Why do we worship?

 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

~ John 4:23-24

This may seem like an odd or a very basic question, but “Why do we worship?”  There is talk about “contemporary” worship, “traditional” worship, “alternative” worship, “emergent” worship, high church, low church, etc.  Maybe this should have occurred to me before, but all of these kinds of worship are styles that appeal to people.  But I wonder if the appeal is more a matter of entertainment or worship.  Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to use this either/or dichotomy to force us to have worship that is boring or even worship that borders on the torturous.  Rather, I want us to focus on what worship is and how we use these styles to help us worship.

Good ol’ Webster’s Dictionary tells us that the first known usage of the word “worship” was in the 12th century.  The Old English word was woerthscipe – woerth meaning worth or worthy – and it relates to things or people who are worthy of respect, admiration or devotion.  Worship helps us make decisions about what is and what is not worthy of respect, admiration or devotion.  When we place other things in our lives in positions of respect, admiration or devotion that aren’t God, we essentially make those things into gods … false gods.

Yes, we should get something out of worship.  Yes, we should be spiritually fed and encouraged.  What a different perspective if we go to worship asking questions like …

  • “What am I going to get?”
  • “What will this do for me?”

versus …

  • “How can I give thanks to God for my life and the blessings I have?”
  • “How can I encourage others in my congregation?”
  • “How can I honor God simply for being God?”

The difference is in the object of these questions – God or us?  If we are the object or the priority, then I wonder if it’s truly worship.

Worshipping God helps us to refocus and reorient our lives weekly.  That’s where we see transformation.  Sometimes worship transforms right then and there – that very day.  I also think transformation happens with all of the little decisions that we make every day.  It happens as we turn our attention toward God on a regular basis.  All of us come to worship with things on our minds – health concerns, grocery lists, schedules for our kids.  We don’t leave these outside, but instead bring them in and lay them before God – sometimes giving thanks – sometimes asking for help or direction.  This too is worship.  I firmly believe that God wants to be part of our lives – part of our whole lives – not just for an hour or two on Sunday.

Come, let us worship together!

2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes; 3then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” [Genesis 35:2-3]

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff

Please note the summer worship for July and August will be at 8:00am and 10:00am (instead of 11:00am).

The July Bell Tower is posted at BethelManassas.org

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