Posted by: Bethany
The local American Family Radio was playing a football game tonight as my daughter and I drove home so I flipped the station to a country station. The song That’s What I Love About Sundays was playing….and just so happens to be one of my favorite songs. So…I belt it out loudly as we drive along.
As I sing these lines my daughter comes up with a very interesting question….
Ooh, new believers gettin’ baptized,
Momma’s hands raised up high,
Havin’ a Hallelujah good time
A smile on everybody’s face.
That’s what I love about Sunday,
“Why would Momma’s hands be raised up high?” asks Shiloh.
Oh…we are sooooo Baptist!
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But just to share the entire song by Craig Morgan…so you can see why I like it, here are the rest of the lyrics.
Raymond’s in his Sunday best,
He’s usually up to his chest in oil an’ grease.
There’s the Martin’s walkin’ in,
With that mean little freckle-faced kid,
Who broke a window last week.
Sweet Miss Betty likes to sing off key in the pew behind me.That’s what I love about Sunday:
Sing along as the choir sways;
Every verse of Amazin’ Grace,
An’ then we shake the Preacher’s hand.
Go home, into your blue jeans;
Have some chicken an’ some baked beans.
Pick a back yard football team,
Nothin’ much of anything:
That’s what I love about Sunday.I stroll to the end of the drive,
Pick up the Sunday Times, grab my coffee cup.
It looks like Sally an’ Ron, finally tied the knot,
Well, it’s about time.
It’s 35 cents off a ground round,
Baby. cut that coupon out!That’s what I love about Sunday:
Cat-napping on the porch swing;
You curled up next to me,
The smell of jasmine wakes us up.
Take a walk down a back road,
Tackle box and a cane pole;
Carve our names in that white oak,
An’ steal a kiss as the sun fades,
That’s what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.Ooh, new believers gettin’ baptized,
Momma’s hands raised up high,
Havin’ a Hallelujah good time
A smile on everybody’s face.
That’s what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.
Pretty good stuff!
November 9th, 2005 at 10:37 am
It’s funny because I deal with the same stuff with our Wednesday night youth group. We sing with the Newsboys, “As I lift up my hands…” But we don’t. Not that we couldn’t - I have no problem with it. We just don’t. Somehow that makes me sad.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
Confessions of a Charasmatic:
Rev-Ed, I can understand why that would make you sad, I would be too.
Of course my worship leans to the charasmatic side so I’m used to raising my hands whenever I please. I do however try to restrain myself while singing in the car. It takes at least one hand on the steering wheel to manuver my minivan. . .
November 9th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
lol. Please restrain yourself if you’re driving near me!
I don’t have a problem with raised hands…at all. I was just raised in a church where it really didn’t ever happen. I now attend one where it’s neither encouraged or discouraged….some do, some don’t…you know.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:58 am
Jami, you’re not praying with your eyes closed while driver either, are you?
November 11th, 2005 at 2:46 pm
I try not to. . .most the time.
January 8th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Bathany — Great post! Hands raised is a biblical form of worship and not necessarily limited to those of the pentecostal persuasion. I love that song! Although I know many who would say that getting knee deep in grease and clipping coupons is not a biblical way to keep the Lord’s Day… I am not sure I agree.
June 30th, 2006 at 6:19 am
I stumbled upon this website looking for the lyrics to that song, but found your conversation quite interesting. I grew up in a Baptist church and attended there until High School when I began attending a more “charismatic” church I guess you could say… well, charismatic enough for one guitar and people actually raising their hands once a month. Now I attend a rather large church I never thought I’d like in Kentucky and I absolutely love it–there’s not a song that passes without hundreds of hands raised. I know church isn’t about us, but I really feel blessed that God would put me where I am today…
August 23rd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Having had lots of conversations lately with my pastor (we’re both Baptists) we have touched recently on the whole Pentacostal/Baptist discussion, and one of the major problems with the Pentacostal movement is its emphasis on feelings, emotion and the “love of God” to the detrement of the holiness and justice of God. I’m not saying that you should not be able to lift your hand in song, but they question becomes why are you doing it?
Are you doing it because the music is moving you? Are you doing it because you like the tune? Or are you doing it to praise and point to Him? If no one else is doing it, odds are you’re drawing more attention to yourself than Him.
August 24th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
[...] I’ve mentioned before that my style of worship is not exactly charismatic. So, that is probably why I find this story so endearing. [...]
August 25th, 2006 at 7:51 am
MInTheGap,
Some times one lifts their hands as a form of surrender to Him its often a sacrifice, a sacrifice of praise. In Psalm David mentions time and again his raising his hands. He raises his hands as he cries out to the Lord for mercy, he lifts hads when he praises His name and when he submits to his law. He asks that the lifting of his hands be like an evening sacrifice. Later Paul calls us to lift up holy hands in prayer.
When I lift my hands it’s not to draw attention to my self, it has nothing to do with the music or the tune it is a physical surrender to his grace. It is a form of true praise and worship from the heart.
I do agree that if you are in a situation where people are uncomfortable with the raising of hands that you could be a distraction to them and in that case it could be proper to refrain from raising hands. We need to be careful not to judge each others worship, one should not judge and deem that a person is only raising hands to gain attention while another should not judge and deem that a person is not trully praising God when not raising hands. We don’t know each others hearts.
While being sensitive to others worshiping around us we should also make sure we are sensitive to the Spirit and follow where He is leading us. If you feel God is leading you to raise your hands and you choose not to out of embarrasment or fear of judgement then that too would be a sad thing.