Are You Allowed to Have Fun in Church?

            The short answer is YES! However, I feel like some people were never taught that growing up. My daughter attended a different denomination for a school assignment and the first thing she said when she came home was that no one moved at all during the singing. She said it was very weird! This past Sunday, I attended a church in Wales as part of a mission trip. The British are generally more reserved, but we got them to come out of their shell a little as “Crazy Texans.” During the worship songs, a few of them raised their hands but did little else as an expression of worship. Because we were celebrating a week full of a Holiday Bible Club (VBS for those in the states), we did some of the songs that we did during the week. We went on stage to lead them in the motions for the songs. The first song, only about half of the people moved along with us, but by the last song everybody was moving their bodies.

I am not saying that the only way to have fun in church is to move your body, but there were not a lot of smiles at the church my daughter went to and there was a room full of smiles in Wales. I am saying that we need to do a better job of reminding ourselves and our church that we have the joy of the Lord more. The Bible tells us to make a joyful noise, clap your hands, raise your hands, and dance before the Lord. When I hear those things, I do not believe that you do those things without at least a smile on your face. Smiling can be contagious, and your smile can make someone else smile and who knows where it could go from there. My ninth grade English teacher used to say, “we need to maintain a modicum of decorum”. I have never forgotten that even though it has been nearly forty years since I sat in her class. When I think about maintaining a modicum of decorum, I immediately imagine people sitting there looking bored and unengaged. Church should be the last place that people should look or feel bored and unengaged. My hope is that as a pastor, I can help in creating a fun and engaging environment, but I cannot do that by myself. So, if you are a member of Shady Oaks Baptist Church, will you join me in smiling, moving, praising, and having fun in our worship and other gatherings we have together? I know there is a fine line between fun and crazy or out of control, so please hear my heart in that heaven is going to be fun, so let’s work on our dress rehearsal hear on earth. Who knows??? We might even attract more people to join us spreading joy to those we encounter. Let’s strive to live out Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

We all need good medicine for our hearts, minds, and souls!