A Drink For Some Thirsty Words - "Worship"

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me."

Psalm 63:3-8

There are some churchy words that have grown very dry and withered to me after years of hearing them uttered over and over again, while remaining at a shallow understanding as to what they actually mean. They are good words. Really good words. But they need to be doused in the River of Life and shone in the heavenly brilliance from which they derive their true definitions if I'm ever going to have a chance of understanding them the way that I long to.

There are a great many of these words, but the ones that I want to bring attention to over the next few weeks (unless I get bored of this and wish to write on something else) are: worship, repentance, obedience, reverence, fear, holiness, sanctification, power and glory. Do you see what I mean now? Does anyone feel like they just entered into a cold, dark, medieval cathedral that smells a little like a cave? No? Maybe it's just me that feels like those words carry such abstract meanings that sometimes when they're mentioned, the first picture to come into my mind is one of a stern-looking god who appears almost identical to Gandalf the Wizard or old Father Time. Thank you Jesus for revealing the true identity of our Father as one who is completely relatable, who sees no distance between us and Him and who is full of joy and love and warmth toward us. And it's in light of that truth that we can make some sense of these words. Also, just so you know what you're about to read, I'm not going to get into etymology (as if I'm even qualified to do that) or the original greek and hebrew (except for a little bit on some points). I'm mostly basing my definitions on my own experience and thought processes and some beautiful teachings that I've heard from others that the Holy Spirit has borne witness to in my spirit, and on the belief that love, as defined in 1 Corinthians 13 and displayed on the cross, is the truest, deepest expression of God - Father, Son and Spirit.

So, for today, let's begin with "worship". My earliest recollections and associations with the word "worship" come from the traditional baptist church where I spent the first 18 years of my life. Seriously. I was there for Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, Tuesday morning prayer breakfast, Wednesday evening youth group and choir, and usually another evening or two during the week if there was a special event taking place. But I was one of those weird kids who absolutely LOVED it, even through high school. I loved the people, I loved the churchy way of life, the pot lucks and playing sports out on the lawn, and I even loved the buzz of the loud organ and the musty smell of the old, country building (before we moved into a new building).

But the thing that I didn't particularly like was this thing called worship. My understanding of worship was the order it was listed in the Sunday morning bulletin: Call to Worship, Announcements, Offertory Hymn, Offertory Prayer, Prayer Requests, Responsive Reading, Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving, Special Music, Sermon, Invitation, Benediction. And that there was the "worship service". This was apparently the thing that we would forever be doing in Heaven...

Then why did I find myself crossing each thing off the list as it was completed and anticipating the lunch with good friends and family that would take place afterward? Or eagerly dreaming about coming back in the evening to play football and basketball with the youth group? I don't believe it had anything to do with immaturity, because how many grown men were in that room with me keeping an ever watchful eye on the clock as they looked forward to getting out of their suits and into their sweats and settling down for a long afternoon of NFL with their families? And how many of the women were thinking about the delicious meal that they were going to lovingly prepare for friends and family?

No, it wasn't immaturity, but the innate desire for joy and enjoyment that we inherit from the Father in whose image we were created. The joy that we craved was lacking from this event that we called worship and it was unnatural. I'm not bashing any church that uses that particular kind of order and structure. I only have my own experience to offer and I certainly don't represent every human being on the planet. Maybe there are many who experience incredibly elating joy in the Lord in a more rigid atmosphere. For myself though, it made me feel like God was in a land really far away. We were singing and talking about someone who was up in the sky needing to be appeased rather than someone who is already delighted, holds every cell of my body together and lovingly made His dwelling in my heart long before I even thought of asking Him to do so. He felt cold and distant instead of warm and near.

Over the years I discovered new forms and styles of "acceptable" worship that I liked better, but I still couldn't imagine any of them being something that I would enjoy doing for all eternity or even for an hour everyday. I could enjoy it for longer than the rigid style, but I couldn't sustain that joy for longer than an hour or two, once a week. In high school I had one of those funny Christian t-shirts that said "24/7 worshipper", but I didn't own it for very long and eventually gave it away out of guilt because I was convinced that wasn't my identity.

