Am I mistaken, was not Mariam and David celebrating national victories, or national events? Seems, to me they were national events and should have been accompanied by joy, but at the same time I can see and easy transition to solemnity upon arriving at the tabernacle.
Grace has a way of producing both joy and fear, at least it should. Look at Peter in Luke 5. Christ graced them with a great haul of fish, but instead of rejoicing and hoping up and down, he said, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" Grace produced fear, a sense of unworthiness.
Soveriegn election should produce both great joy and great sorrow, and a recognition "that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). Election should fill us with anticipation, but sober us with sacrifice. This mixture of emotion is one of the things that makes the cross so beautiful. It is the highlight of our salvation, where the devil was crushed beneath God's heal, and our future joy in heaven was marked in stone. But is also demonstates our wretchedness, our depravity. I often ponder death, the death of Christians that is, because I feel that same sense of meloncholy. Joy at knowing where they live, and sorrow at thier passing and the curse of sin. This kind of meloncholy should be absored in every worship service. GOD's GRACE NECESSARILY POINTS TO OUR DEPRAVITY.
With those things in mind and in light of what puritan sailor said earlier about contexts, the lifting of hands is more a symbol of depravity and helplessness, than it is of exuberance.
Is there pure joy in the christian life? Not on this side of heaven. The highs we feel should bind us. I imagine it is like having a child (I do not have any so it is pure speculation) but the anticipation of a child could lead to dancing, but the birth of the child, at that moment leads to binding joy. You do not want to frolick around the room like a new born goat, rather you absorb your joy with tears.
For me this is what church should be like, joy on the way to worship the Lord, and joy so intense your heart could burst, but tamed by an acknowledgement of God's sacrifice on your behalf.
Hopefully this is clear, Christians that remain stoic in worship services are not necessarily unfeeling. They may be more astir with emotion than those bouncing and dancing. Personally, I am of the first group, and find it hard to believe those who lift thier hands are not missing something of the gospel. There is not grace where they is not need first.
Perhaps if I saw a broken-hearted joy, accompaning the raising of hands, I may think diffrently about the whole issue. Sadly, I see unadulterated exuberance more.
uzzled:
:wr51:
