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Enthusiasm is not in vogue these days. Just about anywhere one chooses to look, the contemporary emotional trend is what might be called a vague detachment. Think about it. How many people are excited about government today? Even those in power will readily point out that government's a bad thing that should really not get involved in peoples' lives. This reflection is being written, of course, as more and more cameras are mounted on every street corner in America. How many people are enthusiastic about their jobs? With corporate America replacing job security with pink slips in the incessant drive for ever higher profits, who can blame them? Enthusiasm? They're lucky to have a job. How many people are enthusiastic about their families? With families across the land split and broken, enthusiasm for relationships can run low indeed. Does it seem that many are enthusiastic about life in general? No, rather we practice an aloof indifference and look down our noses at those who engage in unseemly enthusiasm.

The reason for this attitude problem is anyone's guess. Perhaps former Education Secretary Richard Riley got it right when he said, "We are victims of the tyranny of lowered expectations." Maybe it's a way to avoid commitment -- and therefore any possibility of discomfort due to failure. After all, you can't fail if you don't try, right? It's anyone's guess really. But there's no doubt about it. From teenagers to retirees and back again, we are awash in cynicism and a decided lack of enthusiasm.

Yet, enthusiasm is exactly what faith calls us to practice. Faith bids us to pull out all the stops and "praise the Lord from the highest heavens!" Praise presupposes enthusiasm. Praising God without enthusiasm really isn't praise at all, is it? Imagine a room full of people slouched over in the body language of detachment, mumbling the words to this psalm. It's almost a comical image, yet how many of us have seen exactly this in youth group meetings and worship services over the years? It's as if the unspoken message is, "I'm here, aren't I? Isn't that enough?"

No, actually, it's not enough. We are recipients of a sacred call to drop our jaded attitudes and break out in unrestrained shouts of praise! No middle ground here. No downcast eyes and bent shoulders. No slipping quietly into the background. Look around and see what God has wrought! Cast a glance into the distance and see the utter glory of creation! Then focus the eye a little closer to home. Lift a finger. Look at it. The marvelous "handiwork" of muscle, tissue, and bone, all knit together with the craftsmanship of the master.

There's no mediocrity here. Only excellence; the same kind of excellence to which God calls us as we step into the new year. So let there be no mumbling or slouching. Sing in the streets! Dance on the freeways! From angels, to moon and stars, to sea monsters and beyond! Let all things their creator bless! Praise the Lord!