A while back, a Facebook friend and fellow writer, Steve Hutson, posted an article that critiqued much of modern worship. Some valid points, some not. The resulting discussion motivated me to further explore worship. If we are to follow Jesus, what we worship and how we worship will drive the depth of our faith.
At its core, worship celebrates the reality that God has more innate worth than anything we can find in heaven or earth. Our English word comes from “worthyship,” so in worship by definition we focus on him. Get that well, it forms the foundation of all that will follow. Similarly, the most common Greek word for worship is “proskuneo” (Matthew 4:10 for one example), to fall at the feet in adoration, or to acknowledge that God is our superior.
That concept scares me. Greatly.
Modern worship sometimes gets called a performance, and worship should be. But we often get the roles reversed. We typically view the upfront leaders as the performers, with God as their director and prompter, so they can do a better job for the benefit of the congregation, the audience. We even darken the lighting in the congregation to better focus on the stage, and sometimes fog machines and lights move over the room. Just like a concert performance? Let’s not go there now. However, that style of performance puts believers at the center of worship, so we critique the service, the performers, for how well it meets our needs. Did it serve us? Was the message biblical and relevant? Did the music stir us? Did we get a sense of intimacy with God? Did it move us?
We have it backasswards. In truth, worship IS a performance, but one where the congregation performs, declaring the ultimate worth of God. Another English word for worship is liturgy, or the work of the people. Not the leaders, but the people. The leaders should be the prompters and directors, and the audience is God. Yes, when we worship like this, we will gain the intimacy and knowledge and support. But those are designed to be the results of worship, not the purpose. We transform the genuine purpose of worship, adoring God, into how we benefit.
May I gently suggest that when we worship worship for what it brings us, we commit spiritual adultery. We break faith with God as ultimate, and put ourselves in the place only God should possess. At the center. May we come back to the heart of worship.
Kick Starting the Application
Do you have a group of followers that you meet with regularly for worship? Why or why not? Do you confuse the purpose with the results? What do you expect to “get” out of worship? Do you tend to become a critic if those expectations aren’t met? Why is this such a serious issue? How does the person of God impact this discussion?
If you changed the focus of worship from your needs to adoring God, how would it change?