The Wave

Have you ever been to a professional baseball game where the fans did the wave? You know, a rowdy bunch in the outfield bleachers gets bored with the game so they get all the folks in that section to stand up, wave their arms, and yell. Then just as they are finishing, the next section does the same thing, and so on. If the fans are willing, this process can go all the way around the stadium, and then start again. It is fun to watch this phenomenon, and fun to participate in too.

I started thinking about the wave in church today. No, I wasn't daydreaming about baseball. the song we were singing, He Reigns, got me to thinking how believers all around the globe raise their hands and voices in praise to our savior every Sunday morning.

• As the sun rises in Fiji, the believers gather and praise God.
• Then an hour later Solomon Islanders pick up the refrain.
• Then Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Japan
• Indonesia, Philippines, Korea
• Malaysia and a few in Vietnam and China
• Yes, praises from Thailand, Burma, and Mongolia.
• India, Nepal, Tibet
• Pakistan. The song is faint, but still audible from Afghanistan
• Madagascar and Iran
• It gets louder: Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia, Turkey and Russia
• South Africa, Zaire, Romania, and Sweden
• Cameroon, Italy, France, Germany
• Ivory Coast, Mali (don't forget Timbuktu), Spain, Ireland
• This time zone is sparse--Senegal, Canary Islands, and Iceland
• Brazil joins in
• Uruguay, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago
• Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Quebec
• Peru, Panama, Indianapolis and Toronto
• Then it is my turn, joined by Mexico and Winnipeg
• Next it goes to Grandma and Grandpa in Phoenix, Calgary
• San Francisco and Vancouver
• Gambier Islands and Juneau
• Tahiti and Honolulu lift their hands and voices
• Lord, do you hear them in Samoa?
• And look! The Fijians are starting over again, even though it is Monday.