A joke containing a rebuke

No time to post much, but in my previous post on a lecture by Lesslie Newbigin, I missed out recalling a great point during the questions afterwards when a questioner excused some past timidity by his Englishness. Newbigin responded as follows:

You know the story about the English lady who was explaining to a Black Pentecostal that although English are so unexcited and sober in their worship as compared to the black Pentecostals.

She said, “it doesn’t mean that we don’t love our Lord we love him very much, but we English are very restrained in expressing our emotions”

And the pastor said, “yes, I understand that, I’ve been to a football match myself”

It's quite funny, but it also contains a stinging rebuke to those in the church that excuse the lack of emotion in worship by their nationality. I remember once listening to John Piper on CD making a similar biting comment to an English audience .

Of course there is more than one way to express emotion in worship.