What is worship? We can't define that completely because there is just too much to get in to. But, for the sake of my point, I remember thinking my first few times in a church at 18 years old, "I could clearly define what worship wasn't..."
1. Sourpuss faces, easily found on almost every other pew. I could never understand this as an early Christian...this is God, the Giver and Sustainer of life here! Why look so ticked off to be in His house...
2. The Lord's Prayer - isn't there a more exciting reminder of the prayer Jesus suggested to the disciples as He was teaching them to pray? Maybe not, but I have always thought so. These are life changing words of the Savior! Why, in unison, does a body of believers sound like a low hum of a pesky mosquito flying around the ear, when reciting the Lords Prayer?
3. Hymnals - I didn't grow up in church, never read King Jimmy (King James Version) so I think I may have missed out on some of the sacredness that happens at church...where is the joy? I mean, obviously the responsibility of each worshipper is in the heart and actions of the worshipper, but this music has never moved me. I don't connect with it. Now, if I just sit still and read the words of the hymns, that changes everything. But that is just me.
There are plenty more observations I could share from when I first became a Christian, but that's not the point of this writing. My opinions have changed throughout the years on each of these issues as I have matured.
But the one question that I believe must be asked is...why do we refer to "the church" as worship. For instance, 2 pastors are talking and one says to the other, "how many did you have in worship today?"...isn't that a massive assumption that everyone worshipped?
Honestly speaking, in the 20+ years I have been a Christian, there have been many Sunday services where I was present in body but a non-participant in "worship" - the act of, anyway...how bout you? When someone asks you what you did today, maybe your response, on a Sunday is, "we went to worship." But did we? I mean, we went to a church, but did we worship? I know, the splitting hairs part, right!
But honestly, looking up the definitions gives any reader a clear understanding that the 2 are completely different....
1. Worship - (verb and noun) reverence paid to, worthiness, respect/honor to....a religious act, offering to a divine being....to perform or take part in worship through an extravagant respect, honor and devotion (Merrian Webster)
2. Church - a building for religious activity, mainly worship...a body or organization of religious believers...(Merrian Webster)
So, my fear is that we have watered down the idea of worship by attaching the phrase to a building. Worship is still an action, that is performed in the church, but the church itself is not worship.
Yes, we can worship in church, but that doesn't mean we can so easily label that place as worship....Can't we worship anywhere? Maybe the better question is, shouldn't we worship everywhere? Because realistically, everywhere we go could be considered "worship."
For example - I have great moments of worship in my car through music and sermons on podcast but you won't find me telling a friend, "yeah, my radiator was overheating so I took the worship in to get checked." I also have great moments of worship in my bed, through reading books, listening to sermons and worship music. You will not hear me telling my neighbor, "you know...we have had that worship for 20 years and every 5 years or so, we flip the worship over so we can sleep better but I think it's time to go to the mattress store and look at some new worship."
These are ridiculous situations, I know! But it proves my idea, that worship is not a place, worship is not attendance, worship is not showing up and osmosis takes place to where we become worship.
Let's start looking at worship for what it really is and we might see our days looking a little different. In searching for the best way to describe this idea, I could only come up with this phrase to explain....what is worship - it is the act of giving every breath back to the Originator of each breath! Let's give back to God what is His anyway!
For a realistic approach to worship, read Acts 16 and notice a few things...Paul and Silas were worshipping (singing songs) in prison.....in prison! Do you think when they were arrested, they thought, "I can't wait to write to everyone and tell them we have been placed in worship?"....no, haha! Worship came upon them and as they were singing songs to God, the prisoners were listening! There worship became contagious, not because of where they were, but because of "Who" they were worshipping!
What is worship: giving each breath back!
Where can we worship: church, car, bed, prison and everywhere!
Do I have a tendency to keep my breath to myself and just be ok with attendance and showing up, thinking I worshipped?.....NO!.....honest answer, yes.
How bout' you?
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