Come Express Your Love For God
My grandfather passed away last month, and he’s been on my mind quite a lot. He was a man I greatly admired, not because of his many accomplishments, but because he loved his family with the ferocity of a lion. At the age of 70, barely 5 feet 7 inches tall, the man could take down a WWE wrestler with his hugs. I learned at a young age that I needed to brace for impact on his front stoop, lest he open the door and K.O. me with affection. He spoke the kindest words about his family. The pride he took in his kids and his grandkids poured out of him like a ruptured dam – often he’d tear up just by looking in the faces of his loved ones. Oh, and the way he loved my grandmother. Over 60 years of marriage he doted on, danced with, and cherished her. While my grandma was beautiful in her own right, my grandpa’s consistent sacrificial love and adoration of her in marriage made her look like the crown jewel.
I deeply admire my grandpa’s love. He lived his life expressing it instead of bottling it up. In many ways, when I think of God’s love for His people, the most tangible example I have is the fierceness of my grandpa’s love for his family. While he is dearly missed, I am freshly inspired by his memory to express my love well – ferociously – toward my family and toward the Lord.
The Psalms talk in great detail about different expressions of love directed from the people of God toward the Lord. They teach us that expressing our love for God is more than just the vocalization of a fact. Expressing love, as my Grandpa taught me so well, is physical. Here are some of the Psalms I’m talking about:
Shout: “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you His righteous.” – Psalm 33:1
Stand in Awe: “Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” – Psalm 33:8
Clap Your Hands: “Clap Your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” – Psalm 41:1
Bow Down: “O Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our maker!” – Psalm 95:6
Lift Your Hands: “Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD.” – Psalm 134:2
Dance: “Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!” – Psalm 149:3
Make Music: “Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” – Psalm 150:3-5
The Psalms paint a clear picture that our response of love to God, our worship of Him, should be physically expressive. I can’t, nor will I prescribe what that looks like for you, but I would implore you to join us THIS FRIDAY NIGHT at 7pm as we seek to express our love and adoration for all that God is at our Night of Worship! This night is specially prepared with different elements than our weekend gatherings for the precise purpose of helping us to express our love to God through song, the raising and clapping of hands, and through the making of music.
I greatly look forward to joining voices with you and adoring our God together on Friday night from 7:00-8:30pm.
In His Mercy,
Pastor Ryan Aufenkamp