Undignified Passion

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been talking on campus a lot about passion. We talked about it at the Awakening on Sabbath and it was talked about last night at Fireside, so it seems to be a theme right now. Passion can be defined as a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as in love or hate, or an outburst of strong emotion or feeling.

I was at my son's little league game this last week, and I got a front row seat to see passion lived out.

One of my son's teammates had gotten a hit. When he got on first base, he celebrated by throwing his arms up in the air and jumping up and down. The next batter got a big hit that would have gotten the first base runner home, but when this same kid got on second base, he stopped, stood on the base, and began throwing his arms up and jumping up and down, AGAIN! He was so excited and so into his celebration dance that he missed the opportunity to advance to another base. This kid was passion lived out; he was so into a moment that he was unaware of what else was happening around him.

I love when I have those kind of moments with God. Moments when I lose track of time and space and revel in His presence. They don't happen all the time, but when they do, it's all I can do to keep from throwing my hands up in the air and jumping up and down for joy. Kinda sounds like King David before the ark of the Lord, doesn't it. When you have time, check out that story in 2 Samuel 6, but here's a favorite quote from that passage: “I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this” (2 Samuel 6: 21-22). I have seen that kind of joy in God’s worshippers at a Kutless concert as well as at an organ recital, at a time of worship and meditation in Heubach Chapel on a Tuesday night, and listening to Tony Campolo speak on loving others as if my life depended on it (I Peter 4: 8, The Message). It doesn’t happen in the same way for every person, or at the same time or at the same event, but when it does happen it is awe-some!

It is my hope and prayer that this week you will experience that kind of passion for the God of Wonders, the God of all creation, the God in Heaven and the God on earth…the God who is now in the room with you. And as you do, may you not hide your passion for the Lord but may it bubble out of you and into the lives of those living beside you