Public Worship – Part Four
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204&version=NIV
“The hour is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”
– John 4:23
Number Ten –
Worship is what we usually mean when we say,
“I am going to church.”
Two Greek words have shaped our concept of going to church. The first word is “ekklesia” and means to be called out or chosen from out of the larger group. The idea is that God calls our name, and we respond to his call. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father calls out to them. Jesus is picking his team, made up of people from every language, tribe, nation, and ethnicity.
Sometimes, but not always, the idea of being called out means leaving a sinful past behind. Some of us start in some very dysfunctional, broken, and dark places. Sometimes people are called to leave good things behind, such as careers, homes, or even the country where we grew up. Jesus calls us to leave it all behind and follow him.
The second Greek word is “synago,” which means to call people together. If “ekklesia” was the idea of calling people away from something, “synago” means being called to something. Synago means to come together. We are not meant to make the journey alone. We need the connection we have as members of the Body of Christ.
Hebrews 10:23-24: “let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promises. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
In our story of the woman at the well, we see both the idea of “ekklesia” and “synago.” On the one hand, this woman will never be the same. She will never look at the world or herself the same way. Jesus has called her out of her narrow way of looking at things. She has also been invited to leave the narrow-minded thinking of the people who judged her. Jesus is calling her to something more significant. He is giving her a new identity.
At the same time, she doesn’t just run from something. She immediately runs to tell others. She is compelled to go to them and bring them to the One who has changed her. Through her, others will become connected to Jesus.
Number Eleven –
Worship is both private and public.
The two go together. Each of us has unique experiences. No other human can fully understand where we have been. But God can. Though there be a thousand people in the worship service, God will tend to each heart, as if that person was the only one in attendance that day. Yet, God also deals with us as a community. He heals relationships, prompts reconciliation, and nudges us toward forgiveness. He also leads us to open our lives to others in generosity and hospitality.
We see these two very clearly in our story. Jesus deals with the woman at the well, treating her as if she were his sole object of affection and attention. He deals with her one on one, healing and realigning all the broken pieces. He resets every dislocated part.
As a result, this woman is compelled to go to the people of her community. Her encounter with Jesus has some personal and even private elements to it, but the encounter with Jesus cannot stay closed and secret. We were meant to live within the context of community. Christianity is, by its very nature, relational. We distort and even ruin it when we try to keep it to ourselves. Jesus said, “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl, [where it will be snuffed out]. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” – Luke 11:33
Number Twelve –
Worship is to be both celebratory and orderly.
That may seem like a contradiction. How do we make worship both celebratory and orderly? Let’s start with celebratory. In the Old Testament, holidays and cookouts comprise a large part of the corporate worship of Jewish people. God has crammed the Jewish calendar with holidays that include singing, dancing, eating, and celebrating the goodness of God.
In Psalm 150, the people are called to use every kind of instrument, singing and shouting to celebrate God. The first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine at a seven-day wedding party. And, the first Christian worship service, found in the book of Acts was so loud and ruckus that onlookers thought the whole group was drunk.
Sometimes it is fitting to go nuts for Jesus. I am amazed at some of the embarrassing things people will do to celebrate a ball game, yet the same people refuse to even sing on Sunday morning. At the game, we are willing for people to think we just left the looney bin. At church, we are downright embarrassed to let someone see a tear on our cheek or any sign of enthusiasm for God. King David danced before the Lord, saying, “I am willing to become even more undignified than this” for God.
That said, wild-hair-celebration is not always the order of the day. There are times when worship needs to be more solemn, orderly, and reflective. Sometimes we need the help of rites, ceremonies, rituals, and traditions. These four are no more than showing good manners to God.
We need both, just like a family needs both. Sometimes the family eats pizza off of paper plates as they gather in the living room to watch a movie. But, there are other times when the family sets out the good china and silverware for a five-course meal. There is a time and place for both. And, any wise family will make a place for both.
Sometimes you just need a good old fashion service of song and testimony. There are other times when the moment is so sacred that each step must be planned in advance. The needs of the human soul and of the community of faith make it important to recognize that not every worship service calls for the same setting.