One Finger Wave

“Hi, how are you doing…..have a good day….” Can you say these things to a stranger while driving? Sure you can. It’s called the one finger wave. Those of you who live in rural America are accustomed while driving down the road, of raising your index finger off the steering wheel at oncoming vehicles. Some roll their right hand upward, some raise two fingers, and others just point the index finger upward. This gesture of friendship is quite common throughout the central portion of the nation.

Try this traveling in an urban environment however and you will quite possibly get a gesture back you don’t want. People appear to be more suspicious about what your gesture is referring to in these environments. Are we suspicious of certain gestures? How about during worship? Gestures during worship are like the “one finger wave” while driving down the road. We have unwritten communication. Certain ways in which we say things without words.

Worship Gestures

These gestures we have in worship have meaning because they are from our faith filled hearts. When we kneel at the alter, it says something about our humility and God’s majesty. When we stand, it says something about honor and respect to God our Father. When we fold our hands or bow our heads in prayer, it speaks of solemn communication with our Lord. When we make the sign of the cross, it speaks of our presence with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we extend our hands in the sharing of the peace, it speaks of fellowship within God’s family. These gestures without faith would have the same results as the “one finger wave” in New York City.

With faith however they speak loud and clear from our hearts and minds as we learn in Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”.

One Finger Wave For Christ

So we need to acknowledge that part of our worship in God’s house happens without words being spoken or lips moving… in the way we carry ourselves, in the posture we show, in hands folded or uplifted… These too are worship… in spirit and truth. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24. So when we worship, whatever we chose to do with our body language, even if it is a “one finger wave”, do it with complete sincerity before the presence of our Lord and Savior.

God, help me use my body language to say the words I cannot speak. Let me proclaim without words to follow your command and graciously accept your invitation, to be with you in eternity. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.