Worship

Worship  It is a word that we, as Christians, use a lot.  But what does it really mean?  Where/When does it happen?  Who participates in it?  How does one go about it?  

In no way am I prepared to answer these questions but they are questions worth asking. 

Merriam-Webster defines worship as "honoring or revering a divine being or to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor or devotion."  It comes from the Middle English worshipe: worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being.  

Just this week I have worshipped in a variety of settings.  

                                    I worshipped at a camp meeting in NJ that is 144 years old.  

 

Malaga Camp, NJ

                                     I worshipped at a wedding that truly honored God in every way.  

Tim & Michelle's wedding at LCC, NY

      I worshipped at a boys camp in the heart of the Adirondacks run by dear family friends. 

Deerfoot Camp

                                            I worshipped on the Jersey shore at a Bible conference. 

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, NJ

All of these settings are very different, from the age group to the setting, but all have shown "extravagant respect and honor," not just for some divine being, but for the One true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I quickly associate the word worship with Sunday morning in a church building.  But it can happen anywhere, anytime! Because the God that we worship is not confined to the four walls of a church.  Praise Him!

This Sunday (August 18) I will worship Him as I board a plane for Germany.  By stepping on that plane, I am declaring my respect, honor and devotion to the One who called me.  By saying goodbye once again and stepping out in faith I am acknowledging that He alone is worthy.  This thought comforts me. Instead of seeing my departure as a have to or ought to or even want to, I desire to see it as my spiritual act of worship (Rom 12:1). 

What is He asking of you?  Whatever it is...He is worthy of your obedience and of your worship.  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not owed worship simply because He is a divine being but because HE IS WORTHY!  No other god/person/thing can claim that.  There are a lot of things and people that can be worshipped but there is only ONE who is worthy of our worship. 

I love this quote by William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury)

To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.