The word I am referring to is worship. It is a word that is thrown about quite a bit these days, and sometimes I feel like Inigo Montoya from the movie The Princess Bride and want to say ‘you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.’
I went to Merriam Webster Online to find what I will use for the rest of this post as the authoritative definition: 1. To honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power. 2. to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion. Worship can also be used as a noun. The idea being expressed is one of honor and respect.
How does one worship? In Christian worship, there are songs and prayers at a minimum no matter which denomination you are. Sermons (or homilies) are also a part of most Christian worship services. These vary in length from 10-15 minutes to over an hour or longer. Once you move beyond these common blocks, the services start to diverge. Some are considered liturgical where others are not, but all churches have a pattern to their services. Different churches vary how often communion (or Eucharist) is served. Even the elements of communion can differ (wine, grape juice, crackers, leavened or unleavened bread). Although songs are common, they can vary between churches as well (song types, whether or not instruments are used, type of instruments).
Now, keeping in mind that worship has to do with honoring or reverencing the divine, our actions should reflect that honor and reverence. We should dress like we are entering the presence of one deserving our best (not necessarily requiring we wear one particular article of clothing or another). We should also be humble, as the person we are worshipping is greater than us.
The actual act of worship or the worship service should involve our entire person and include our senses (hearing, sight, etc.) Our minds must also be engaged so that our worship is not a ‘rote’ set of actions. You can be in a wonderful worship service, but if your mind is not engaged, it is not true worship, as John states in John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”. True worship involves both our spirit (soul/mind) and our body, as illustrated in Mark 7:6 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
Having our whole person involved ensures our worship is not simply an intellectual exercise. Worshipping God at its root is an action. Thought is required, but it is in our actions every day and hour we show what we honor and revere. James 2:14-26 gives a wonderful explanation of how our faith is not something just intellectual or verbal, but requires physical action on our part as well.
What is the ‘right’ way to worship? God is a God of order, and not chaos. God gave direction to Israel in how to worship through Moses in the Old Testament. The Orthodox Church was born out of that Jewish tradition and incorporated traditions regarding Christ without losing sight of its heritage. Looking at all these things I believe I am in the Church with that correct form of worship. You are certainly free to disagree with me.
There is one other issue I would like to touch on. Looking again at the definition of worship, I think people in modern western society have difficulty accepting the idea that there is someone or something that is greater or higher than ourselves, despite their acknowledgement of such. We are taught by our schools that each individual is important, and no one is more important than another. Most countries do not have a class of nobility, or any official designated class system for that matter (I would argue all societies have a class system, it’s just not officially acknowledged). The ‘supremacy of the individual’ has made the concept of the Christian community or gathering as a part of a larger body more and more difficult. It is this that causes many to (unconsciously) ‘put God in a box’ where God can only do what they say He can, because otherwise we need to give up something: our overdeveloped sense of self, otherwise known as pride.
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