Psalm Meditation 702
First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2013

Psalm 47
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
(NRSV)

From time to time, folks dispute the question of applause in worship. Is it okay, acceptable, appropriate to clap in worship. I have never gotten a sense that we have arrived at a mutually agreeable answer to the question; this may be our answer. Congregations tend to applaud after a musical part of the worship service. The opening, prelude, is often received with applause by members of the congregation. Folks who are not inclined to speak or shout words of praise are more willing to clap in appreciation. Anthems too are received with applause. From the musicians’ side, they feel they have given their music as a gift, to God and the congregation, and applause makes it feel as if it were a performance. Caught between the desire to give thanks and the desire to give a gift we are caught in conflicting motivations in worship.

When children, especially those too young to have a verbal response, are filled with joy they clap their hands as an expression of that joy. The psalmist begins with the exhortation to clap our hands as an expression of joy in the presence of God. While clapping is an expression of appreciation for the hard work that went into a performance, it is also an expression of joy and excitement in worship. While it may not be appropriate in every situation in worship, it is certainly an ancient practice to clap our hands when we are overcome with the excitement of a moment in worship. And some folks do have an undercurrent of exuberance in their lives that finds expression in worship by clapping their hands.

Should worshipers clap for each part of the worship service? Please, no. Should those of us who lead worship discourage folks from fully participating in worship, even in ways that might make us uncomfortable? No, as long as it is worshipful. What we who lead offer as a gift to God and to the congregation is up to us. How folks receive that is up to them. Is it okay, acceptable, appropriate to clap in worship? Yes, it is. Can it get disruptive if folks clap for everything, prayers, announcements, hymns, sermons and sacraments? Yes it can. Am I clapping as an act of thanksgiving and praise? Feel free to do so. Am I clapping as a way to draw attention to myself or to be a disruption to the flow of the worship service? It would be better to refrain.

November 25, 2013
LCM