Just Strolling Along

God has provided us with some very specific moves for singers, dancers, and musicians in scripture. One that many of you may have seen in your own place of worship or when visiting other worship gatherings is known by the Hebrew word Shuwr. It meas to sing strolling minstrely, to turn, to travel about. In the church body that I grew up in, the choir would enter, walking slowly, at the beginning of our service as we all sang the first hymn. Here is another place you may have seen this move. If you ever watched the westerns from the 1960s you might recall Nat King Cole walking, singing, and playing a guitar as he sang a ballad about the lead character in the movie.

We see this movement in Exodus 15:1 when Moses and the Israelites sang to the Lord. (God was their lead character in the song. Pun intended.) They sang, "I will sing unto the Lord, for he is highly exalted ......... The Lord will reign for ever and ever." The word "sing" here is this word Shuwr. Some other places we see this action is in Psalm 9:11, Psalm 33:3, Psalm 137:3, and Jeremiah 20:13.

Though this indicates a group of singers, dancers, and musicians I believe it is just as appropriate for us as individuals to stroll through our own homes, or some other appropriate place as we sing praise to the lead character in our lives. Some of our worship arts leaders come early on Sunday when the singers and musicians are practicing. We sometimes pick up an appropriate flag and sing along with our worship team as we walk slowly throughout the sanctuary. A flag isn't always necessary, but the movement and singing brings the presence of God and prepares the sanctuary for the people to receive from the Lord. We move to prepare a place for the Lord to move in.