praises of the rambunctious crowd. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, re-
buke your disciples!”
At that point Jesus spoke surprising words to them. In effect, he
replied, “If my disciples keep quiet, then the very stones on these
hills will proclaim words of worship to me and to my Father. The
birds in the air will join in accolades of alleluias to my Father’s glory.
This earth itself will rejoice in a song of glory, whether you decide to
be part of their rejoicing or not. So do not try to still their worship.”
He seemed to be admonishing them to make their own decision,
saying, “Will you stand on the side of the worshipers or the side of
the mockers?”
I believe that there are still those in the church who are trying to
get the Lord to quiet the “wild worshipers,” saying to him, “Teacher,
rebuke your disciples!”
When praise takes on the passion of a parade, there are always
people on the sidelines who say, “Lord, these disciples have got to
get a grip! This is getting out of hand!” When the joy gets too joyful
and the singing too ecstatic, there are always those who want to put
the lid on.
But the Lord never intended to tame our hearts. He never meant
for us to be repressed or docile or domesticated. Though there will
indeed be times of quiet worship and reflection, he longs for a fer-
vent display of our love for him. Worship is for the worshiper as well
as for the Worshiped. Worship is a unique opportunity to connect
with God intimately as his children, acknowledging him for his awe-
some qualities and his faithfulness. In worship we set things in per-
spective, saying, in effect, “you are God and we are not. We bow our
hearts before you.” As we give our hearts over fully to our Father in
worship, we experience the purpose for which it was created.
70 CLAIRECLONINGER