Worship

                         God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.             (John 4:24.)

 

What are your requirements for worship? What must be happening for you to worship? What must you do? Don’t be shy. We all have them even if we’re not aware of them in a sense that lets us put them into words. Some are obvious for some people. There are those who say that if you don’t speak in tongues you’re not worshipping. Others say it’s lifting hands. For some, it’s about the music. It has to be the Old Hymns. It must be upbeat and modern. It must be sung by a choir – or by a worship team that knows how to perform and sings like professionals.

For the woman at the well (from which this verse is taken), it’s location, location, location. The Samaritans worshipped in one physical place. The Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Today, for some it’s out in nature, in a prayer closet, or only in a church. Others have a worship language. It has to be King James, or The Message, or (pick your translation or interpretation.) Still others say it has to be within their comfort culture. They may think that the doctrine of a group is wrong, but it’s their people, their comfort zone, and a chance for them to convince people for whom they care of the truth. Sadly, that doesn’t tend to happen. But that’s their requirement for worship.

What lifts your heart, and your eyes, toward God? It’s a serious question and a moving target. What once did may not now. Music has always had a fortress in my worshipping heart, but I’m not sure it’s the music as much as it is that the tune or the words distract my mind from stuff and points it toward something better. Beauty is the same way. And part of the struggle is that too much music, or beauty that is around for too long fades into the background rather than leading to worship. What leads me to worship must grab hold of my soul and wrench its attention away from whatever has it. It may not seem like a violent act – it might seem more a wooing away – but it must gain my attention and keep it, but if it tries to hold me for too long, it loses its power. And yes, my will plays a part in maintaining focus, but none of us can pay attention forever.

Ideas also play a role. Singing “Yay, God” for more than ten seconds isn’t going to lead me to worship for five. Even “Our God Reigns” loses my attention after ten repetitions or so. Could that be a reason why the moon is only full for 1 night each month (and only almost full for two more)? Might God give us clouds so that we either have respite form boring “clear blue skies” or so that we respond to clear blue skies when we get them?

Jesus’ answer that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit an in truth is true. We must because that’s how we are designed. We must because He alone is worthy of that worship. But I’m not sure it’s all that’s true about worship. It was what the woman needed to learn right then, but I doubt it’s all she ever learned about worship, and our learning what she was taught may not keep us worshipping. God is far bigger than just “in spirit” and “in truth” though those things are central. All those other things may also be true, but if our worship is merely physical or slides away from truth (usually to ourselves) it’s a problem.