THE CHAOS OF PRAISE

As I was preparing to preach last week, I was reading Psalm 150, one of the suggested Lectionary readings for the 2nd Sunday of Easter:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
Praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
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 clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (NRSV)

I found myself thinking of a new phrase that I think I may have actually coined (I'll take credit for it for a while anyway): The Chaos of Praise.

Some people in more charismatic churches might know this better than others. The idea that a noise filled room of such diverse expressings of faith can be a form of deep praise.

For all of us there should be excitement and value experienced when the diversity and variety of God's people becomes obvious. It should not scare us or bother us, but exite us. We are no more or less than others just because they are different than us.

Thank God for opportunities to join in the Chaos of Praise.