with the speaker and pretend we are vigorously in agreement.

Did I snore any? Is that drool in my beard? Is the speaker glaring at me?

But seriously, when the power of God is in place, we are shifting in our seats. Hands get tossed up as we shout, “Amen.” We clap our hands. And we raise our arms to the heavens. Praise God and hallelujah. Throw your hands up!

Conclusion

This is the second of the three-part series “Throw Your Hands Up.” This subject is so important because there are many different ways to celebrate. And a multitude of reasons too. But what does Celebrate even mean and represent for us as Christians?

We have Sundays and Wednesdays earmarked for “celebratory Christian events” in which we participate each week. For many of us, we go to church on the planned days out of habit and ritual. But when we come with expectation and prepared to celebrate, the windows of Heaven are opened and we engage with God. 

Why don’t we do this on any of our other days?

If you answered with a resounding “I do,” then you are fantastic. You receive five gold stars. 

But if you are like most Christians, including myself, there are days you don’t celebrate with God. Work is driving us crazy. Kids have made us contemplate running away. Those pesky neighbors let their dog use your front lawn as a bathroom, and you didn’t see it until you slipped and slid across the driveway. The cat tripped you after making that perfect first cup of coffee that now has stained your clothes and scaled a third of your body. 

Let’s face it. Sometimes we have off days and want to lowkey exist (lowkey means what the DL used to mean, which is what chill days once was. My kids often update my vocabulary with the newest slang which I use, to their dismay, muhahahahaha). 

Do we allow these things to stop us from screaming and waving lighters at a concert? Absolutely not. Are we the speed bump to the Wave in a sporting event? Never!

Then why do we, and I mean we because I do it as well, allow ourselves the excuses not to celebrate the Lord every day?

Celebrating is Praising

Yesterday we looked at how Volunteering means Serving. Today we look at Celebration and decipher what that means when used in conjunction with God. To celebrate the Lord is to Praise the Lord. And we know that God inhabits the praises of his people. 

When we look at Celebrating really meaning Praising, it puts what we aren’t doing into perspective. I do not want to be the one who lets a rock cry out in my place. Do you?

How can we change this? I’m not talking about having a song service, tithes and offerings, sermon, and altar call every day (though that would be pretty cool). Instead, let’s start simple. Find a Christian song and praise the Lord during that single track. Ignore the outside stimuli and imagine you are at a Christian concert. Give yourself over to the celebration and praise.

And if the Holy Spirit speaks a word to you during the praise, definitely do not ignore that particular special speaker. 

Changing each day to a day of Celebration and Praise takes a concentrated effort to make a change for good. And the best way of starting the change is by us throwing our hands up. It’s such a simple gesture. But the act is filled with the power of Praise. 

Stay tuned for the last part of “Throw Your Hands Up,” where we look at an essential aspect of raising our hands. Never fret, for I shall bring the humor. Stay tuned and return for the next episode in Christian Sanity. 

Until then, “Throw Your Hands Up!”