The Jesus Macarena

Now for those of you who are fans of contemporary Christian music, please do not be offended. I was raised in a Baptist Church so I’ve sung my fair share of cheesy worship songs, and not so say that there aren’t cheesy hymns… but my concern today is the actions that go along with Christian songs. Okay lets break this down. When you sing a catchy contemporary chorus, chances are there are some actions…and unless you know sign language they’re pretty simplistic…here is all you need to know to do actions to a Christian song.

God= point to the sky
You (in reference to God)= point to the sky
Jesus= point to the sky
Heaven= point to the sky
Lord= point to the sky
Lift = open hands and slowly lift them to the sky.
Earth= point to the ground
Here= point to the ground
Me= point to yourself
I = point to yourself
Cross= make a cross with your arms
The world= open hands in front of you and slowly circle them out very epically
A mention of a direction (ie. north, south east west)= point in that direction
Anything else = Clap

So basically modern Christian worship has turned into a slightly more complex version of “head and shoulders knees and toes.” And you either feel silly for knowing the actions or sillier for not knowing them. I mean really, does God really care if I point to the sky when I say his name? and theologically is that sound? Is God in the sky? And sure, maybe it is beneficial to some to do a lot of waving of their arms when they worship but frankly, if you are over the age of 12 and you aren’t at a summer camp then you shouldn’t be turning singing to God into the “Macarena.” I’m sure John Wesley would roll in his grave if I started to bust out some actions to his hymns. Seriously folks, where has our reverence gone? How about a healthy respect for the Almighty God. He deserves more than just the “hokey pokey.”