Public Worship – Part Three
Public Worship – Part Three
John 4:23
New International Version (NIV)
“The hour is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. ”
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Number Seven –
Worship is the work of the people.
The word “liturgy” means the work of the people. In other words, when we talk about liturgy, we are referring to the effort, creativity, and work we put into making sure that worship honors God and blesses those involved. That is why it is accurate to say that all churches have a liturgy, even the most informal churches. Liturgy just means that we are being intentional about how we worship God. And yes, worship is something at which we work. The musicians rehearse songs. The one called to lead prayer will take a few minutes to organize her thoughts before speaking to God on behalf of the congregation. The children’s leader will make sure to have his props ready for the children’s sermon. Someone will set the table for communion. Someone else may make sure that bulletins and coffee are ready for guests. All of this is liturgy, the work of the people.
It is also called the work of the people because it takes the whole community to make it happen. Each person has a part to play. We diminish the power of worship when we are not in attendance. That is why another word for worship is Mass.
When we call worship Mass, we are referring to the gathering of the community or the masses. We are saying that worship is a communal act. It is not just a private matter. That is why the woman at the well ran to tell everyone she knew about her encounter with Jesus. The news was too good to keep to herself. She had to let the people know about him so that they could get in on the act of honoring him.
The late D. James Kennedy, the former pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, had this to say about worship. “Most people think of the church as a drama with the minister as the chief actor, God as the prompter, and the laity as critic and audience. What is actually the case is that the congregation is the principal actor, the minister is the prompter, and God is the audience.”
Number Eight –
Worship signifies that something/someone is worthy of or deserving of respect or admiration.
To worship something is to demonstrate and declare that something or someone is of supreme importance. The English words “worship” and “worthy” come from the same root word. We give ourselves most to that which we consider most worthy.
In her book, A Royal Waste of Time, Marva Dawn writes:
“The worship of the Lord is in the world’s eyes a waste of time. It is, indeed, a royal waste of time, but a waste none the less. By engaging in it, we don’t accomplish anything useful in our society’s way of measuring importance. The entire reason for our worship is that God deserves it. Moreover, it isn’t even useful for earning points with God, for what we do in worship won’t change one whit how God feels about us. We will always be helpless sinners caught in our endless inability to be what we should be or to make ourselves better – and God will always be merciful, compassionate, and gracious, abounding in steadfast love and ready to forgive us as we come to him. God will not love us any more or favor us with any greater blessing if we pour out our lives for him, for he already loves us infinitely and blesses us abundantly, far more thoroughly than we could ever imagine or desire. [So we are called to love and worship God with our whole heart] praising God whether we feel like it or not, [being determined] to deliberately celebrate who God is simply because he is worthy of our adoration.”
The woman at the well becomes obsessed with Jesus. She forgets herself. She fails to consider what people may think of her new infatuation. She becomes a fool for God.
When is the last time you fell head over heels for Jesus? When is the last time you were a fool for Jesus? When is the last time you forgot about yourself and focused on the Lord?
Number Nine –
Worship is an inward move of the heart and an outward act of the body.
The New Testament writers use the Greek word “proskuneo” to describe worship. The word means to fall before someone with your face and body to the ground. In the great hymn, All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name, we sing these words: “All hail the power of Jesus’ name, Let angels prostrate fall.”
This word implies that worship is a physical act. It envisions the worshiper placing one’s self before God. It reminds us that worship is not just about what is going on inside our hearts and minds. Worship starts on the inside but is not meant to end there.
Worship is the response of the whole person. We offer God our body, soul, and spirit. God wants it all, including the physical expressions of the worship taking place within.
These physical expressions of worship include, but are not limited to, standing, kneeling, bowing, raising our hands, dancing, and even just standing still before the presence of God.