So if worship isn't something we do to appease God (because He lacks nothing and therefore needs nothing), and if He already delights in us (when He revealed His soul's delight in Jesus, He was revealing His soul's delight in us, because we're in Jesus), and if the worship God desires from us is not to come from obligation or ritual or payment of our respects to Him, and if worship is something more than singing four fun songs on Sunday, then what the heck is it?

If you're ready, here's the Sarah Tiu definition: Absolutely effortless joy and enjoyment in being overwhelmed and astonished by the sheer goodness of God.

And if that's what worship is, then it's impossible to fake it or work it up or force it. Rather it is a fruit of hearing the Gospel and a fruit of hearing the marvelous things that the Spirit teaches us. It is a most natural response to the kisses of our Father. It is the gasp that takes our breath away when we've just been shown something too beautiful for words. We do not worship to try and get His presence to come, we worship because His presence is already with us and so we just can't help but to respond with praises and dancing and shouts. Worship is not something that we will have to do for all eternity, but is something that we can't resist doing now and forever because the adoration of our God who is Love gushes forth like a river from our bellies that we couldn't stop if we wanted to! Worship is a celebration. And it isn't something that is confined to a space or a time. The more that we hear and understand the goodness and love of God toward us and for us, the more this kind of worship becomes a constant force in our lives throughout each moment and event. It happens when I see my kid dancing or when my husband kisses me or when I'm with close friends enjoying good conversation and a bottle of wine. Everything, in fact, begins to remind us of the goodness of God. We see His face in our bosses and co-workers, in strangers and in creation itself. We begin to recognize the splash of His love in everyone and everything and worship becomes the most natural part of our existence. It becomes the enjoyment of life and love as sons and daughters of God, the very purpose for which we were created.

And it arouses all types of responses, from song and dance to laughter and tears. From loud celebratory shouts, to quiet contemplation. From bubbling poetry and art in all of its creative forms to awe-struck silence. From jumping and bouncing to lying flat on the ground as though dead. And many times, for me, it manifests in pure contentment with the occasional uncontrollable burst of bliss.

This really is what I think Jesus meant when he spoke with the woman at the well. She asks him about worship regulations and where is the proper place to "go" to worship. He responds in John 4:23 like this: "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshippers." To worship the Father in spirit is to worship Him with the Spirit's understanding, not mere human understanding. In verse 22, Jesus tells her that the Samaritans have been worshipping what they do not know or comprehend. But a day is coming, and now is, that they will understand and that understanding will cause them to worship. Check out 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, "Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them (His mysteries) by and through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God. For what person perceives what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so, no one discerns the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God, given to us that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly bestowed on us by God."

So enjoying understanding the astounding things that the Spirit makes known to us is worshipping in spirit. And worshipping in truth? Well Jesus said that he himself is the truth. He is the complete embodiment and character of truth. Understanding that Jesus is the full revelation of the Father, the truest possible revelation of the Father and His character and nature, means that we finally have a grasp on who it is that we are worshipping. And knowing Him causes us to truly marvel. How many times in the gospels is it recorded that Jesus was teaching and the people were "astounded" or "marveled" at the things that He said? Already, they were beginning to worship in spirit and in truth without even trying!

We cannot be guilted or manipulated into this kind of worship, rather we are drawn into it every time we are aware of the love of the Father, Son and Spirit. So if we want to see this worship arising in the midst of our churches and in the midst of our own lives, then we must speak of this great love and nothing else. It's what we crave.

If worship has become a dry word for you, the way it had for me, I hope that this helps to broaden your perspective of what it means, to simply allow yourself to be astounded at His goodness and to enjoy it. I have the privilege of leading Sunday morning worship at my church on occasion, and my prayer on those mornings is that I would just enjoy the party of Papa God's love and that I would bring the party to the people. Because that's the simplicity of the Gospel. It's a declaration and celebration of what is done and of what is true. It is a revelation that the wedding supper of the lamb has begun and an invitation to start enjoying the party. It isn't mourning over sin or the worthlessness of humanity and rarely, if ever, is it serious. A former pastor of mine always liked to remind us that "serious" isn't a fruit of the Spirit, but joy is. So if we worship in spirit, we definitely don't have to be serious. Let the crazies come out!