Worship 101

Worship 1:01

Have you ever gone to a church that worshipped in a different style to the one you are used to and struggled to engage with God because the worship was so distracting? Did you keep saying things in your head like ‘I don’t like this’, ‘this feels wrong or boring or over the top or ...’. Have you ever gone somewhere new, perhaps even to a different country, and wished that the worship could be more like what you have at home? Or perhaps you are one of the ones who loves the way the worship is done here and thinks that the others who don’t like it need to get over themselves and get with the programme?

This issue, these thoughts are not new. They are an ancient as Cain and Abel and when Jesus walked the earth, this issue was as big as it gets – two people groups, both of whom have ancestry from Abraham – believe the way they worship is the best way and this issue, among many others, blocks relationship, blocks reconciliation, creates contention.

Let’s look at the story again and see what Jesus has to say about the matter.

Jesus walks into the scene as a seemingly innocent bystander who just wants a drink but he is about to rock this woman’s world, transform her village and announce to her a profound truth that is just as relevant for us today as it was then.

In one part of their conversation, recorded in John's gospel, chapter 4 verse 20, the Samaritan woman asks Jesus a question, in the form of a statement – “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Was she expecting the usual arguments the Jews gave on this matter, ones she probably grew up hearing and the ones her brothers learned to cleverly rebuff in their Sunday school class should they ever encounter a Jew?

Jesus answer is astounding (verses 23 and 24): “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

What is so astounding about this answer?

The Samaritan woman considered worship to be about the tangible facts: where should we worship? When should we worship? In what place, in what manner, at what time, in what order?

These are statements that still bring contention today – what songs ought we to sing, in what style, with what instruments, how loud, how many? Should it be on a Sunday or a Saturday night? What time on a Sunday? At what part of the Sunday service? Even wider than this, ,missionaries worldwide have faced issues of whether we should worship in round churches or square ones, with men and women separated or together, sitting down or standing up? Arms raised or arms prostrated out before you on the floor? In what language should we worship? Latin, English or our native tongue? You may think some of these issues are funny or bizarre but I assure you each one has actually brought division either recently or historically and prevented others from reconciliation with God because the Christians considered the style of worship to be more important than true worship.

Jesus cuts through all of this.

God seeks worshippers who worship in Spirit and in truth.

What does this mean?

For starters, are you really worshipping God when we come together to sing, pray, break bread? Or are you just going through the motions? If you are going through the motions, that is not honest or true. True worshippers mean what they say, sing, pray.

In Spirit – when God breathed life into Adam he gave him Spirit from his own spirit and the Spirit that lives within you longs to be reunited with God because as Jesus said, God is Spirit. How does your spirit worship God? I could write for hours on this but in a nutshell, when your head (thoughts) and your heart (feelings) and your soul (will) submit to God – i.e. GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY you find yourself in the Holiest of Holy places, the throne room of God with your spirit free to worship God.

If you find your brain going into overdrive thinking too much about the how, who, when, where then say “God, I may not like or understand this but I give those thoughts to you because I desire to worship you”. When you find your feelings are getting in the way of your worshipping God because you are upset the worship is not in the way you like it then pray “God, I feel upset/angry/disappointed/whatever but I give that to you because I desire to worship you”. When you’re stubborn will is fighting back saying “I won’t worship if it’s going to be this way” or your passive will is saying “Fine, I’ll go through the motions but I won’t really engage, I’ll just wait till it’s all over then go back to my own way of doing things” then pray “Father God, I am struggling to engage with you here. I give you my strong will/ my passive will and ask you to help me because at the bottom of it all, I desire to worship you.”

Then go for it. Worship God. Open up your heart, your mind, your body and worship God in the manner with which shows God you love him and glorify him - in spirit. 

It may - actually IT ABSOLUTELY WILL - look different for each person but the who, what, where, when, how doesn’t matter. If it is true and allowing your spirit to engage with God then it is worship and God LOVES it. Yes He does.